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THE PRINCIPLE OF INTUITION, SELF TRUST
AND SELF-RESOURCEFULNESS
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"For
self is a sea boundless and measureless."
- K. Gibran (The
Prophet) |
The High Priestess represents the
Universal Principle
and Worldly Archetype of
Intuition,
Independence,
Self-Trust, and
Self-Resourcefulness. She is
Isis, the
eternal virgin and
Artemis, the
Huntress of sacred myth,
clothed in the luminous veil of light, the
manifestation
of the spirit. In Oriental mythology she is
Kuan Yin,
the Goddess of Compassion.
With her resplendent form comes the
gift of insight,
intuition and
concentration. She is an
androgynous
figure who archetypally represents
balance, a
positive
sense of superiority, an austere person who is both
wise
and helpful.
From the naval up, the figure is all
curved lines, soft,
magnetic, ying, and
receptive. From the naval down, the
figure is all straight lines,
strong, dynamic, yang, and
assertive.
This archetype serves as a strong reminder that
we are
not to sacrifice our strength for our
softness or our
softness for
strength. The
High Priestess with her
sun/moon crown represents each person’s
commitment to
have equal balance in
strength and
softness.
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"The crystals represent the multifaceted
aspects of intuition that are present at each
level of consciousness: mental intuition (the
triangular crystal); emotional intuition (the
round crystal); spiritual insight (the diamond
crystal), and physically registered information
(the octagonal crystal). Intuition is akin to
“the great still lake” - reflective, contained,
deep and always present, waiting to be accessed
and trusted."
- The Tarot
Handbook (Angeles Arrien) |
This archetype of Brilliance also
represents the journey homeward and the
return to oneself. The
camel
within the oasis symbolizes the return to the
inner oasis and garden
within. The
camel
represents self-resourcefulness in its
capacity to
go long barren distances, yet always finds the
oasis, the sacred
water of Self.
Astrologically, the
High Priestess is
card number 2, its element is
Water, and modality is Cardinal. The
planet is
Aries and the ruler is the
Moon. Its season is
Spring.
Within Alchemy it is Secundus Agens. Its mythical correspondence is
Taurt,
Isis,
Ishtar,
Diana,
Arianrhod,
Morrigu and
Sophia.
Within the Magnificent
Fantastical
Creatures Tarot, written by Lisa Hunt and
illustrated by D.J.
Conway, the High Priestess was known to the
Ancient Egyptians as
Ua
Zit. The striking Cobra goddess appears on the
crowns of the
Pharaohs as the
uraeus, the
upraised cobra.
Ua
Zit appears in a variety of forms;
a winged cobra, a crowned cobra, a
woman wearing a vulture headdress
and the red crown of Upper Egypt. In human form she holds a
papyrus
sceptre with a long snake entwined around it.
Ua
Zit is closely
connected with the
God Ra and the
goddess Isis. The
scrolls and the
hieroglyphs represent hidden spiritual mysteries and the
ancient
magikal practises of Old.
Her appearance signifies that a
secret
will be revealed. Use your own intuition to
understand and solve a
problem. She also represents an important woman in a man’s life.
Use this card to represent the
Goddess
on the altar and during meditation, to help
seek your spiritual path
and see into the future. Can also be used in
protection spells,
particularly for Major changes.
In the sparkling
Animals Divine Tarot,
written by Lisa Hunt, the
High Priestess is symbolized by
Bast from
the Egyptian mythos. This archetype is
connected to the age-old
practise of seeking Knowledge,
following your intuition.
The seed of Knowledge has been
planted: the spirals represent the
unending quest for
wisdom and the
continuous season of change and
renewal. The gemstone on the
forehead is the third eye,
gateway to enlightenment. The
power of
the gemstone imbues us with purity and
self-illumination. The
ethereal cats in the background are our
spiritual guides; the stars
are beacons of deeper understanding, illuminating our path as we
continue on our journey to
new heights of personal awareness.
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"The Egyptians revered a cat goddess,
Bast, whose lively presence protected the
population from vermin and assured fecundity and
health. She was a benevolent deity whose
worshipers responded to her kindness with much
jubilation. Every year thousands would make the
pilgrimage by barge to Bubastis, the center
place of her worship. Music, dance, drink, and
victuals were plentiful during one of the most
popular festivals in ancient Egypt.
