The High Priestess

Sometimes the High Priestess is simply an indication of a certain female person (wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, boss, rival). But more often, the Second Arcana of Tarot symbolizes the presence of a secret. Other cards in the spread may give a clue about its nature. It's difficult to learn this secret right away; it will be revealed in due time. Moreover, Mary Greer subtly notes that 'the truth of the High Priestess can only be seen through the sacred mirror of symbol.' For one who is accustomed to looking at everything head-on 'as it is,' ignoring hints and figurative meanings, the secrets of the Priestess will forever remain secrets. She is a mentor but teaches not everyone, only those who trust the wisdom of unconscious forces and the mysterious inner world. It's not surprising that women do this a bit better. A man, as a rule, has to take a difficult step to stop relying exclusively on his beloved ratio. Women find this easier – perhaps because their ratio is less polished and not so infallible, and therefore 'no better.' The words that fully convey the principle of the Priestess are 'sixth sense.' It can be called intuition, clairvoyance, inner voice, gut feeling, but the fact is that it works and is valued no lower (if not higher!) than rational calculation (after all, not every expert and analyst, of whom there are plenty, becomes a 'guru' whose every word is caught with bated breath).

The Arcana of the Great Priestess advises paying attention to 'small coincidences' and carefully listening to various kinds of hints and pointers on the life path (that is, holding on to every sign that you somehow recognized as addressed to you). The Priestess personifies our unconscious forces – intuition, premonition, often inexplicable but quite firm certainty about something. This is the key to that mysterious truth that eludes the logically thinking mind. It is necessary to pay attention to the subconscious, dreams. The knowledge you seek is within you, and to find it, you need to bypass your stubborn consciousness. The main meaning of the Priestess is wisdom, knowledge, understanding, the ability to learn, teach, comprehend mysteries, and initiate into mysteries.

In a reading, this card indicates that information will gradually come to light that will make you look at everything from a different angle. The situation is influenced by some hidden factors, something secret. This must be accepted as it is – we cannot know, control, and foresee everything in the world.

Appearing in a reading, the Priestess emphasizes calmness and withdrawal into oneself. It says that it is necessary to spend some time in reflection, more in search of peace than answers and solutions, and they will come on their own at some point. All 'hurry up' must be set aside. The Priestess is connected with accepting the will of external events and submitting to them. It speaks of solitude, the opportunity to listen to the natural rhythms and cycles of nature, body, and soul. It is possible that the development of the situation will entail noticeable enlightenment and personal growth.

Individual cognition, development of talents, spiritual wisdom. Knowledge, study, learning, and comprehension of something. This especially applies to occult knowledge, but can also relate to professionalism in general, when in high states of consciousness the essence of any questions is grasped. This can also be the very search for these high, illuminated, and enlightened states, and an indication of their presence, 'just listen.' Intuition, inspiration. The ability to foresee and prophesy. Attentiveness to signs and symbols, the ability to sense a favorable moment, to properly appreciate a confluence of circumstances that cannot be called anything but mystical. Under the purview of the Priestess are incomprehensible events, mysterious coincidences, all kinds of signs that life sends us, and hints that the subconscious gives (like a randomly heard phrase that is clearly an answer to your thoughts). Appearing in a reading, it reminds us that Life is a Mystery.

The second meaning is uncertainty, unclear prospects, and an indeterminate future. It is a secret that will be revealed in due time. As a resulting card in a spread, the Priestess says: do not make plans for the future, the time for an answer has not yet come. The presence of the Priestess can indicate that there is some hidden factor, a secret, in the situation that remains to be learned. Some secret motives, unknown aspects of the matter, implicit points may influence the decision-making, the outcome of events.

In this 'knowledge' (first meaning) and 'ignorance' (second meaning) – there is only an apparent contradiction. The Priestess teaches that knowledge is already within us. How often do we go blindly for some time and then exclaim, 'But I always knew that!' The Priestess is precisely about that. And also about the fact that to learn means to discover what you already know. After all, we all learned a great deal in life not from others, but from ourselves! This happens when we find the time and strength to concentrate on our own spiritual individuality, or, in Kabbalistic terms, on the stream connecting the 'Keter' of our higher mind with the 'Tiferet' of our heart.

Contemplative.

