Tarot Tid Bit: The High Priestess

What’s on the Card?

The High Priestess sits between two pillars. The one on the left is black and is engraved with “B.” On the right is a white pillar bearing the letter “J.” These stand for Boaz (negative energy, the end) and Jachin (positive energy, the beginning). Therefore she is seated between the beginning and the end as a perfect balance. She is in the now. Behind her, you’ll find a tapestry decorated with pomegranates and palms. These are female and male respectively. This is another representation of balance. If you look even farther behind her, you see a river which is the collective unconscious. The tapestry is the veil between her and this universal energy. To further the idea of balanced energy is the solar cross on her clothing. This is not a Christian symbol. It is one of humanity’s oldest spiritual symbols and is found in Asian, American, and European pre-historic art. This symbol represents the four seasons as well as the balance of male and female. The crescent moon sits at her feet and she wears the Triple Moon Crown showing she is an initiate of the mysteries of womanhood.

What does it all mean?

I know that was a lot to take in. As a balance, we know the High Priestess is unbiased. She sits in the middle of everything, a true neutral. Her throne is beside the “veil” between the spiritual and the material, so she is not in this world any more than the other. With this in-between vantage point, she can know both worlds. The Magician may “do,” but the High Priestess “knows” what he does not take the time to consider. The scroll in her lap is the sum knowledge of man (labeled Torah). Her knowing is called intuition or psychic talent. This lady doesn’t just know, she sees and understands. However, she’s not telling you. That’s up to you to find out on your own.

Interpretations: intuition, passivity, protected information, unconscious/subconscious, open to the possibilities

Comparative Tarot: Figure Out Some High Priestesses

On the top left, you’ll find the High Priestess from the Modern Witch Tarot. We see the pillars, but no letters are inscribed. The veil is in place as well as the Triple Moon and crescent. The scroll is replaced with a laptop. Where else does the modern witch get her information, but the internet?

Next up, we have the latest Zerner-Farber Tarot. She stands between two trees as she wades in the river. A crescent crowns her and another hovers above her occupied by an owl (Athena’s bird, representative of knowledge).

Last, we have the Tarot for Kids. Pomegranates and palms are behind our Triple Moon crowned priestess. She holds a translucent sphere (looking into the future) in one hand and the other guards the book of knowledge. Once again, we see the black and white pillars, however they and she appear to be floating in the night sky/universe.

Tarot Tidbits are short, hopefully informative, looks at the cards of the Tarot.