La Papessa: The High Priestess
Verse
“The guardian of the divine feminine
Waits patiently
In the shadows
Of the twin pillars of duality
For one who is worthy
To peek beyond the veil
and unlock the sacred knowledge
They’ve waited lifetimes to share.”
Keywords
Upright: Heightened intuitive potential. Duality. Listen to your inner wisdom. Embrace your divine feminine energy. Subconscious desires.
Reversed: Lack of faith in your intuition. Shutting out your inner voice. Denial of the divine feminine. Secrets. Lies. Hidden agendas.
Correspondences
Planet: Moon
Aroma: Lavender and Rosemary
Description
The High Priestess is known by many names depending on what belief system you subscribe to. Pope Joan, Persephone, Isis, Artemis...they are the personification of the divine feminine and a combination of mysterious and powerful women throughout history and mythology. In the Hermetic Tarot they are known as ‘The Priestess of the Silver Star.’
This card is ruled by the moon; the guardian of the unconscious, the great mystery of the universe, and intuition.
In a reading, the high priestess invites you to get in tune with your intuition and your feminine side. She may appear when your intuitive potential is strongest. She compels you to listen to your inner voice and embrace your own duality.
The reversed may be telling you to stop shutting out your inner voice and listen. You may lack faith in your own intuition or feel uncomfortable accepting it. Are you denying your feminine side? You may be the victim of hearsay and lies, or perhaps a secret is being kept from you. Beware of hidden agendas.
Design
I wanted this card to feel especially otherworldly and mysterious. There is no grounding as the figure hovers above the curve of the Earth. The moons are like a neon sign guiding you toward the doorway. This is the first instance that the twin pillars are depicted (they show up again on The Hierophant and Justice, and The Chariot in the form of Lions). Here, they create the arched doorway for which the priestess serves as gatekeeper and the balancing force between them. Beyond them is a sacred space that only the enlightened may enter, represented by a more saturated galaxy as if everything outside it is muted and full of half truths.
Key Symbols
Three Moons: The triple goddess, an ancient symbol of the divine feminine.
Key Hole/Doorway: The lock to the divine mystery, the realm behind the veil
Planet Earth: Like the moon, the Priestess sits with Earth as their throne in a space that exists between darkness and light.
Crossed Legs/palms facing downward: A pose for secrecy and chastity.
The Twin Pillars: Jachin and Boaz are the Gateway to Solomon’s Temple. They represent duality in its many forms; male/female, dark/light, seen/unseen, conscious/unconscious, etc, and together create the middle path. This balance of opposites is one of the cornerstones of magic.
Color Theory
Purple is prevalent in the palette because it is the color of intuition and inner wisdom.
