Hmm. Some pause for thought needed here to assimilate the message. Maybe because there’s a nudge in it for me personally, or maybe it’s just the Moon doing her thing (or both)?
I think there are two points we should take from the Moon at the centre of this reading. Firstly, a literal nod to the new moon in Aries coming tomorrow: a new cycle begins with the start of another lunation. Secondly, the symbolism of inner work, the metaphorical dark night of the soul where those things that we hide from the daylight become illuminated by the lunar glow. Not always a comfortable process, facing those things that dwell in the dark, but one I think we’re being encouraged to attend to this week in whatever form is appropriate.
The flanking cards provide some further context. The Six of Swords is often a card of moving on, progressing mentally, crossing the Rubicon: in the Thoth context, I tend to think of the focus as leaning more towards the assimilation of new knowledge, perhaps after the trials of the Five, and the establishment of what we might see as right mental order. A calm that comes from clarity. I think this tells us that we may have learnt some hard lessons or found the previous lunar cycle mentally quite challenging – but that we should now be ready to leave those challenges behind.
And if we do that, following the path that our inner work beneath the Moon has laid out for us? The Ten of Cups offers us a warm flush of emotional ease. Not that we should consider our work done (when is it ever?) – there’s a Mars influence in this card that tells us we must keep moving – but we may find that this new moon cycle is less painful, more nurturing, than the previous one. And I don’t know about you, but I’ll take that gladly.
Have a good week and stay safe x
Louise Norgate 