Card no. 9 traditionally is the Hermit card, which reflects an inner solitude necessary to gain wisdom and self-understanding. For the Inner Light Moon Oracle, Chang'e, the Chinese Moon Goddess, seems a
perfect compliment to this concept. Chang'e lives alone in her crystal palace on the moon. There are many different versions of the how she arrived there, one which is referenced from an ancient I Ching, the Guicang from the Zhou Dynasty. In Hexagram 54, "Returning Maiden", Chang'e receives insight from the I Ching to "escape to the moon".
The moon is a waxing and waning planet of mystery. Insights into our moon, our innermost psyche, often mirrors the brightness and vanishing of the moon.
The Jade Rabbit who accompanies Chang'e visited her out of compassion for her loneliness. There he pounds out the elixir of life.
Instead of the man in the moon, or a moon full of cheese, in most of Asia, when you look at the moon, the craters resemble a rabbit. Even the country of Korea claims to take after the shape of this Jade Rabbit in its geology. Much like Chang'e, rabbits in the Chinese Zodiac are known for their elegance, gentleness, shy demeanor and intelligence.
The general implication of this card is to retreat. Take time to go inward and see the mysteries and secrets revealed within. All of the answers are inside of us.
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