The 18th Arcanum

Ave brothers and sisters of the light!

Hello again, we are now beginning a short series of studies for our next tarot key on the 18th Arcanum called the Moon. It has very overt symbolism. There is obvious things like the crab, wolf dog towers moon in 3 phases water. etc. The object of these studies isn't to point out the obvious. Rather the intent of these short essays is to point out some elements that have been said just not altogether. From several tarot commentators and the initiatory traditions of the west and east. For instance in the common commentaries on the tarot we are told of the astrological significance of the water Pisces and the moon. This isn't really gnosis in the sense that we are going to achieve a insight of the dynamics of the self other than that of the mechanics of the astrological spheres.

What we are aiming at is the "Gnosis" of the card, so to speak , in respect to the actual experience of awareness and using the symbol as a form of concentration on the ideas present in the Arcanum our goal is not to achieve anything other than a union with our highest idea of being or Self. As every element of the tarot Arcanum is related to the individual and interior forces and elements it is important to see that the 18th key is telling us something of a involution and evolution depending upon which way we are traveling. One can travel the path of discovery from the fool to the world or the path of return from the world to that of the fool. We are using the inductive approach and are starting from our most dense state of consciousness in the Arcanum of the world ,then to the moon where we are presently.

So.... the most obvious of this card is a very widely stated archetype in the wisdom literature of the east and the west , The Moon. Notice the marking of the statement "the "moon which represents a archetype as we are not talking about astrological moons since as we know from modern science that most of the planets all have a moon or even several. So this isn't related to a physical moon. Rather The Moon is represented by the interior moon of consciousness. The Moon of the mind. Since the moon is highly related to the night or darkness. We are talking about the light that shines even when we aren't aware its there. Since as we also know from science that the moon has no light of its own but is a reflection of the light from the sun.
A simple play on words will really bring about the aforementioned meaning coming from the Corpus Hermeticum book 1 " the word is the son of god". The word is the light or sun in the unconscious , further we are told that " that which sees or hears is the son of god". this is the word that is manifested from the light. So here we are taken to the idea of the Word which is the same as the Masonic Lost Word. The reason its lost is because the Meaning of the archetype "word" or LOGOS is lost except to those upon the path of return and that are reclaiming the birthright of the SONS of GOD. This is the meaning of the road to the hills its a golden road . So since these essays are intended to be short and not 7 paragraphs long, we shall end here , but it must be remembered that the symbols of the tarot only have significance to the psyche and inner constitution of the individual they are meant to be individual representations to the process of individuation or more simply put, guides to free association.

They are a channel for the conversation let’s make sure we understand their language. like it states in the Kyballion " the lips of wisdom are closed to those without ears to hear".

In light and love

Frater Cor meum Lucidum