Shadowscapes Tarot

THE MOON

You demi-puppets that by moonshine do the green sour ringlets make, whereof the ewe not bites; and you whose pastime Is to make midnight mushrooms...
-- Shakespeare - The Tempest (Act V, scene I)

THE WATCHFUL EYE of the sun has closed, and the harshness that day shines upon the world is blurred and erased. The moon rises upon this, her domain, to spy on those of the half-world who begin to creep forth. A mushroom faery ring glows bright in those soft, silvery waves. As the moments pass and the gloam closes in, they grow brighter and brighter with their own phosphorescence to light the path for the faery queen.

"She comes hither! " cry the sprites on the wind, with voices so lovely they drive mortals mad with longing. "Make way!" call the will-o'-the-wisps, darting through the woods. They spark and glitter to taunt and lead astray any human who might be passing, but there is no human toy for them to catch hold of tonight. The dryads clasp hands from among the gray birches and shed their leaves as they step forward lightly to be handmaids to the approaching queen. As she glides through the forest, anemones spring up beneath her bare feet, and she smiles as she begins the dancing.

Make way! Make way!
The night holds sway;
lead on the dance to fend off day!
With mad delight, come hear us sing;
no sorrow here, no pond'rous thought,
no secrets held, no secret sought,
for all that's wrought in faery's ring
is wild abandon.
Let sense take wing!

Meaning:

Fears ans anxieties, believing illusions, experiencing distortions, chasing after fantasy, dreams and visions, disorientation. The fey are masterful at the arts of illusion, and the dangers of stepping into a mushroom faery ring are well known The Moon is the realm beyond the known and comfortable and predictable. It is the otherworld, awesome and inspiring in its own right. and daunting and dangerous if ill-respected. It is easy to be the wayward traveler who is distracted by will-o'-the-wisps and led astray to be lost, wandering in the woods; but if one keeps the wits about, a glimpse beyond the bounds of sunlit reality is the rarest honor and most inspiring of enchantments. It is a doorway to hidden unknowns, and the wellspring of mingled dark and light that seeps forth from there. That is the gift of the Moon.