Full-Moon Finale: The “Cold” Moon
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Although I prefer to do a New Moon reading each month, the Full Moon on December 15th of this year is special. Not only is it the last Full Moon of the year, it is reaching its northernmost declination (distance from the equator), achieving a “major lunar standstill” in the sky after which it will begin to migrate southward again. I decided to do a reading for the exact moment of perfection at 23 Gemini 53 according to the American Ephemeris. As a baseline for the reading and to flesh out the narrative, I identified the two Minor Arcana cards that relate to the third decan of Gemini (Moon) and the third decan of Sagittarius (Sun) in the Golden Dawn’s system of astrological correspondences. I placed a “significator” card between the two, using my personal “avatar,” the Thoth Knight of Cups..
The two “base” cards are rather unpleasant: the 10 of Swords (Ruin) for the Moon’s position and the 10 of Wands (Oppression) for the Sun. However, the Tens are an apt footnote to the last Full Moon of the year because they symbolize a “cessation of effort” for the energy of their suit. I wrote an essay on this subject (linked below) from which I extracted the following quotes to illustrate the end of one elemental paradigm in preparation for the beginning of another:
‘When I encounter a Ten in a spread, I normally see it as the “last gasp” of the generative principle that originated in the Ace, and look beyond its listless profile to whatever awaits the querent in the next chapter of the story. I present it as a “pause to reflect” on that which brought the seeker to that particular juncture in the situation, with an eye toward moving on successfully from there.
Think of the biological imperative for a snake to shed its skin, making way for further growth. While it may seem uneventful, the Ten invites sloughing off that which is no longer useful, on balance becoming positive in all its modes (assuming that we aren’t struggling to hold onto something we should cut loose, in which case it can be stifling).”
After placing the three “baseline” cards in the spread, I shuffled the deck and dealt three random cards in the order Moon-Sun-Significator. These were the Fool reversed, the 4 of Swords and the Ace of Disks. There is a restless intensity in the pairing of baseline and random cards that seeks an outlet.
The reversed Fool in the Moon position reminds me of one of the “hollow men” of the T.S. Eliot poem; he’s just hanging around vacantly, waiting to be released:
“Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion”
Although Aleister Crowley described the Fool as “an original, subtle, sudden impulse or impact, coming from a completely strange quarter,” its reversal implies inability or unwillingness to answer the call. Taken together with the 10 of Swords, we could read it as an oblique reference to the poem’s last line:
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
The 4 of Swords (Truce) in the Sun position reflects “rest after struggle,” but its retirement from the field doesn’t seem voluntary as much as it does forced by the “oppressive” influence of the 10 of Wands. Still, it is in tune with the idea of “cessation of effort.”
The Ace of Disks is the best of the bunch since it shows a pragmatic initiative as my inspiration for the period. My “tarot euphemisms” for it are the “ace in the hole” card and the “golden opportunity” card. As elemental Earth, it has no use for the two adjacent Air cards and won’t be swayed by their complaints of exhaustion; it is too virile to be “boxed in” by such weakness. It suggests preparing for the “next big thing,” most likely before the subsequent Full Moon.
Speaking of which, any phase of the 28-day Lunation Cycle normally lasts about 3. 5 days, but — unlike my New Moon readings that have eight distinct sub-plots — I’m considering this one to remain in effect until the next Full Moon in January.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on December 16, 2024.
