This is the ninth in a series of conversations between the Birth Card pairs and Jason C. Lotterhand, through “The Thursday Night Tarot”, (edited by Arisa Victor). The host for this series is the Fool, representing the individual taking the journey. The ninth Birth Card pair up is the Moon/Hermit.
Fool: Welcome to this series of conversations. Information discussed here is based on Jason C. Lotterhand’s work, as presented in “The Thursday Night Tarot”. Something to keep in mind before we enter into the following conversation is the theme for the Moon/Hermit duo: “Finding ones own truth, and connecting with ones self. ” To my left is the Moon, to my right is the Hermit, and to the Hermit’s right we have Mr. Lotterhand. Thank you all for being here. Moon, you may begin.
The Moon: I would like to thank Mr. Lotterhand and the Hermit for being here, and the Fool for hosting this series. As we all know, Birth Cards work in pairs. However, we all carry our own identity. Through Mr. Lotterhand’s work, we hope to clarify who we are to those who carry our energy.
Mr. Lotterhand, can you please explain why the Moon carries such a dichotomy of energy?
Jason C. Lotterhand: The Moon takes us up through an evolutionary process to the Peak of Understanding. Here spiritual and physical evolution go hand in hand. Here we see the dichotomy of the tamed self versus the wild self, represented by the two figures in this card – the dog and the wolf. Another way of looking at this dichotomy is intuition versus illusion. Definitely a dichotomy that leads to attention being paid to “hidden information”.
The Moon: What do the 18 yods in the image of the Moon represent?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Wow! They represent a tremendous amount of Life Force, and act as symbols of the Archetypal World. They are the ideas that are the guiding principles of evolution. The Moon is the agency that develops ideas. The Yods raining down in the card of the Moon illustrate the descent of grace.
The Moon: Can you talk a bit about the dog being tame by nature, and the wolf being seen as wild by nature, please
Jason C. Lotterhand: Our tame and our wild natures are aspects within ourselves that act as poles. We constantly move between these poles, but we need to remember not to go too far in either direction.
Fool: Thank you, Moon, and you, Mr. Lotterhand. Hermit, you have the podium.
Hermit: Thank you, Fool. I would like to thank the Moon and Mr. Lotterhand for being here, and the Fool for acting as host.
Mr. Lotterhand, what does the Hermit represent?
Jason C. Lotterhand: The Hermit represents the Cosmic Self, and also our own True Self. Remember, our major goal in life is to identify with our Inner Self … i.e. we strive to “be” ourselves!
Hermit: Can you talk a bit about the lantern that I carry, please.
Jason C. Lotterhand: I know what you are getting at, Hermit. The light from your lantern is not so that you can see … it is to act to draw Seekers to you, so that you can share your wisdom. Remember, each of us has all of life itself within us, to teach us and guide us. The six pointed star in the Hermit’s lamp symbolizes Tiphareth on the Tree of Life. The upward pointing fire triangle corresponds to the Three Supernals, while the downward pointing water triangle represents their reflection in substantiality. Together, Fire and Water create the Light of Beauty, which guides us through our whole life.
Hermit: What is transcendence?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Transcendence is the ability to see yourself in a larger context. Life consists of being “in” ourselves. The transformation is at an inner, rather than an outer level.
The Hermit: Do you have any final thoughts for our audience?
Jason C. Lotterhand: We need to have limitations. The creative life as described in the Cabala indicates that we do not attach ourselves to any particular state. We always need to be ready for change, to be willing to expand out lives.
Please note: These are, of course, imaginary conversations. The information has been taken from “The Thursday Night Tarot”, Jason C. Lotterhand, edited by Arisa Victor, Newcastle Publishing Co. Inc, 1989. Any errors in translation are mine, and mine alone.
Images are from the Tarot Lovers Tarot (Karyn Easton, http://paranormality.com/) .
© October 2012 Bonnie Cehovet
Perspectives On Tarot 