The Moon
The Moon is the eighteenth Major Arcana card, numbered XVIII. It is tied to the unconscious, to not-fully-understood fears, and to a form of perception that doesn't depend on clear reason.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-18
Historical fact
The image made iconic by the Rider-Waite version — a dog and a wolf howling, a crustacean emerging from the water, and a path between two towers — is a specific composition created by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909. Earlier historical decks showed the Moon more simply, usually just with human figures observing the sky.
Interpretation — Rider-Waite-Smith / Golden Dawn
In the 1909 version, a dog and a wolf howl at the moon while a crustacean emerges from the water, and a path winds between two towers in the background. It represents illusion, fears from the unconscious, uncertainty, and a form of intuition operating outside rational logic. Reversed, it's commonly read as confusion clearing or a deception ending.
Interpretation — Thoth (Aleister Crowley)
In the Thoth deck, the Moon is tied to the sign of Pisces and the Hebrew letter Qoph. It represents the journey through the deepest unconscious — a territory of illusion that must be crossed, not avoided, to reach a new kind of understanding.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- Did the classic Moon image always have the dog, wolf and lobster?
- No. That specific composition was created by Pamela Colman Smith in the 1909 Rider-Waite version. Earlier historical decks depicted the Moon more simply, usually with human figures observing the sky.
- Does the Moon represent fear or intuition in a reading?
- Both. The card is read as unconscious territory, where fears and illusions coexist with a form of intuitive perception that doesn't depend on clear reason.
Sources
- Michael Dummett. The Game of Tarot: From Ferrara to Salt Lake City (1980).
- Arthur Edward Waite. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910).
- Aleister Crowley. The Book of Thoth (1944).
- Stuart R. Kaplan. The Encyclopedia of Tarot (1978).