The High Priestess - Collage-Assemblage Tarot
I noticed that I have been rather remiss in posting all of the meanings behind the tarot cards that I have been working on....this one is from a couple of years ago...the High Priestess.
The High Priestess as a tarot card in many decks she is also known as Persephone, Isis, the Corn Maiden and Artemis. There is some folklore that suggests that once upon a time there was a secret female pope and that the high priestess card represents her existence.
The card number for the High Priestess is two, and balance and duality are strongly carried themes throughout the card. The two pillars she sits between emphasizes that she sits firmly between the darkness and the light, between the physical world and the world beyond, between the conscious and unconscious realms. The blue around her is a symbol of knowledge. She is wearing the crown of Isis symbolising the Triple Goddess. The juxtaposition of colors red and blue in the composition represent balance between male and female. Behind her a series of half-revealed and half-concealed text, representing the exoteric and esoteric teachings of higher knowledge. I've created my version of the High Priestess with the third eye (The third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept referring to a speculative invisible eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. The third eye refers to the gate that leads to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness.) It seemed fitting for what the High Priestess represents. Because wisdom has no age, I have given a young woman the eyes and hands of a much older/wiser soul...encapsulating the concept of an "old soul". While the High Priestess has hands on either side of her face emphasizing again the duality and focus on knowledge, a third hand, much younger reaches down to her heart. A symbolic link between what she knows and what she feels.
The crown she wears has wires reminiscent of old antenna that help her "tune in" to intuition. The planet associated with the High Priestess is the Moon. (Intuition and secrets revealed)
The High Priestess represents wisdom, serenity, knowledge and understanding. She is often described as the guardian of the unconscious. She sits in front of the thin veil of awareness, which is all that separates us from our inner selves. The High Priestess knows the secret of how to access these realms. She represents spiritual enlightenment and inner illumination, divine knowledge and wisdom. She has a deep, intuitive understanding of the Universe and uses this knowledge to teach rather than to try to control others. She generally appears in a Tarot reading when you need to listen to and trust your inner voice.
The High Priestess Tarot card represents a link to the subconscious mind, which cannot be accessed through the everyday world but only through dreams and symbols.
Essentially she reminds you to trust your intuition, to hone in on it and pay attention to what it is you need to do to keep yourself in balance.