Under the purview of the Priestess are insight and foresight, calmness and understanding. She emphasizes intuitive perception and the ability to comprehend. In fact, we usually live without having time to comprehend and accept our own experience. We seek new impressions, not knowing what to do with the old ones. We are focused on anything but ourselves. The High Priestess provides an opportunity to devote time to ourselves and everything that surrounds us. She brings a kind of idle state, when we seem to do nothing clear and useful, but this free time turns out to be amazingly important and filled. The Priestess brings a rich and deep spiritual experience, actualizes internal intuitive forces, work with subtle planes. These can be various ideas, fantasies, dreams, visions, images, feelings that are not so much a product of pure imagination as of intuitive perception, catching. All this passes through consciousness not at all by chance. This card brings a huge number of deep adjustments that are difficult to use in everyday life or apply for one's own purposes with a specific goal. In its most vivid manifestation, the Priestess brings phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, prophetic gift, access to the Great Book of Remembrances (symbolically, the Priestess holds on her lap not only the Book of Secrets but also the Akashic Records). Essentially, an individual magical initiation into deep mystical knowledge is taking place, a passing through a mystery. This knowledge (unlike the knowledge of the Hierophant) is poorly formalized. Try coherently telling a dream, putting the images of the subconscious into words! Hence – silence, restraint, and secrecy. The goal and essence of the Priestess is UNDERSTANDING and the need to understand how the world works, why everything goes the way it does. She uses this knowledge to help, heal, protect. The acquisition of secret knowledge, esoteric enlightenment, wisdom, and spiritual strength that pulls one out of the circle of everyday life. The Priestess suggests seeking esoteric knowledge, exploring one's possibilities on the inner plane, accepting the 'yin,' passive, and receptive side of one's 'self.'

Describing a person (whether man or woman), the Second Arcana gives the understanding that they are not inclined to rush decisions or take energetic actions. This is a person of exceptionally fine spiritual organization, preferring an intuitive approach to life. Taking Jung's typology, this is a person with a pronounced functional dominance of intuition, a living vessel of prophecy. They recognize something as correct only when they 'feel' it is right, trusting their inner voice, which warns and guides. They know what needs to be done, and what can be forgotten. They do not show particular activity, do not rush into battle, but at the same time know how to sensitively react to ongoing events – to flee in time or, conversely, to increase momentum. In their case, the saying 'the race is not to the swift' works perfectly – they trust intuition, and in the end, everything turns out as well as possible for them. They seem to act illogically, irrationally, sometimes simply strangely, but in the end, they reach the finish line with a very good result. The impression is that an invisible mighty hand supports them. They generally influence reality and those around them quite strongly, though it's unclear by what means (in the case of the Emperor, for example, it's much clearer). This person needs free time for themselves, to hear and hear themselves, and therefore cannot bear oppression and rigid systems. In this regard, one cannot demand much from them. This person has very strong connections with those hidden forces that stand behind reality. But connections with reality itself are not so reliable and can give way. They cope poorly with everyday bustle and stress and therefore are characterized by a desire for solitude, seclusion, and being left to themselves. They naturally gravitate towards life in silence and remoteness. Spiritual and creative needs definitely dominate over social and domestic ones. Dreams and ancient legends are filled with much more meaning and logic for them than what is reported in the daily news. They are secretive and restrained, outwardly seeming somewhat cold and aloof. About such people, they say, 'Not of this world,' although this is not always written on their face – the Priestess knows how to keep her secrets (more precisely – protect her inner space from intrusions).

The Priestess is an attentive listener but not a talker. Often, Water, IV, XII houses are emphasized in their horoscope. They naturally have secrets.

In the most direct sense, the Priestess indicates a person who has a secret or secrets.

