The High Priestess Speaks
I am currently learning from the High Priestess, as I will be embodying her as an Oracle for the Astoria Second Saturday Artwalk, May 14, 12-8.
In the Living Tarot Oracle Tradition, embodying any of the cards involves humbly engaging the deeper teachings inherent in each card with a willingness to be changed. The High Priestess is one of the cards I've studied the most over my 30+ years of deep diving into tarot, and she is still inviting me to look deeper through the veil behind her to see what secrets may be revealed.
One thing I am learning anew is my passivity in the face of the requirements of being in the world in a body. I could spend all day in inner retreat, contemplating the mysteries of the multi-verse. When I turn my lens to the outer world events, I can become despairing want to withdraw even more. The minor cards demonstrate how the major arcana express themselves in the world. I can look to the minor cards that are associated with the High Priestess, all of the "2s", and get more insight into how she functions, and how I might be more effective and engaged in the world in a positive way.
Pentacles are the element of Earth and represent the resources we need to exist in the physical world.
The 2 Pentacles shows the tricky balancing act I do with the physical resources necessary to live in a body. This figure is at ease with his chores, against the choppy waters that were so still in the High Priestess card. Message to me? Take yourself more lightly! It's a dance, not a drudgery.
Swords represent the element of Air and represent our mental body, how we construct our thoughts, communicate with others, the arts and more.
In this case, I tend to close my heart and retreat into my rich inner life, rather than engaging in the world around me. How can I express my inner experiences in the outer world in a loving way?
Cups are the element of Water and represent the emotional body.
Here is a heartfelt exchange between equals, a sure antidote to the reclusion of the 2 of Swords. Make sure when I share my inner world, that I am sharing with those who will hear it in the manner I intend.
Wands are the element of Fire, and represent our passions, inspirations, and the spark of life that brought us here. A restless energy that doesn’t like to be tied down.
I recognize myself in this, the restlessness that makes me want to be hasty and take off before I’m ready. But the High Priestess would have me anchor that feeling in something solid before I move forward.
Going Deeper
After all these years of studying this card, the white equilateral cross on the front of her robe, really stood out to me. While I’ve always seen the High Priestess as a mediator of duality, holding the creative tension between opposites, today that white cross symbolizes even more. Not only is she mediating, she is at the crossroads, equal choices, recognizes the unity within the duality.
As I find myself judging away in life, assigning labels of good or bad to people and situations, the High Priestess is calling to me to connect to a deeper wisdom and see beyond the seemingly obvious and see what I can value I might offer the world. She truly embodies the Rumi poem:
