THE HIGH PRIESTESS, Card #2

The tarot’s major arcana cards represent universal experiences that we go through in our lives, no matter what our background or how we were raised. 

THE HIGH PRIESTESS

Card #2

Keywords:  Intuition, Independence, Knowledge, Balance

The actress Tilda Swinton, shown here, is known for eerily androgynous looks and equally androgynous roles.  She was the irascible Angel Gabriel in the movie “Constantine”, and played the male lead in the movie “Orlando”.  Even the White Queen in “The Chronicles of Narnia” was a volatile and lethal mixture of regal femininity and war-like masculinity, seeking the ability to wear the lion’s mane, a symbol of masculine virility.  It was the White Queen’s ruthless quest for that mane, that imbalance, which led to her downfall.   In this, Tilda reminds us of the importance of balancing our divine masculine and feminine sides, male and female energies, or yin and yang. 

To me, Tilda is a ringer for The High Priestess card. Visually, she invokes a sense of mysticism and knowing.   In this card, she becomes a rendition of the Goddess Isis, the Egyptian Queen of Heaven and Earth.  She holds the ankh or key of life aloft; to remind us She holds the key to living a well balanced existence.  At her feet is the wise owl, keeper of the intuition and wisdom which renders Her completely independent.  She never lost the cellular knowledge we bring from life to life, that which we’ve known since time immemorial, and which is also the knowledge inscribed in the Book of Shadows at her feet.  Rather than arrive at it, or achieve it through striving, this is knowledge we must return to in order to reclaim what we have long since forgotten by passing through the pillars of initiation behind her.  The snake embodies Her link between esoteric and mundane realms (also symbolized by the light and dark pillars), which is yet another reminder to utilize balance in all things, including the wielding of Sacred Mysteries.

When you pull this card in a reading, take heed and trust your intuition. Chances are you already know the answer to your query and need only trust yourself to hear it.

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Author’s Note:  So much excellent work has been done on the tarot.  There are so many wonderful original decks with beautiful artwork and innovative definitions.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, I find myself working from a distillation of everything I’ve learned, and honoring of all the original works that exist.  One of my absolute favorite tarot interpretations is by Angeles Arrien whose book “The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols” has become a valuable resource to me.  I draw from it frequently, and so recommend her work to anyone who wishes to delve deeply into the subconscious depths unlocked by these ancient visual symbols.