Tarot

The oldest forms of culture on the earth reveal religions based on fertility goddesses and Matriarchal rulers. Western ideas have been largely influenced by the priests of the later Patriarch religions, while the east has always had many female deities. We may be surprised to see a feminine spiritual leader but the High Priestess is not about asserting dogma. Her presence operates more from the inside as you hold to your unique vision and inspiration against the demands of conformity in the outer world. Dreams show us both the power of the masculine oriented ego that can trap us in our growth, while also demonstrating the wisdom of feminine intuition as the ‘one who knows within.’ Males are taught to be aggressive and females nurture their sensitivity Whether man or woman however, we all need a healthy balance of feminine introspection and masculine assertiveness. This is the lesson of the Anima/Animus appearing in dreams as the opposite sex character that seems to want to embrace, kiss and sometimes copulate to integrate these opposite qualities. The High Priestess is flanked by two black and white pillars inscribed with a J and a B, representing Jachin and Boaz of Solomon’s Temple and her message is about balancing opposites. The High Priestess is the height of intuition and when she appears, you are called to turn inward, perhaps work with your dreams. Like Hathor of ancient Egyptian myths who is called the Eye of Ra, or the third eye Bindi of Hinduism, experience is more than how we look out into the world. The inner eye must also be active in understanding the ebb and flow of life within. In nature, there is a time when the world dies away and sleeps and a time when rebirth comes. We follow this cycle nightly in our sleep but fail to acknowledge that retreating inward might also be required in larger cycles of time. Life is not a constant flowering outward. We’d rather cling to our leaves without realizing how it undermines the abundance of our future foliage. The High Priestess shows an adept or a person on an inward journey. When the way forward is unclear, you are asked to follow your instinct and gut reaction. The time is not right to make decisions or take action. Like the hero on a strange journey to understand the deeper mysteries of life, The High Priestess sits like the Sphinx offering a riddle without an answer. She is the I Ching hexagram 52 Keeping Still where one retreats from the courtyard to study the inner terrain. The only message she conveys is: ‘you already know the answer.’ There is little that is conformist about the High Priestess because she teaches that everything you need to know is already within you. Like all things of this earth, you need only follow your inner vision. The High Priestess is the power within that is constantly pushing you to see your ‘real face.’ Who were you before need, hunger, expectation, judgment and ego dressed you into the character that you play to fulfill your cravings? What has been unchanging about you since you were a child? You have a great gift to share with others and it is revealed by ‘that need’ that you are always seeking from others. Just be that. If she appears in your reading the message is to shut out all external stimuli and see what your inner voice might say. Beyond all of the striving to achieve your desire, you know exactly what is right for you and what you need to do.

Keywords: Intuition, dreams and tapping the power of the Higher Self. Hynpotherapy, counseling or esoteric teachings. Knowing intuitively what you should do. Following gut instinct. Retreat from social life for spiritual seeking. 

Reversed: Not following intuition or recognizing the positive influence you have on others. Superficial and shallow conversations. Social life follows a period of retreat. Relying too heavily on others for direction.