And on a higher level – access to esoteric and spiritual knowledge (and being guided by them in life). Usually, this person quickly grasps the deep meaning of what is happening, its underpinnings, and spiritual purpose. Clairvoyance, telepathy, abilities for visualization and healing are implied. One practical case: a man described by this Arcana, with a prosaic engineering profession, possessed a specific intuitive ability. One glance at a stranger woman was enough for him to diagnose pregnancy without error at the most negligible terms. Of course, he could not explain how this knowledge was formed (which, by the way, is in exact symbolic correspondence with the lunar-feminine meaning of the Second Arcana). A person-Priestess is a rare phenomenon, but having met one once, you will never confuse this personal mode with any other. The concentration of contemplativeness, wisdom, and external passivity here is such that the person seems, if not an alien, then a yogi of the spirit. Those detached eyes see behind the external shell and the veil of facts what others do not see. They are silent: seeing and understanding everything, they usually discuss nothing and firmly keep secrets, both their own and others'. Having such a meeting in one's life experience makes it easier to interpret the Second Arcana in a reading: well, and what could this person make me understand now?... and the answer comes intuitively. In full accordance with this, the Priestess is one of the strongest cards of harmony and balance. Aggressive and warlike manifestations of an Amazon are not characteristic of her. She does not throw up her hands upon hearing omens of impending events. There are no strong emotional loads here. She is the bearer of deep calm and equilibrium of personality, introverted and impartial in her wisdom. To understand and feel the Priestess means to take a huge step on one's developmental path.

The High Priestess personifies the wisdom of the female being in a mystical, magical, and metaphysical sense (the Empress, in contrast to this – in a mundane, sensual, and emotional one). This is the ability to see through, read minds, and guess the past and future. This is the eternal woman-goddess of the ancient world, carrying knowledge and spiritual wisdom and at least equal to man.

The Great Mother of all existence is the second ('passive') hypostasis of the One Universal Spirit. From their fruitful opposition, all existence is born. The interaction of the Active and Passive Principles (reflected by the First and Second Arcana of Tarot) leads to the fact that a person can only know the world in comparison, the 'pairing' of all things, antinomy; he perceives not so much the actual essence of phenomena as their contrast. The High Priestess in Tarot is symbolically the Mother of Wisdom, the Female Aspect of God, Ain-Sof, Sophia, Shekhinah, the keeper of the secrets of existence. She embodies the entire magical power of wisdom inherent only in a woman (of course, as the historical dominance of men in religion strengthened, negative ideas about the spiritual power of women also developed, hence the 'witch hunts' – literally as a competing force). This is the Teacher, the Initiate, the Protectress, the Mentor. Understanding visible and invisible things, how the world works (and not the dogmas expressing this understanding on earth) – this is the goal and essence of her being. She is knowledge itself. Power does not interest her, nor does manipulation. An expression of patience, understanding, indulgence, kindness, and the ability to forgive, using subconscious forces for the benefit of people – for help, healing, clairvoyance. She knows the way and is ready to guide those who have decided to follow it. She is considered one of the three 'guardian angels' because, according to Christian mythology, the Holy Virgin-virgin can make a person invulnerable.

Temple learning, secret knowledge, understanding of higher laws, esoteric wisdom. In Greek mythology, corresponds to the goddess Hecate, who sent people nocturnal visions and prophecies, the patroness of sorcery and magic. Hecate was a lunar, and therefore a female goddess. And it was women who prayed to her when there was a need for her protection and patronage. The Magician and the Sun – this is the male Path. The High Priestess and the Moon – the female. Women more easily accept the mysterious mysteries of nature and life. Moreover, if the Empress directs her energy outward, towards people, environment, her body, then the High Priestess's energy is directed inward. Her great know-how is the ability to know and accept the inner world, that is, to do with it what the Empress does with the external. The High Priestess sees behind the surface of tangible reality the mysterious darkness of creation. The statue of Isis from Sais was veiled; anyone who dared to look at it without initiation was sentenced to death. Penetration into the depths of lunar wisdom can be neither amateurish nor forceful. Passivity, the direction of energy inward, towards perception and contemplation. The High Priestess is associated with inductive reason, connected with the knowledge of truth within oneself. And to 'know' means to 'surrender' to this truth, to obediently accept it, to merge with it, becoming one whole. Men are inclined to 'take' (but lunar wisdom cannot be 'taken'), and are not inclined to 'surrender', putting aside the sword of ratio, therefore contact with the High Priestess is equally difficult and spiritually radical for them, and means even more than for a woman.

