It has a been a cold, wet solstice week here in Cape Town, all silver days and misty mountains and hot water bottles for us and the mousebirds. It has also been the week of the strawberry full moon, the perfect time to release the completed Moon Card.
Unfortunately it's been overcast here so I haven't been able to se the moon, so you will need to be content with a shot I took two years ago when we were in France of the strawberry moon solstice over the ruins of Montesgur which was an unbelievable experience!
The moon reflects the light from the sun and thus is the card of reflection, illusion and deception.
The moon itself is a symbol of intuition, dreams and the subconcious and so the card implores you to search within yourself and to be honest with yourself as to what is holding you back.
Reversed, as it was for my reading, it is the release of fear and inhibitions, which for me is the typical artist's fear of putting themselves and their work out there and which makes the moon card the perfect artist's card.
I had nightjars on the mind since we were in the bush. I have always been quite infatuated with these strange little birds and their eeirie call and I was so fortunate to see quite a number of them on night drives.
The nightjar, also called the Whipoorwill is a fascinating creature. They are completely nocturnal insectivorous birds, feeding frequently on moths and other insects while in flight and are so well camouflaged when on the ground that should the bird not move, you are likely to step on one before seeing it.
Most interesting and relevant is that their egg incubation is timed so that the eggs hatch on the full moon, thus guaranteeing the parents will have a good hunt for their babies first meal.
The common Poorwill, an American nightjar is the only bird species that fully hibernates during winter, the name means "the sleeping one" in the Hopi language.
They are renowned in mythology around the world. The most famous myth of which is that which led to their latin name caprimulgus, meaning goat sucker, which is that they steal milk from goat's udders rendering them blind, obviously every aspect of this is nonsence. it came about since there are often nightjars around livestock because of the proliferation of insects, but there's no accounting for the weirdness medieval people believed!
In European lore, they are associated with the faerie realm, in the bible, they are associated with Lillith and in Vietnamese lore it is said that if you dream of one, you will master the craft of iron working.
The moth that sits with my Nightjar is a lunar moth. they are are a giant species of silk moth and they are named for the roman goddess of the moon, so how could I resist?!
Like the nightjar, they are also renowned in mythology and are powerful totems of transformation.
I had a beautiful experience the day after I finished this card a few days before the full moon. My love and I went for a beach walk and in the sand at the tideline, found a pure white moth.
When I picked it up, I was sure that it had drowned, however as soon as it was freed from the mud and started warming up, it was very much alive, It sat in my hand getting it's strength back and then We released it in the fynbos.
My nightjar and moth calmly share a branch beneath the full moon. they may be predator and prey, or are they discussing otherworldly affairs? or both? Does the moon card speak to you? what does it say?