Introducing The High Priestess II
The High Priestess is the 3rd card in the Tarot Deck, the first being The Fool, and the second card The Magician. The High Priestess is a fascinating archetype of Female Mystery, Intuition, The Unconscious, and Inner Wisdom.
A woman is seated on a throne, holding a scroll with ‘Tora’ written on it. She wears a robe on which is an equal-armed cross. She wears a crown, and at her feet is a similar symbol. On either side of her is a pillar, one white with the letter J, and one black with the letter B. Behind her hangs a veil with a pomegranate and palm pattern, and behind which we glimpse the ocean. Her face is calm and serene; it’s hard to imagine what she’s thinking. We can imagine that she has authority, serenity, and wisdom beyond the rational mind.
Symbols & Systems
Body posture
She sits with her back straight and looks forward. Her body is relaxed but aware, meditative and serene.
Facial expression
Her facial expression is calm and reflective. One can imagine asking her a question and receiving the answer simply via a look.
Throne
The throne symbolizes authority.
Crown
Her crown symbolizes the three phases of the moon: Waxing, Full, and Waning, in turn symbolizing the three phases in a woman’s life: Maid, Mother, and Crone. Her crown is the same one worn by the Egyptian goddess Hathor. The Moon rules this card, and so its symbolism pops up a few times thereon.
Tora scroll
The ‘Tora’ represents the Jewish Torah. Jewish mysticism is known as Kabbalah, and the Golden Dawn based many of their rituals on Kabbalistic sources. As the Rider Waite deck is partly based on Kabbalah, Jewish symbols abound therein.
Pillars
The two pillars represent the two pillars from the Temple of Solomon, named Boaz and Jachin. The High Priestess sits between the two pillars, demonstrating that she is in a state of equality between them.
Curtain / Veil
The curtain/veil represents the thin membrane between the conscious and unconscious. On it are pomegranates (fertility, sex, and procreation) and palms (phallic). When Male and Female join, they are 2 becoming 1, or new life. The pomegranates are in specific positions, explained in the Kabbalah section below.
Sea
While we can barely see the sea behind the High Priestess, it is there. The sea represents the Great Unconscious, i.e., just as an iceberg is nine tenths under the surface, so too is our unconscious. Our unconscious mind, the place of intuition, dreams, fears, shadows, and healing, is ruled by the Moon. The sea is where primordial life began. So too our conscious mind comes from our unconscious “soup”.
Like the sea, which can be serene or destructive, so is the mind. When I think of The High Priestess, I often imagine the potential of the sea and if not understood, its destructive force. To access the sea of your unconscious, you must meet the High Priestess within. Part of the priestess’s task is to go within and meet one’s own internal sea of unconsciousness, not an easy task.
Cross on robe
This represents the Solar cross, with its vertical line (male) and horizontal line (female).
2 lines = number 2.
The cross has four arms, which can also represent the Emperor (number 4). To become the Emperor and create stability in the external world, we must first have stability within (The High Priestess).
Goddess
The High Priestess is linked to all lunar goddesses in story and mythology: Isis, Hecate, The Virgin Mary, Artemis, Diana, Maia, Cybele, Selene, and Persephone to name just a few. The High Priestess also represents all the priestesses past and present of the shechina, or the feminine aspect of God.
The Goddess reminds us that we hold within us great mysteries: We have the ability to have a seed planted, gestate, and give birth within 10 cycles of the Moon. When we are not pregnant. we bleed, closely following the cycle of the moon. We appear as mysterious creatures to the male.
Number
The number of The High Priestess is 2, which is about duality: black and white, good and evil, male and female. 2 is also reflected in the 2 pillars. 2 is about duality and reflection. 2 is also about transcription, reminding us of the replication of DNA, the primordial building blocks of life.
Astrology
The Moon is associated with The High Priestess.
We see the moon in its three phases as a crown on the High Priestesses head. We also see a crescent moon at her feet. The moon is also hinted at by the image of the sea behind the curtain, as the sea and its tides are strongly influenced by the Moon. The Moon in astrology rules the subconscious/unconscious, as well as mood, cycles, and hormones. It brings the gifts of intuition and reflection.
Kabbalah
The creators of the Rider Waite Tarot deck were members of the Golden Dawn, a group that followed teachings based on the Kabbalah- a form of Jewish mysticism. Kabbalists are mystics who believe that God is neither male nor female, and has many aspects. Kabbalah is all about learning why we’re here, the mystery of the universe, and what the big plan is. The Golden Dawn called their version Qabala.
The Rider Waite deck contains a multitude of Qabalistic meanings. You could study Tarot and Kabbalah/Qabala for the rest of your life and still only scratch the surface. I’m deliberately keeping it superficial yet easy to understand.
Being the 3rd card in the Tarot deck, The High Priestess corresponds to the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Gimel ג, which in turn represents the camel, which carries burdens. Due to her awareness of the unknown, like the camel, The High Priestess carries the weight of understanding and all experiences.
In Kabbalah the High Priestess is known as the ‘Uniting Intelligence’.
The Pomegranates on the Veil are in the positions of the Sephiroth on The Tree of Life, a Kabbalistic way to explain how the universe works.
The message from The High Priestess II
The High Priestess wants to let you know that you have infinity inside of you. Who you think you are is simply a fragment of who you actually are, i.e., you have unlimited potential.
The High Priestess is also the keeper of the Akashic records, which contain the information of all that ever was, is, and will be. DNA is our individual akashic record. She reminds us that the unconscious is vast and huge, and holds all of the information of our ancestors, i.e., all generational patterns. She also reminds us that we are connected to the collective unconscious, first described by Karl Jung.
If you draw the High Priestess, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I tap into the wisdom of my unconscious?
- Do I trust my intuition?
- Do I understand the workings of my unconscious mind through the realms of dreams, thoughts, and instincts?
- Do I realize as a woman that I am the carrier of life’s mysteries?
- Am I called to walk the Path of the Priestess?
Allow yourself to go deep, to meet The High Priestess that is within you. She knows everything about you: where you’ve been, where you’ll go. Ask her to guide you and allow your life to be richer as you integrate her messages.
The High Priestess II reversed
When I see a reversed card, I simply see the energy blocked or inhibited in some way.
How would The High Priestess be inhibited? I would imagine that serenity and calmness would be disrupted, and the unconscious would come to the surface, ripping away the veil. I imagine that mood swings would occur, and/or an inability to control unconscious urges. Imagine the sea gone wild, destroying everything in its path. When not controlled, the mind also has this potential.
If you get The High Priestess reversed for yourself or someone else, some questions to ask might be…
- Am I extra moody with swings of temperament lately?
- Is my hormonal system out of sync?
- Do I feel my unconscious affecting my everyday life negatively?
- Am I having disturbing and/or revealing dreams?
- Am I feeling extra sensitive?
If you get the High Priestess reversed, it is warning you to wake up and realize that your unconscious is dominating your life in an unhealthy way. She is also telling you that you are blocked from accessing your great wisdom within.
To sum it all up
Dive into the possibilities of who you can become. Realize the VASTNESS of your potential and the deep wisdom that lies within you. All the answers are already within you.
Remember: To be a great Tarot reader, you must invite the High Priestess within you, to awaken your intuition.
