This is card number 2, which stands for duality and the relativity of pairs of opposites. For the first time on our journey, we encounter the ‘other.’ This card signifies our experience as a separate ego living in time in the manifest world. The soul embodied and living by the reflected light of the moon, rather than the unmanifest and timeless spirit bathed in the direct light of the sun.
The High Priestess sits between a light and a dark pillar which represent the positive and negative powers – the yin and yang forces which create the manifest universe. (The ‘J’ and ‘B’ stand for Jachin and Boaz, the pillars from the Temple of Solomon.) She is the link between the opposites, the physical and the spiritual. Through the soul, the spirit comes into the world.
The High Priestess is Sophia, the Gnostic goddess of wisdom and one of the aspects of the Anima, or feminine side of the psyche. To progress on our hero’s journey to awakening, we must learn to read the book of wisdom – our soul. The High Priestess inspires dreams and visions which reveal the inner workings of the psyche, bridging the gap between the conscious and unconscious mind. Our intuition and creative inspiration can only flow freely when this bridge is open.
This stage of the journey brings us into contact with this hidden side of ourselves. We must learn to access our inner wisdom and listen to our intuition and lunar consciousness if we want to find our way forward on this path.
Keywords for The High Priestess:
- Inner illumination
- Occult wisdom
- Intuition
- Subconscious
- Hidden secrets
- The Still Small Voice
Read the whole series here
First posted: http://jessicadavidson.co.uk/2014/07/11/tarot-heros-journey-the-high-priestess/
