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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Exploring the Tarot: The High Priestess

Before we get started I want to wish all my fellow witches a Happy Imbolc! I didn't even realize it was today until just now. Not having a Witch calendar is a pain. But anyways, on to the tarot!

The High Priestess
Keywords: Intuition, Mystery, Balance, Patience

This card usually depicts a woman, the Priestess, sitting between two pillars. The pillars represent life and death and the Priestess shows the balance between the two. It is most common for her to be wearing white as this is the colour of purity as well as unfulfilled potential. In this deck, the Sharman-Caselli, she is shown holding a bundle of flowers which represent a promise of the future. In other decks she is sometimes depicted holding a pomegranate. Older tarot decks may have called this card "The Female Pope" but regardless of her name she has a strong connection to spirituality, imagination, and intuition. 

The High Priestess is highly connected to fertility, the creative cycle, and the lunar cycle, as well as the underworld. In the Wiccan tradition she would have a very strong link to The Goddess as they share many of the same qualities and indeed this may be a card you could put on your altar when dealing with a rite dedicated to the Goddess.

When the High Priestess turns up in a spread she can be difficult to figure out as she is associated with more shadowy and mystical qualities; she holds her secrets close. Often when this card shows up it is telling you to trust your intuition -go with your gut feeling about something. She also represents the beginning potential of something in your life that if you wait for the right moment can turn into something beneficial. Trust your instincts and you will be rewarded. 

Lady Unlaced
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