On February 19th, the Sun moved into Pisces, the sign of the zodiac assigned to the Moon Card of the Tarot. Pisces is a mutable compassionate watery sign is ruled by Neptune, the planet of delusion and illusion. The last sign of the zodiac, Pisces marks the end of the astrological year. Now are the final stages of winter, a time for tying up loose ends and preparing for the coming spring. This is a time for looking inward. In this sense, Pisces may be the most important part of the zodiacal progression. Pisces ends one cycle and brings us to the brink of a new one that starts again in Aries. In order to embrace something new, we must empty ourselves of all that forms a barrier between us and that “something new.” If we resist the closure process of Pisces, we may not retain the rewards we have harvested. Use this period to reconnect with Divine, to enter into inner stillness, as you seek answers for the goals you want to plant at when the Sun moves into Aries on the Vernal Equinox.
Typhon, the youngest son of Gaia (mother earth) and Tartarus (the infernal regions), was a devilish fire-breathing monster with a hundred dragon heads. Typhon’s name derives from the Greek word for “violent wind,” and is also related to the word typhos, meaning vapor. For a brief period, Typhon wrested control of the heavens from Zeus (Jupiter) by stealing his thunder while Zeus lay defenseless during the act of love-making. Zeus, with the help of Cadmus, was able to subdue Typhon and bury him under Mount Etna on the isle of Sicily, where Typhon periodically erupts in anger even to this day.
Before Zeus came to the rescue, the gods of Mount Olympus changed their form into various animals and fled. Aphrodite and her beloved son Eros (Venus and Cupid) transformed into fish, bound themselves together with a cord and escaped into the Euphrates River. This eternal union of love and desire was immortalized in the constellation Pisces. The astrological glyph of Pisces depicts two crescents, symbolizing fish and resembling crescent Moons, facing in opposite directions and joined at their centers by a line.
The Moon card is associated with the subconscious and often highlights idealism, suggesting that things are not as they may appear and also represents our secretive side or "shadow self". The Rider-Waite Moon Card shows two dogs baying at the Moon. One dog is dark and the other light, symbols of matter and spirit. A crayfish emerges from the sea, perhaps a reference to the ancient Babylonian tale of the egg containing the grain-goddess and her lover-son. The moon card is often interpreted as a warning that the seeker is not seeing clearly or is being deluded in some way. These are also negative manifestations of the sign Pisces. This recurring theme of unity can also be found in the towers. They symbolize the practical life that most of us lead, while the path between them reminds us of the more meaningful life that we desire.
This period of time, when the Sun transits through Pisces is an excellent time to meditate on the tarot’s moon card. Where in your life are you not seeing clearly? Are your actions motivated by love or by desire? Do you need to act with more compassion rather than like a fire-breathing dragon?