The Moon

Upright

The reflection of the Devil at the lower level of the material septenary. Tzaddi's hieroglyph is a shelter and, by extension, a term or an end. The Moon is the material world seen by insufficient light: the road between the towers is real, the dog and the wolf are real, and by this light none of it can be told apart. Papus's sense is deception — which includes self-deception, the half that is much harder to catch. Divinatory sense: hidden enemies, deception.

Reversed

The light returning, or the deception finally named — reversed is often the better of the two here. But it can also be worse: the querent perfectly certain they can see, under precisely the conditions in which certainty is the symptom rather than the cure.

Correspondences

Papus's number

18

Hebrew letter

Tzaddi (צ)

Hieroglyph

A roof, a shelter; by extension the term, the end

Septenary

Third septenary (15–21), the world of Nature — fourth term, reflecting the Devil: necessity no longer clearly seen

Divinatory sense

Deception; hidden enemies

In a Spread

At the commencement, the matter begins from a false account — often given in good faith. In opposition, something concealed, and Papus's method says look for it rather than intuit it. At equilibrium the situation only holds while nobody looks closely. As the result: the answer is that the question cannot yet be answered honestly, which is itself a usable result.