As the daughter/wife of the sun god Ra, Bast
was the deliverer of the morning sunrays and was
also associated with the lunar mysteries of the
night. She was known as the “eye of Ra” and
protected her father/husband from his enemies.
Sometimes she is depicted as a lion-headed
goddess Sekhmet; some think that this earlier
Egyptian goddess incarnation represents a
ferocious, darker side of Bast. Later
representations show Bast as a regal,
approachable cat-headed goddess who is adorned
with jewels and is carrying a breastplate with a
lion head attached to it."
- Animals
Divine (Lisa Hunt) |
In ancient Egypt, a
cat reinforced the
well-being of a household and to kill one was
punishable by death.
So important were these domestic beasts that upon a
cat’s death, the
family would mourn the loss by shaving their eyebrows and having the
cat mummified and buried in one of the many
cat cemeteries scattered
throughout
Egypt.
Cats are still one of the most popular
animals in the world. Many believe that cats possess certain
powers
of intuition and their connection with
nocturnal activities supports
the belief that they are symbols of magic,
fertility, and lunar
cycles.
Within the gracious
Connolly Tarot,
created by Eileen Connolly and
Peter Paul Connolly, the
High
Priestess is represented by a Powerful yet
gentle female, sitting
between the positive and negative aspects of life, shown by the
two
pillars. At her feet is the lunar crescent,
glowing with mysterious
secrets. In order to come back to our true Self, we must go
beyond
the gold gates of wisdom on our
Life path.
This is unseen Wisdom, the
activity
beneath the surface of the sacred Self. The
whole picture cannot be
seen at this point, there is much depth yet to be
discovered.
Contained within the
alluring Shadowscapes Tarot, by
Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and
Barbara Moore, the
High Priestess opens herself to the
everlasting sky. She basks in
the radiance the stars cast upon her upturned cheeks. She
soaks in
that tremulous, incandescent light, feeling the
glow within her
mind, opening corridors, dancing into
filigree patterns.
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"The stars chant: We were here when the
mountains were young and the sea was only a
dream…. we’ve seen the hills bloom with
countless millions of seasons…. we’ve watched
the clouds paint their visions in a slow
language across the centuries…. let us speak.
The owl hoots in the darkness, calling out to
his mistress with the music of the night. His
white feathers gleam in the moonlight, as if
with a light from within. He glides through the
darkness to come to rest near her.
In the gloom, the night is full of whispers –
the secret knowledge of the stars, the trees,
and of the earth. The spirits of each murmur
their collected stories and their wisdom in a
sibilant descant.
She weaves those sounds through her fingers,
drawing the voices into physical being, and in
her fingers, a filigree key coalesces. She calls
the owl to her. “Take this, and be the bearer of
secrets.” she tells him."
-
Shadowscapes Companion
(Stephanie Pui-Mun Law &
Barbara Moore) |
The insights of
wisdom, Knowledge,
learning, intuition,
purity and virtue are all
mysteries which are
explored and contained together, holding hands with this
divine
goddess. She lifts her arms out, and in that gesture, her very body
becomes the living symbol of a chalice. The
owl is a
Sacred keeper of
Knowledge, bearing a key to unlock
hidden mysteries. The
pomegranate (fruit
of fertility and death)
is an
icon of Persephone, who
tasted the seeds and thus tied herself
to Hades. The
moons
embroidered upon her garments wax and wane, the
new crescent and
gibbous moons that create the full cycle embraced in one, teaching
us that Life also moves in stages.
In the blessed
Haindl Tarot created by
Hermann Haindl, the
High Priestess is the
Goddess, manifested as the
moon, the seas, the
night and the
Earth. Light fills the card,
radiating from her palms, pouring down from a
globe over her head.
Her dress seems to pour down like rain on the
camel and the
dark
land. She is the divine life principle.
It is a time for quiet,
looking
inward, seeking peace, using
feeling and intuition to find
Joy
within. This can also signify a lover who needs solitude, who
avoids
commitment in romance. It can also be a time for
action, for
involvement with others.
