The Moon Pool
Related material
Images
The Fool's Journey card
The Marseilles card
The Waite-Smith card
Stage II - Inner Knowledge
Here the duality of the Sun has encompassed the Fool, and has split him into two parts: an outer path through the Hierophant, and an inner one through the Moon; this stage is a branching point in the separation of the Fool. This has been brought about by a certain kind of inner illumination; we call this variously introspection, remembering or recapitulation of oneself, and becomes necessary as the Fool, having passed into the Sun, is now fully illuminated from without—his shadow is also illuminated and he sees himself more clearly. This creates, naturally enough, an inner war, which we are to neutralize, and eventually prevail over.
This stage includes the Moon Pool and the Hierophant, but also contains Awakening, as its influence is felt strongly during this stage. (Our first non-linearity!) The Moon Pool provides knowledge from our deepest, unconscious and subconscious levels. The Hierophant supplies a different kind of experience and sometimes external energy for various purposes. Awakening represents sound and light, both carriers of information and knowledge.
The Image
In this card, the Moon with the Sun behind it overlooks a strange scene: a dog and a wolf are seen, sometimes howling at it. There is also a crab or crayfish shown at the boundary between the land and a pool or lake. A path is shown from the water into the far distance, past two towers shown on either side. Drops of some sort fall from—or perhaps they rise toward—the Moon. The face in the Moon should properly have its eyes closed and head bowed. Many symbols are combined on this card and it will take some sleuthing to tweeze them apart correctly. Let’s start with the Moon itself.
In the image the Moon has eclipsed the Sun. Therefore, the Sun’s light is blocked, and so is our view of the outer world. Since the face in the Moon has its eyes closed, this signifies that one is contemplating inner things or is meditating. The downward tilt of the head confirms this; downward equals inward.
Water can also mean inner thoughts and processes, and is often the boundary between worlds, in this case between the external and internal worlds of the Fool’s consciousness and awareness. This card, as well as the whole lower arc of the Eye, are instructions to discover and deal with what is inside us.
There are three overt “actors” on this card: the crayfish, the dog and the wolf. The dog represents our logical intellect; the wolf represents our untamed emotions and desires. The crayfish—or crab, which links this card with Cancer the Crab—represents the Fool. One secret of this card is that the crayfish is entering the water, not leaving it. But he is half in and half out, meaning he is capable of being in both the inner and outer realms and is a creature of both, just as we are. This card, therefore, represents a journey into the inner realms.