Tarot de la Santa Muerte Meanings: La Luna / The Moon

From the Tarot de la Santa Muerte - https://amzn.to/313ptwq

Card: La Luna / The Moon

Numerical Value: 18

Symbol: Cancer

Depiction: In the Tarot de la Santa Muerte, the card "La Luna" shows a purple cloaked Santa Muerte, scythe in hand, with a golden yellow glow surrounding her body. She stands just in front of a full moon, which itself hangs in a night sky spotted with gray clouds. On either side of Santa Muerte are towers, a black tower to her right and a white tower to her left. Each tower has seven levels or stories. 

Connecting the towers is a wall, with a tunnel entrance in its center.  In the foreground of the image are two dogs, one black and one white, both looking up at Santa Muerte. In between both dogs is a pool or trough of water, reflecting the moon from the sky above. A red crab is in the pool / trough of water.

Symbolism: La Luna represents the land of dreams and intuition, and our need to trust our intuition. The depiction of the Santa Muerte in this card is shown wearing a purple cloak, with purple in the Santa Muerte tradition being associated with intuition, divination, psychic visions, etc. The scythe she holds is a symbol for her ability to pierce the veil between the worlds. The glowing light around her figure serves to make her more prominent, a beacon to which we can look for answers.

The moon, seen in the background and again featured in the reflection of the water in the pool / trough, represents intuition, spiritual enlightenment, and emotions.  The gray clouds in the sky are light and dark, or white and black, at the same time, representing an uncertainty or fog over the circumstances in question.

The towers in this image represent elevated consciousness - rising above the noise to determine your own truth. Also notice that each tower has seven stories. The number seven is a magickal number often associated with being between the worlds, both divine and earthly. These towers stand as a symbol for consulting one's higher consciousness through intuition, for it is from the peak of each tower that a bigger picture can be formulated and more information can be learned.

The dogs on this card represent protection and instinct. The fact that both dogs are staring intently up at the Santa Muerte is a sign to follow your instincts and follow your intuition.

The black and white colors of the two towers and the two dogs represent the dual nature of the human mind - left brain and right brain, asleep and awake, consciousness and subconsciousness, etc. These colors are emphasizing the need for balance as you climb the towers for insight and the need for balance as you follow your instincts. In other words, combine what you know of the world outside yourself with what your intuition is telling you. Pay just as much attention to earthly signs as you do to the symbols of your dreams.

Water is a symbol for intuition and emotional intelligence, as is the crab. The water in the image appears calm, and calm waters is a sign of peace and tranquility. The crab in this image, like the two dogs, also appears to be staring up at Santa Muerte.  The crab in the pool of water, therefore, is a sign to look to your own intuition for the answers you seek, as this will lead you to peace and tranquility.

Finally, the wall connecting the two towers separates the symbols in the foreground of the card from the Santa Muerte, representing the division from where we stand in our world and where the Santa Muerte stands in the world beyond. The tunnel in the center of the wall, however, tells us that it is not impossible to receive insight from the world beyond, and is an invitation to receive this insight by way of our intuition and the help of the Santa Muerte.
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In a reading upright, La Luna is a sign to trust your intuition. Your own intuition, instincts, and emotions are the best guide you have and you would be wise to pay attention to them.

In reverse, this card represents a warning to reexamine how you feel about a situation or person - you may have it all wrong. This card in reverse could also be a sign that you're ignoring your intuition or instincts. Turned upside down, the calm waters are disrupted and would be spilled, resulting in a loss of peace and tranquility. Before you head into a new relationship or endeavor, meditate and reflect on it to ensure that it is truly what you want and the best decision for your life.

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