In the scholarly text
Learning the
Tarot by Joan Bunning, the
High Priestess is the
Guardian of the
Unconscious. She sits in front of the thin
veil of awareness which
is all that separates us from our inner landscape. She contains
within herself the Secret of the Realms and offers us the
silent
invitation, “Be still and know that I am God”.
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"The High Priestess is the feminine
principle that balances the masculine force of
the Magician. The feminine archetype in the
Tarot is split between the High Priestess and
the Empress. The High Priestess is the
mysterious unknown that women often represent,
especially in cultures that focus on the
tangible and known. The Empress represents
woman’s role as the crucible of life."
- Learning
the Tarot (Joan Bunning) |
In readings, the
High Priestess poses
a challenge for you to go deeper - to
look beyond the obvious,
surface situation to what is
hidden and obscure. She also asks you
to recall the vastness of your potential and to
remember the unlimited possibilities you hold within
Yourself.
The High Priestess can
represent a
time of waiting and
allowing. It is not always necessary to
act to
achieve your goals. Sometimes they can be realized through a
stillness that gives
desire a chance to flower within the
fullness
of time.
Within the learned
Book of Thoth
written by magister
Aleister Crowley, the
High Priestess refers to
the Hebrew letter Gimel (meaning Camel). The card refers to the
Moon, a universal symbol of
femininity, going from highest to
lowest. Crowley states; “the High Priestess is the
first card which
connects the Supernal Triad with the Hexad; and her path, as shown
in the diagram, makes a direct connection between the Father in his
highest aspect, and the Son in his most perfect manifestation. This
path is in exact balance in the middle pillar. There is here,
therefore, the purest and most exalted conception of the Moon.”
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"The card represents the most spiritual
form of Isis the Eternal Virgin; the Artemis of
the Greeks. She is clothed only in the luminous
veil of light. It is important for high
initiation to regard Light not as the perfect
manifestation of the Eternal Spirit, but rather
as the veil which hides that Spirit. It does so
all the more effectively because of its
incomparably dazzling brilliance. Thus she is
light and the body of light. She is the truth
behind the veil of light. She is the Soul of
Light. Upon her knees is the bow of Artemis,
which is also a musical instrument, for she is
huntress, and hunts by enchantment.
Now, regards this idea as from behind the
Veil of Light, the third Veil of the original
Nothing. This light is the menstruum of
manifestation, the goddess Nuith, the
possibility of Form. This first and most
spiritual manifestation of the feminine takes to
itself a masculine correlative, by formulating
in itself any geometrical point from which to
contemplate possibility. This virginal goddess
is then potentially the goddess of fertility.
She is the idea behind all form; as soon as the
influence of the triad descends below the Abyss,
there is the completion of concrete idea."
- The Book
of Thoth (Aleister Crowley) |
The following chapter of the
Book of
Lies, may assist the student to
understand this doctrine by dint of
meditation:
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"Dust Devils. In the Wind of the
mind arises the turbulence called I. It
breaks; down shower the barren thoughts.
All life is choked. This desert is the
Abyss wherein is the Universe. The Stars
are but thistles in that waste. Yet this
desert is but one spot accursed in a world of
bliss. Now and again Travellers cross the
desert; they come from the Great Sea, and to the
Great Sea they go. And as they go they
spill water; one day they will irrigate the
desert, till it flower. See! Five
footprints of a Camel! V.V.V.V.V." |
At the bottom of the card,
accordingly, are shown nascent forms,
whorls, crystals,
seeds, pods,
symbolizing the beginnings of life. In the midst
is the Camel which
symbolizes "the oasis". In this card is the
one
link between the archetypal and
formative worlds.
It is important to reflect that this
card is wholly feminine,
wholly virginal, for it represents the
influence and the means of manifestation (or, from below, of
attainment) in itself. It represents
possibility in its second stage
without any beginning of consummation.
