The High Priestess
Posted by Darshana Sanrakshak Shambhala on January 15, 2011 at 5:21pm in Kabbalah & Tarot Group
High Priestess - Tarot Card Description
The High Priestess is also
known as Persephone, Isis, the Corn Maiden and Artemis. She is the Goddess Isis
(Asat in Egyptian) who sits at the portal before the great Mystery, indicated by
the Tree of Life in the background. She sits between the darkness and the light,
the pillars of Solomon's temple, which means it is she who is the mediator of
the passage into the depth of reality. Her image later became that of the virgin
Mary (Miriam in Hebrew), the "Mother of God." And Isis too was the Mother of
Horus, the androgynous God who contained both the male and female polarities in
one being. She holds the half-revealed/half-concealed Torah, the exoteric and
the esoteric teachings. She reminds the seeker that the written word is the
lesser of the Mysteries, and to be obsessed with it may conceal from view the
greater Mystery, which is shown by the Tree of Life behind her.
The two
pillars she's sitting between are Boaz and Joachim, the pillars of mercy and
severity. The tapestry hung between them keeps the casual observer out and
allows only those initiated in the High Arts to enter. The pomegranates on the
tapestry are sacred to Persephone. They are a symbol of duty (because Persephone
ate a pomegranate seed in the underworld, which made her have to return every
year.) The blue robe the priestess is wearing is a symbol of knowledge. She is
wearing the crown of Isis, symbolizing the Triple Goddess. The solar cross on
her breast is a symbol of balance between male and female. The TORA in her lap
is the book of the law, again symbolizing knowledge. The moon under her left
foot shows her dominion over pure intuition. The palm means fertility of the
mind and the cube she's sitting on is the earth. The planet associated with the
High Priestess is the Moon.
High Priestess - Tarot Card Meanings
The
high priestess represents wisdom, serenity, knowledge and understanding. This
cards means the person has the ability to learn and teach. Any secrets that need
to be learned will be revealed soon. Hidden influences can be at work here. If
this appears in a reading for a man it represents the perfect woman all men
want. If in a woman's reading, she can find those values - in herself or a
friend. The high priestess represents wisdom, serenity, knowledge and
understanding. This cards means the person has the ability to learn and teach.
Any secrets that need to be learned will be revealed soon. Hidden influences can
be at work here. If this appears in a reading for a man it represents the
perfect woman all men want. If in a woman's reading, she can find those values -
in herself or a friend.
The message is to not confuse the little with the
great. Be not content with less than the grandeur in the situation, or the gain
will fail to satisfy in the end. She also reminds us to trust our intuition, and
for a male especially, he must learn of his "anima" or female side, or he will
fail to grow. For a woman, it means to trust herself and not to fall for the
delusions perpetrated by the world on females that would bend their natures to
imitate those of males in the society.
The High Priestess represents a
link to the subconscious mind, which cannot be accessed through the everyday
world, but only through dreams and symbols. When this card shows up in a
reading, pay attention to your dreams and intuition. When she appears, look for
areas of your life that are out of balance. Knowledge of how to fix it will not
come through logic or intellect, but through your intuition. Listen to the small
voice inside. Put aside a time when you can meditate and listen to your own
inner voice.
Key words - Intuition, mystery, unconscious, gate to the
Other world. Mentally - an intuitive insight. Spiritually - Your path is guided
by intuition, knowing the way through your own heart and your connection to the
divine rather than logic or formal teaching; your higher self is communicating
via dreams. Emotionally - attuned to heart, emotions, dreams; feelings have an
unconscious motivation, dealing from a non-logical place. Physically - Take the
job that your gut tells you is right, working as a counsellor or psychic.
Business - Follow your gut feeling. Make sure you know all the hidden
undercurrents in the situation. Relationship - Relationship is guided by
intuition. Feeling a deep intuitive connection. Your reactions are coming
directly from your unconscious. Are you dealing with the other person in the
relationship or with your own Anima? The relationship itself is a secret.
Problematic - Secretive, things going on under the surface, hidden agendas,
ambiguous, flaky. Beneficial - One's intuitive sense provides useful and helpful
information, being in touch with one's source.
The High Priestess is
associated with Moon, and the rune Wyrd. Two is the number of Growth. Meditation
Factors - When you need inner guidance; When you need to strengthen your psychic
abilities.
This card represents knowledge and wisdom. This card also
represents the ability to teach and to learn. It can represent the perfect
woman. Also, be careful of quick judgements and prejudice.
