Manga Tarot: The Moon

Alan Ross

Glyph: Spring

This card is another of my favorites. I find it utterly enchanting. It doesn't have any of The Moon's traditional elements. There is no crayfish, no wolf or dog, or any towers. Instead, we have a woman dressed in a kimono dancing with a polar bear while swans swim about them. Above them shines a crescent moon (waning) in a star-filled night sky.

I see this as being a card of dreams, whimsy, and fantasy. It lacks the ominous feeling that I'm used to in many other versions of The Moon. It also feels very romantic. The bear and the woman seem to be really connecting. It reminds me of Beauty and the Beast.

I'm not sure what to make of the accompanying phrase "Harmony in giving and receiving." I suppose the woman and the bear are in harmony with each other. Perhaps each gives what the other lacks?

Alan
 

colorwalk

Noticed this new thread and thought I'd hop over and add my bit before I go back to work on previous cards. :) I simply couldn't resist because- I really love this moon and it's also one of my favorites in the deck.

LWB Key: Harmony; Harmony in giving and receiving.

Color: I think it's meant to be red, if taking into the account of the color around the glyph. However, to me, there's no prominence of color here which I think is fitting for that sense of "anything is possible". Red, for this case, I feel goes more for personality than fire.

Glyph: Spring. I see it as a birth of dreams, possibilities, and imagination.

Imagery: I really love the feeling this card gives me. Alan used the word enchanting and I couldn't agree more. There's a certain quality of "that magical moment" in this scene with the woman and the bear dancing under the moonlight while surrounded by swans. You'd think it sounds bizarre but for that moment, it looks and feels simply perfect and right. For that moment, anything is possible and it's almost liberating. It's like being swept away by a dream and just experiencing that brief spout of feeling or sensation. When the moonlight fades and the sun rises, things could be different in the light of day... but so what? It's this moment that matters right now. This is the feeling I got from staring at the woman/bear pair.

Most Moon cards never sat comfortably with me, because they always give off this ominous feeling as Alan also mentioned. While I was aware of meanings like dreams, intuition, magic, and illusion associated with the Moon card, I always had trouble viewing them in its positive light. But this Moon captures that essence perfectly. I find that I can read it so much clearer and see it on so many more levels.

Alan Ross said:
I'm not sure what to make of the accompanying phrase "Harmony in giving and receiving." I suppose the woman and the bear are in harmony with each other. Perhaps each gives what the other lacks?
I, too, was a bit stumped on the phrase. As "harmony" by itself, I can almost see it as harmony with oneself and the multiple sides- sort of like finding harmony between our inner magical self versus our conscious self... like a mirror of the sun and the moon. But for a specific statement like harmony in giving and receiving, I'm not sure what to make of it either. Maybe in giving into and accepting our inner selves, we can receive and achieve harmony?