It is especially to be observed that
the three consecutive letters, Gimel,
Daleth, Hé (Atu II, III, XVII)
show the Feminine Symbol (Yin) in
three forms composing a Triune
Goddess. This Trinity is immediately followed by three
corresponding
and complementary Fathers,
Vau, Tzaddi,
Yod (Atu IV, V, IX). The
Trumps O and I are hermaphrodite. The remaining
fourteen Trumps
represent these Primordial Quintessences of
Being in conjunction,
function, or manifestation.
Within the outstanding thesis,
Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, by
Lon Milo DuQuette,
the author points out that the High Priestess also goes by the
names; The Priestess of the Silver Star,
Planetary Trump of the
Moon.
Esoterically speaking, the card is
symbolized on the Tree of Life as
Path 13, joining Kether-Crown to
Tiphareth-Beauty. Its colours are
blue, silver,
cold Pale blue; and
silver, rayed sky blue.
Purity is to live only to the Highest; and
the Highest is All: be thou as Artemis to Pan! Read thou in the
Book
of the Law, and break through the
veil of the Virgin!
The Moon, partaking as she does of the
highest and the lowest and filling all the
space between, is the
most universal of the Planets.
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"As the only middle-pillar path the
spans the Abyss, the position of the High
Priestess on the Tree of Life is unique. She
links the ultimate Father of Kether to the Son
of Tiphareth and, in doing so, joins the
supernal triad to the rest of the Tree. ‘In this
card,’ Crowley points out, ‘is the one link
between the archetypal and formative worlds.’
The Abyss she traverses is, quite literally, the
desert of the soul, and like the desert camel,
she is the only vehicle capable of crossing that
terrible wasteland." |
The principal deities connected with
this card are those who, by tradition, represent the
lunar goddess,
virgin priestess, huntress, and most importantly, the
powers and
mysteries of woman as the
initiatrix. If you look carefully, you
will see that her bow is actually a three-stringed harp “for she is
a huntress, and hunts by enchantment.”
|
"This card is the textbook display of
the graphic principles of synthetic projective
geometry. The arms of the Priestess sweep
upward, pulling and distorting the webbed
network of space and light, forming the crescent
bowl of a magnificent Moon-coloured cup. The
pillars on either side of her are obscured by
the diagonal webbing and somewhat difficult to
see, but it is important to be conscious of
their presence when meditating on the
composition of the card."
-
Lon Milo DuQuette
(Understanding Crowley's Thoth Tarot) |
The High Priestess is the
initiatrix.
Initiation means “beginning”. The objects that appear at the bottom
of the card are not lunar symbols per se. The
camel is, of course,
indicative of the Hebrew letter Gimel (the Hebrew letter attributed
to the High Priestess), but the other objects, the
crystals and
seeds, are suggestive of the
hidden and mysterious secrets of the
beginning of life.
The time has come to
delve deeply into
the recesses of your Sacred Self, to take the
journey of Light and
Knowledge and connect with the
Truth of your own Chi. The tools
of wisdom, intuition and
manifestation are yours!
POSITIVE PATH
-
staying NONACTIVE
-
withdrawing from involvement
no intervention of events
being receptive to influence
becoming calm
being passive
waiting patiently
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-
accessing the UNCONSCIOUS
-
using your intuition
seeking guidance from within
trusting your inner voice
opening to dreams and the imagination
being aware of a larger reality
acknowledging the Shadow
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-
seeing the POTENTIAL
-
understanding the possibilities
opening to what could be
seeing your hidden talents
allowing development
letting what there is flower
free flowing consciousness
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-
sensing the MYSTERY
-
looking beyond the obvious
approaching a closed off area
opening to the unknown
remembering something important
sensing the secret and hidden
seeking what is concealed
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WORLD AND
OCCUPATION
- Becoming One with the Self -
fruitfulness, the unknown, the clouded future,
wisdom, seeing behind the façade, psychotherapeutic
experiences, loss of interest in superficial
pursuits, biological rhythms, getting to the source
of a thing, looking deeper, cleansing, good
judgement, taking time out, staying in the
background, introversion, length of days, the seeker
herself, healing, a woman of interest to the seeker,
detoxification, rest, confronting what lies within,
recuperative journeys, fasting, initiative, purging,
catharsis, withdrawal
repose, action, privacy, seclusion, clandestine,