She is the
Keeper/Guardian of intuitive wisdom and magick. Whereas the Magician is a
manipulator of matter and spirit using the formula "as above, so below", she is
the magician whose formula is "as inside, so outside". She balances not only the
Magician, but also the Hierophant. His knowledge is "received", it is not proven
or discovered like the Magician's it is not felt or intuited as the High
Priestess's, it is "Handed Down", not to be questioned, inspected or discovered
like the Magician would like to do and yet not to be intuited and felt as the
High Priestess would, but simply to be taken on faith, because you were told so
by an "Authority". The High Priestess, thus has a busy job, balancing two very
Male/Solar approaches to wisdom with her Female/Lunar wisdom.
Wisdom and
feminine compassion may provide insight to problems. Hidden influences within
yourself may provide you with the answers that you seek. Want to follow through
with a course of action and/or to utilise an idea, skill or philosophy. Once you
make a decision or decide upon a goal, make a commitment to it and let nothing
divert you from it or keep you from attaining it. Recognise the patterns that
have sabotaged you in the past and cut them off.
Possible health problems
- Sickle-cell anaemia; dehydration; infertility; female; heart; Alzheimer's;
amnesia; menstrual; water-retention.
The High Priestess is often
described as the guardian of the unconscious. She sits in front of the thin veil
of unawareness which is all that separates us from our inner landscape. She
knows the secret of how to access these realms. She represents spiritual
enlightenment and inner illumination. She is a representative of divine
knowledge and wisdom. She has a good understanding of the universe and uses this
knowledge to teach rather than to try to control others. She generally appears
when you need to listen to and trust your inner voice. The High Priestess is the
feminine principle which balances the masculine force of The Magician. She is
the Mysterious Unknown that women often represent.
Possible career paths:
She is the keeper of knowledge and secrets. Combined with the Two of Pentacles -
an accountant, especially at a high level where confidentiality is important;
the Eight of Cups - a psychotherapist, perhaps specialising in lifestyle changes
or 12-step programs; the Lovers - a confidante and/or mediator.
The
abstract, spiritual and intellectual face of the anima, the feminine nature of
the soul. Primordial female wisdom. Intuition, insight, sacred knowledge,
feminine spirituality, the fruitfulness of nature and the cycle of the seasons.
The ancient underground tradition of healing arts, magic and spiritual
mystery.
Wisdom, Sound judgement, Serene knowledge, Common sense,
Serenity, Objectivity, Penetration, Foresight, Intuition, Comprehension,
Perception, Self-reliance, Emotionlessness, Platonic relationships,
Practical.
This card is telling you to pay attention to your dreams and
intuitions; a facet of you is trying to make itself known. When this card
appears in a spread, it indicates that your life is changing. Things that once
seemed so certain can no longer be taken for granted. Some puzzling mysteries
become more clear, but all is not yet revealed at this point. On the bonus side,
you will find that your intuitive powers are increasing and you may be inspired
to be creative; this is a particularly good card for poets and writers.
Depending on the surrounding cards, the High Priestess can mean that a noble and
gentle influence will enter your life in the form of a woman, either as a friend
or a lover.
Spiritually you are about to attain a new level of
enlightenment. You may have realised the power of your intuition and have begun
to study psychic matters. This card can indicate a particular attraction to the
occult, a thirst for secret knowledge. At this point, you must pay attention to
the lesson of the swan. She is a guide to the Otherworld consciousness, parting
the swan-veil mist to allow access. Swan is telling you that knowledge will not
come a this time through action or intellectual endeavour, but by listening to
the inner voice of the spirit, which may be missed in the hurly-burly of chatter
and business. Put aside times of silence when you can become aware and
listen.
High Priestess - Reversed Tarot Card Meanings
A selfish and
ruthless woman. Conceit. If in a man's reading, he must be careful not to let a
woman's selfishness destroy him. You also have the ability to judge events and
issues clearly, but at the same time tend to be prejudiced and one
sided.
If this card appears reversed, it may mean that you have been
acquiring knowledge, but on a superficial level. You haven't been listening to
your intuition. Have you come to terms with your feminine, emotional
self?
The High Priestess can signify that you are not listening to your
inner voice and may need to take time for reflection and meditation. She can
also represent repressed feelings, over-reliance on the opinions of others, and
an excessive need for approval and validation.
If this card appears
reversed in your reading, it can indicate that you have been gaining occult
knowledge on a superficial level without any comprehension of its true
significance, perhaps merely to impress others. It can also indicate that you
have not been listening to your intuition or have been trying to ignore
something that you know deep down is true; in either case this will cause
problems for you. On a deeper level, the High Priestess reversed can mean that
you have failed to come to terms with yourself as a woman. If you are a man, it
can indicate a damaging refusal to accept the feminine, emotional, intuitive
side of yourself.
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