The card depicts a seated woman, crowned with the tiara of Isis, emitting a lunar radiance. On her lap is the Torah or a book of the higher Secret Law (either open or rolled as a scroll), and in her hand, keys, gold and silver – the secrets to the doctrine. The golden key represents the solar principle of reason, and the silver one – intuition, imagination, or the lunar principle of cognition. Behind the Priestess are two pillars, Jachin and Boaz (erected by King Solomon before the Jerusalem Temple), symbolizing Good and Evil, light and darkness. The checkered floor on which her throne stands can also be interpreted similarly. The veil stretched between the pillars is a symbol of virginity. The pillars are a kind of gate, a portal of knowledge. To pass through it, one must become what the Priestess is. Showing the scroll, she says that higher secrets exist (and we all feel this perfectly at the beginning of life). Behind the veil stretched between the pillars is calm water. Astrologically, the transmission of the hidden into the manifest is ruled by the Moon, with which this card is correlated. The moon in the diadem crowning the Priestess's head – a symbol of change; the crescent at her feet – the lunar barque of Isis – reflects cosmic cycles influencing earthly life. This is the initially given form that the invisible wave takes in the world, each moment anew encompassing the unity of life. Linking cosmos and humanity, she transmits this wave of celestial will through herself.

This Arcana is also called the 'Gates of the Temple': they allow the cosmic flow onto Earth and open before the seeker the mysterious path to another, being. Identifying with this flow and entering the embodied world with it, the soul becomes involved in the cycle of happiness and misfortune. On her lap, the Priestess holds a scroll in which everything that should be in this flow is already written. These are the Akashic records (the absolute universal chronicle of external and internal events), genetic and karmic memory, and the appearance of the Priestess in a reading reminds us that this information exists and operates within us. The Priestess, preserving the connection with the higher, symbolizes the immortal maternal principle, not allowing this infinite flow of life to be interrupted. Through the Priestess, our own psychological, ancestral, and karmic mysteries are revealed to us. It's good if we are ready to accept this information and use it wisely, otherwise this open information channel can cause considerable discomfort.

On a mundane level, the High Priestess has a poor reputation in the area of personal life because it is not a 'mundane' card at all, and it does not always manifest harmoniously at the level at which events usually unfold and questions are asked. Its connection with mystery translates into the meaning of 'another,' secret woman influencing the situation, about whom nothing is yet known. With equal success (!), the High Priestess can describe another man, also a third party in a love triangle.

In old interpretation books, the presence of the High Priestess in a reading was associated with suppressed, unexpressed feelings (secret infatuation) and platonic relationships, without sexual intimacy.

This is also a card of hidden, secret, or undefined relationships (or at least feelings). It reminds us that 'a woman's heart is an ocean of secrets.' And a man's heart too. By the way, for men, the card foretells a meeting with an understanding and loving woman, a real treasure.

Modern tarot readers believe that the High Priestess can characterize the quality of the relationship as such, emphasizing the deep connection between partners. Perhaps we have all seen this at least once: people don't look madly in love, but they feel each other at a distance, understand each other half a word, and barely having thought they should talk, they hear the phone ring. There is trust and affection here, but also something more, simply mystical, which often manifests in astonishing coincidences and complements, for example, in the nature of New Year's gifts, which both bought seemingly independently of each other, not knowing what the other intended to give. There is an almost extrasensory connection here (which may seem strange to both of them – it's unclear why it exists). In such relationships, there is usually no imperativeness and figuring out who is the boss in the house. No one makes a fuss, insists on anything, and sometimes it seems that people hardly talk at all. They no longer need to speak. It's telepathy threatening to turn into telekinesis.

It is believed that this is a card of loneliness associated with personal asceticism and mystical knowledge. In reality, the High Priestess does not so much exclude relationships as indicate a weak predisposition to creating them. Her essence is unlimited independence. Her faith in herself and responsibility to herself are very great, so she radiates a sense of self-sufficiency. This is not a pose but the result of self-acceptance. The High Priestess is a colossally stable personal mode. She is not inclined to fall from her heights (or rise from her depths, whichever you prefer). Just as the Empress instinctively protects the life in her womb (the state of pregnancy), so the High Priestess instinctively protects the higher truth and wisdom that she carries within and which have little relation to everyday concerns. It is very difficult to 'drag' her down to the mundane level and 'adjust' her to the bustling society. She will not flirt, calculate prospects for suitors, or run around parties. But she can look into your eyes in such a way that whoever is destined is lost.