change and transition, aloneness, practicality,
transformation, mystery, sabbaticals, visions, past
tense, intuitive understanding, spiritually inclined
females, inner knowing, patience, avoidance of
worldly people, discretion, reserve, subtlety,
dreams, introverted women, contemplation, subliminal
processes, imagination, mediumship, oracles,
prophecy, secrets, memory, women of beauty, allure,
virginal women, actresses, healers, dancers,
sisters, daughters, lovers, mystique, entertainers,
cosmetics, glamour, fashion, models, artists,
musicians, necessary transgression, breaking taboos,
passion |
NEGATIVE
PATH
- Straying from the Divine -
introversion, pessimism, hyper-sensitivity,
laziness, loss of libido, hatred of hard work,
inadequacy, apprehensiveness, systemic weakness,
fatigue, trepidation, out of our depth, painful
memories, incompetence, unclear communication,
vacuity, reflection upon the past, depression,
temptation, fatalism, abandonment, negative
persons, fear, loneliness, weariness, loss of
motivation, doubt, behind the scenes activity,
dejection, unfulfillment, loss of power,
ambivalence, uncanny experiences, confusion,
compulsive attachment, helplessness, psychic
attack, hostility, disreputable women,
inadequate advice, gender dysphoria, addiction,
promiscuity, sexual debauchery, lack of sense,
seduction, vampirism, sexual disease, lunacy,
obsession, superficial situation, bad judgement,
conceit, poor intuition, hatred of males,
resentment, false love, ignorance, psychic
disorder, fantasy, criminal intent, vacillation,
immorality, deception |
REVERSED
- Finding Solace in the Self -
inauthentic existence, neglecting personal
needs, refusal to acknowledge inner world,
insensitivity, inhibition or fatigue is
overcome, lack of subtlety, untapped powers,
improved circumstances, negative habits
persist, intuitive skills remain
undeveloped, superficiality, warnings go
unheeded, light, truth, loss of a female
friend or partner, banality, reversedness,
the unravelling of involved matters, little
time to rest, lighter moods, public rejoice,
increased trust, difficulty, no secret
activities are involved, withdrawal ends,
loneliness passes, cessation of fear, no
depth |
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"The reversal asks to strengthen the positive and
release the negative. Any path will always lead
to both being fulfilled."
- Michael
Tsarion |
BIO-ENERGETIC
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- Mechanics of Self -
curses, medication abuse, dietary problems,
toxicity, emotional adjustment, poisoning,
painful memories, psychosomatic disorders,
menstrual problems, inherited traits, drug
abuse, bereavement, bulimia, anorexia,
psychic attack, unconscious temperament,
bodily fluid, lymphatics, subtle nerves, ill
will |
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The
High Priestess as
a
Life-Time Personality Symbol
For those individuals whose birthday adds up to
the number 2, the High Priestess represents
their life-time spiritual symbol. These persons
greatly value their independence and
self-resourcefulness. They have a deep regard
for balance and harmony and are unusual people
to know in that they are equally as dynamic as
they are receptive. They are very tenacious and
are able, like the camel, to go long, barren
distances but invariably, they find the oasis.
They are very perceptive and can quickly assess
what is working and what is not working.
High
Priestess people can immediately tell what
is out of balance and can supply the creative
solutions to bring situations, projects and
people back into balance. Anyone with the
High
Priestess as a life-time symbol would be an
excellent negotiator, consultant or
diagnostician. Such persons would be highly
gifted in arenas in which their visions,
perceptions, and insights would apply.
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The
High Priestess as a
Growth Symbol
Whenever one has the High Priestess as a
Growth
symbol, there is the beginning of a long,
nine-to-ten year cycle that emphasizes the
process of creative self-sufficiency and
individuation. During a High Priestess year, one
evaluates who one is and who one is not. It is a
year in which there is need for balance and
harmony, requiring trust in one’s own
independence, self-resourcefulness, and
perceptions.
Often during a High Priestess year,
an individual will experience the emergence of a
new identity. This year marks a period of
independence during which one has little
tolerance for being limited, restricted, or
restrained. One may find that there is a need to
be on one’s own or it may be that circumstances
force one to be on one’s own. It is a year
during which one could be drawn to water areas
and have a deep need to remove oneself from
disharmonious situations.
