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This week’s card spotlight will be looking at the 18th card of the major arcana, The Moon, represented by a Lyrebird.
My version of the card is represented by a superb lyrebird, a bird renowned for it’s ability to mimic. When thinking about The Moon card, it was important to find a bird that represented the idea of deception and hidden secrets.
In the upright position: Nothing is what it seems with The Moon card, if you have a decision to make, don’t take it at face value because there may be something you don’t know. Something, or someone in your life might not be what they seem. This card may also indicate that you are repressing something, a bad memory or experience, which is resurfacing, instead of repressing allow yourself to heal.
In the reverse position: The Moon in the reversed position might indicate that secrets are being revealed. If you are anxious or scared, these feelings may be alleviated soon, don’t let them be buried in your psyche.
Why a lyrebird? While it was really tempting to pick a bird that is nocturnal in nature, the true meaning of The Moon card not only refers to the obscurity of darkness, but also of the trickery of the moon, in that regard I had to pick a bird known for its deception. The superb lyrebird is renowned for it’s mimicry, males specifically have a huge vocal range and vocal memory. Lyrebirds have been known to mimic the songs of birds that have been absent from areas for over a decade as well as successfully fool other species of birds by mimicking their songs. As well as other birds, lyrebirds have been known to trick humans with their song, people have gone searching in forests for babies that they have heard crying only to find it’s actually the cry of the lyrebird. This bird exemplifies the idea that things aren’t what they seem.
Symbolism in the card: My final card is drastically different visually and aesthetically from the Rider Waite design, which has heavy symbolism indicating the conscious and subconscious mind. I took the duality themes present in the card, instead of the 2 towers my card has the symmetrical tail feathers of the bird. The Waite design uses water to represent the resurfacing of the subconscious, I instead went with the bird sat on a branch, signifying being just above the subconscious. I chose to have the moon split like the Waite design but instead wanted it to be a blood moon to represent the wild part of our conscious minds.
Previous spotlights:
The Hanged Man
The Tower
The Hierophant
The Wheel of fortune
The Star
The Hermit
Judgement
Occult Ornithology is available for pre-order via Backerkit!
The Art of Katie Whittle 