There will never be random people around her. She does not engage in 'scattergun' approach. She is a very patient and self-confident person, capable of prolonged waiting. She can remain alone for a long time (suspecting that this is also given to her for a reason and not losing independence of spirit and inner balance), while her inner voice will tell her what, where, and when she must do to find her one and only other half. When her heart pushes her to search for a partner, she does not analyze it but simply follows the inner voice and finds herself in the right place at the right hour. The Priestess emphasizes the ability to wait and be guided. Unlike the Queen of Swords, for example, she is not demanding. She is contemplative. She allows events to take their course, observing what happens without any particular desires or expectations. She goes with the flow and catches her own, the very moment destined for her by fate, accepting it, however unusual it may be, and then suddenly, on impulse, commits an act that no one could have expected from her. That's why she is considered crazy. Perhaps one could say about her that she slumbers and awaits awakening, but this awakening comes to her not from without but from within. Her decisive steps depend very little on external conditions.

The Priestess embodies the perfect woman, but not in an ordinary romantic sense. The Priestess knows and understands too much to rush about on the waves of the love astral in passionate impulses and illusions. She is aware of that depth where one does not shake obsessively but understands without words and heals with a touch. She is cold only to the extent that water is cooler at depth than on the surface. Marriage with the Priestess is a Sacrament with a capital S, which will be felt across incarnations. This is not the case of 'till death do us part' – this is the case where not even death will part you. That is precisely why, next to her, a feeling instantly arises that you have known each other for eternity.

The Priestess describes a restrained, mysterious, and very subtly understanding partner. This is an incomprehensible person; they may have many secrets of different kinds. But they will never behave brutally. They are patient, wise, insightful. It is impossible to hide almost anything from them, even thoughts, and they are quite clearly felt as a life teacher, showing a different way of worldview. Their advice is truly priceless. They don't necessarily need to see a person to know them. A distinguishing feature of this partner is silence, during which contact is fully maintained.

In sexual terms, the Priestess is tantric and healing. There is no race for orgasm here – she simply allows something to be and happen, perfectly tuning in to the partner. She is patient and sensitive. She possesses the art of directing the process of energy exchange, being guided. Through the Priestess comes sexual experience that has a healing, inwardly transformative effect.

Matris Spirituale, Alma Mater, Mother of all souls.

Isis-Nephthys, Inanna-Ereshkigal.

The Moon reflected on the surface of water, as a symbol of feminine wisdom coming from the unconscious.

The words of Swami Vivekananda: 'There is such a peculiarity of the mind: we are capable of understanding only that which we already know internally, that which is inside our own 'I.'

The words of Obi-Wan Kenobi from 'Star Wars': 'Trust the Force, Luke' (in essence – put aside your will and rational thinking and be in the flow, it, or rather, She – will guide you).

The legend of the only woman who ever sat in the papal chair. It is assumed that Pope Joan did this by dressing in men's clothing and was stoned to death when the deception was revealed (or more precisely, when the pope began to give birth, hence the moral: if you've decided to become a pope, don't become a mother).

A special archetype of femininity – the wise and self-sufficient virgin (for example, the Roman moon goddess Diana, also Artemis among the Greeks). Unlike modernity, the ancients calmly gave place to this archetype in the pantheon of gods, perceiving that Athena Pallas is very different from Hera, Persephone, or Aphrodite, without ceasing to be a female goddess.

Films by David Lynch are made about the High Priestess. If we take the same 'Twin Peaks', the High Priestess is both the mediumistic Laura Palmer with her secret life, and Agent Cooper with his prophetic dreams and constant deciphering of mystical clues, and another dozen or so minor characters. And, naturally, David Lynch himself, who lately refuses to talk about anything other than transcendental meditation (!). The attitude towards his work quite accurately shows a person's relationship with the Second Arcana of Tarot (although, to be fair, other vibrations are also present there).

Banzhaf and Akron emphasize otherworldly associations, chthonic symbols, connection with the world of the dead: the Sumerian epic 'The Descent of Inanna into the Underworld', Persephone who tasted the pomegranate offered by Hades, Böcklin's painting 'Isle of the Dead', the Venetian cemetery (the island of San Michele).