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The High
Priestess as an
Outer Mirror
When one pulls this symbol or finds oneself
continually drawn toward it, it represents that
one is in a state of harmony and independence.
The High Priestess within one is working easily
and effortlessly. There is a sense of
self-containment and self-trust. One’s
perceptions are insightful and one trusts what
it is that one sees internally and externally.
There is a strong feeling of spiritual depth and
resourcefulness.
|
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The High
Priestess as a
Visual Affirmation & Meditative Symbol
The High Priestess is an excellent symbol to use
as a visual affirmation to enhance self-trust,
independence, and resourcefulness. This symbol,
more than any other, reinforces the trusting of
one’s intuition.
Sample Affirmations
I
deeply value and honor the human being that I
am.
I am a very perceptive and intuitive human
being.
I trust myself and value my sense of integrity.
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Symbols
that are facets of The
High Priestess
The four twos in the deck are the High Priestess
tools: the Two of Swords (peace of mind); the
Two of Cups (love); the Two of Wands (dominion
and balance); and the Two of Disks (expansive
yet stable change). Intuition and its various
ways of expressing itself are also pictured by
the four twos: inspired things (Two of Swords);
picking up on other persons’ feelings and moods
or kinds of love expressed (Two of Cups);
trusting the core of oneself (Two of Wands); and
sensing information through the body (Two of
Disks).
Lust/Strength (the number 11, which adds up to
2) is an example of the High Priestess being
expressed externally. When we are in our
strength or full lustre, we come across the
High
Priestess: strong, balanced, and
lustrous.
Lust/Strength is the capacity to trust oneself
fully. It is the High Priestess within that
provokes our demonstration of Strength and
Radiance in the outer world.
The Aeon/Judgement symbol is another external
representation of the High Priestess. The
Aeon
(the number 20 adds up to 2) represents our
capacity in daily life to utilize good judgement
by looking at things in holistic ways rather
than getting caught or fixated in details or
part of the whole. The High Priestess within us
provokes us externally to look at the historical
history of our experience (the Aeon) in our
families and in our career. The Aeon is the
High
Priestess’s reminder that we can transform the
critic within us to the fair witness if we are
willing to trust the deepest core of
who we are.
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|
- Gifts &
Challenges of The High Priestess -
Gifts
The Two of
Swords (Peace)
The Two of Cups (Love)
The Two of Wands (Dominion)
The Two of Disks (Change)
The Aeon (Good Judgement)
Lust/Strength
High Priestess (Independence)
Challenges
To Trust
Intuition
Transform Critic to Fair Witness |
|
Opposing Cards: some possibilities -
The Magician
acting consciously, thinking
the Known and obvious
The Two of Wands
obvious
The Seven of Wands
acting boldly
The Eight of Wands
being aggressive
putting plans into action
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- Reinforcing Cards: some possibilities
-
The Hermit
looking inward, withdrawing, seeking
The Hanged Man
guidance
The Four of Swords
suspending activity, waiting
resting quietly, contemplating
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- Research sources -
Taroscopes
by
Michael Tsarion
Röhrig
Tarot by
Carl-W. Röhrig
Arcus Arcanum Tarot by
Hager Gunter
The Tarot Handbook by
Angeles Arrien
The Book of Thoth by
Aleister Crowley
Animals Divine Companion
by Lisa Hunt
Fantastical Creatures
by Lisa Hunt
&
D.J. Conway
Thoth
Tarot by
Aleister Crowley &
Lady Frieda Harris
Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot by
Pamela Colman Smith
Shadowscapes
by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
& Barbara Moore
Understanding Crowley’s Thoth Tarot
by Lon Milo DuQuette
Robin Wood Tarot
by Robin Wood
& Michael Short
Kleopatra Tarot
by Etta Stoico
& Silvana Alasia
Connolly Tarot
by Eileen
& Peter Paul
Connolly
Learning the Tarot
by Joan Bunning
Haindl Tarot by
Hermann Haindl
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