Our Mistress, Our Maiden, and Our Mother

Let me preface this with good news:
I was accepted into a Master's in Social Work program in a great place.  I've spent the last few months moving and getting into the swing of scholastics. I have just finished several presentations, and several papers (one a 25 pager).  The semester's winding down and I miss blogging!

I've been noticing alignment with the Moon and my life.  The Moon is my ruling heavenly body.  The full moon in Capricorn fell on my birthday, and Capricorn is the opposite sign of Luna.  Then, on my first day of classes, there was a New Moon in Virgo, the sign of diligence and hard work in the Moon phase associated with beginnings.  Finally, for one of my classes, I visited a Hindu Temple.  The night I chose to visit just happened to be on the full moon in Taurus, a good time to mix intellectual duty, spiritual fulfillment, and fun. Therefore, I feel that it was time to talk about the Moon.

 The Moon, drawn by Mary Guinan for Julian DeBurgh's Celtic Deck shows white stones surrounding a mysterious golden glow.  A great pearl of a full moon gleams down on the scene.   The Moon is a mystery.  What are the secrets the questioner is in the process of uncovering?  The Moon tells that there is more than meets the eye.  The Moon casts her silver and pearl glow over rituals and meditation, protecting and illuminating.

Here we have the Crab, naturally, and two wolves gracing Barbara G. Walker's Moon card.  The Crab is venturing into new territory from the mysterious, primordial pool, called by a full moon that's pregnant with possibilities.  The wolves sing to Luna as she rises above two pillars flanking a golden path that leads to darkness.  It's a little eerie.  Where does that path lead? Is it safe? Is it safe to follow the moonlight?  Will we find treasure, or...lunacy?
The Moon pulls our tides, and may also pull our blood, at least, I think so.  Water is also full of treasures, but also threats, just like our subconscious.
By the way, the nine blood drops curving around the Moon there? They represent menstrual blood, and there's nine of them to represent the nine months of pregnancy.  Fun fact: the words moon, month, and menstrual all have the same root! The Moon is associated with the female, although in Japan, Tsukuyomi, is a Moon god, and the Germanic tribes had Mani, and the Mesopotamians had Sin.

Kris Waldherr chose Diana/Artemis for her Moon card.  Diana is the Huntress, and she is known for her harsh punishments (such as turning a guy into a stag and having his own dogs rip him apart, because he saw her bathing), and yet, she has a nurturing aspect to her as well. She helped her mother, Leto, deliver her twin brother, Apollo, right after she herself was born.  She was also the protectoress of girls right until they were married.  She healed Aeneus after his battle injury in the Trojan War.  The Moon itself is associated with illusion and lunacy, but, it is also a source of healing and creativity.
Nature, and the Moon, are cyclical.  Life is cyclical--waxing and waning with periods of activity and periods of rest.  Diana, the Maiden, is the first aspect of the Goddess, followed by Selene, the Mother, and finally by Hecate, the Crone.

In a more verdant landscape than Walker's, Wood's Moon features a little crustacean strolling out of a pond that is blue, not black, and the thin path winds between a small wolf and a very large beagle into a misty rolling field.  The mystery we see in Walker's card is still there, but it seems more nurturing somehow--perhaps because there's some luminescence in the distant horizon, and there's plant life.  Instead of two pillars, there are two stone caves.  The caves, as we've discussed before, symbolize the Earth Mother's womb.
If you look at this card, it can be full or a crescent, waxing or waning. If you see the Moon as waxing, or growing bigger, it might be a fortuitous time for new beginnings.  If it is waning, something may be coming to an end.
A wild wolf and a loyal dog have come together to serenade the Moon in a duet.  The domesticated dog and the feral wolf unite their qualities in the Moon.  The Moon is a loyal, loving mother, but may give you more than you bargained for.  Case in point:

Dorcha is Epona's Wild Daughter.  You can find her in The Faeries Oracle, by Brian Froud.  She's part of the group of Faery Challengers.  She forces the reader to confront what Jung called the Shadow self, or the parts of the self we label bad.  She accompanies us through depression, anxiety, and nightmares, like Hecate. Like Hecate, she may be misunderstood.  Just because there is no light at night does not mean the Moon is not there, and just because somebody shows you frightening things doesn't necessarily mean they are evil.  

 Laiste is Dorcha's sister.  She believes in pulling pranks to wake people up, like when the Moon's light makes things look like things they are not--turning water into solid ground, and trees into skeletons.  She embodies the mystic Moon, and can be whimsical.  However, just like Dorcha, she wants you to be open and go deep.  She and Dorcha are adopted daughters of Hecate, the dark side of the Moon who can be fierce, but shows surprising flashes and glimpses of beauty.  Hecate will then always become Artemis again, new and full of promise of new beginnings, and then become the gentle, loving Selene, and back to the Goddess of Magic.
I think that's one of the reasons I'm so happy Luna is my ruling body.  She's everything--young, old, mother, maiden, wise woman, Queen of Witches.  She guides and obscures.  She's also in a close, personal relationship with Water, element of dreams, love, and emotion.  She is silver and pearl.  She is Maiden, Mother, and Mistress.