Notes on: The High Priestess

High Priestess, Housewives' Tarot

The High Priestess, numbered II* in the Major Arcana, is one of my favorite cards of the whole tarot, although I'm usually frustrated when I receive it.  And it is one of the cards I receive most frequently (of course).  This lady is hard to encapsulate, and therein lies the source of her allure (and my exasperation).

In its earliest form, as part of the medieval game of Trumps, the card was called La Papessa (The Popess, or female pope).  One medieval legend has it that a woman ("Pope Joan") spent years disguised as a man and was able to ascend through the Church ranks all the way to the papacy, only to be caught when she unexpectedly gave birth in public.  This may be the inspiration for the card, or not.  For a woman to be pope was totally heretical, and to dress in the clothes of a man could actually be prosecuted as a crime.  A woman pope, therefore, was a counterfeit.  And yet there's nothing negative in the depiction--the woman simply looks like a nun wearing a papal crown and holding a book (bible?).  The original meaning of this card thus remains a mystery...which, as you'll see, is very appropriate.

The scene from the Rider-Waite deck is a hodge-podge of Egyptian (columns), Graeco-Roman (pomegranates and moons), and Judaeo-Christian symbols (the cross and "TORA" scroll).  The moons and pomegranates are traditional symbols of femininity and fertility in Graeco-Roman religions, linking her to the goddesses Demeter and Persephone, whilst the presence of a veil between the columns suggests something hidden from the viewer.  In ancient Greece, Demeter was the subject of veneration by "mystery cults," the practices of which were kept secret from non-initiates. 

La Papessa, Visconti-Sforza Tarot,
15th century

Anyway, the book or scroll shows us that the Priestess is knowledgeable.  But the veil in the Rider-Waite version shows us that she ain't talking.  Imagine a priest(ess)hood in the old days, or the Catholic Church tody--there is an established hierarchy, and reaching the top requires many years of service and learning.  The High Priestess can't just tell you all she knows because frankly, you haven't earned it yet.  More importantly, you wouldn't understand if she did tell you.  You have to do a certain amount of research, and just plain living, on your own or you just won't get it.  When I see the High Priestess, I think of flamenco dancers.  The best dancers aren't the gorgeous young things that tourists expect to see, but the middle-aged, chubby, chain-smoking ladies who know from bitter personal experience all the joys and sorrows of love and sex (the sorrows usually being the subject of flamenco songs).  Without that experience, a dancer can't bring, let alone inspire, real passion.  But the High Priestess' concerns are mystical and spiritual, and so she is simultaneously a woman of the world, and yet not of this world.

But remember what mysticism really means--a personal, direct connection to All That Is, recognizing it in yourself.  You don't actually need a High Priestess to tell you the secrets!  You had access to them all along, you just didn't realize it.  In fact, you don't just know the secrets--you are the secrets.

High Priestess, Rider-Waite Tarot

That's the High Priestess' mystery.  When she appears, she is telling you that you already know the answers, albeit perhaps on a subconscious level.  Therefore you can and should rely on your intuition to guide you.  At the same time, don't expect to fully understand the situation at this point--it will reveal itself to you over time.  This can be frustrating if you are looking for a quick, concrete answer--this card means you're going to have to learn it the hard way.

The High Priestess is the counterpart and complement to Card V, The Hierophant (male priest).  The Hierophant is the kind of teacher who will spell everything out for you (sometimes dogmatically and pedantically), while the Priestess knows that Truth transcends any dogma.


*For some reason the Housewives Tarot reverses the numbers of The Empress (IV) and The High Priestess (II).  Perhaps it's in order to place The High Priestess next to her counterpart The Hierophant in the sequence.