By Lorraine Kemble
2. The High Priestess
Image from the RWS Tarot
Rachel whimsically explores becoming religious, only having attended a Church of England primary school. However, she has no idea of conducting herself; yet of course, she wishes to be in that space of contentment. She comes across a Jewish new friend, Tanya, in her temporary work position; using it as an excuse to learn more. Tanya’s materially wealthy family insist on teaching her about what they think they know so well; genuine, upfront knowledge. Rachel is thrown in to the ancient world of Torah. Yet, Rachel is unsure of which direction to take, preferring to explore religion by herself. She endeavours to explain this to the family, yet, fails to succeed. She has an inevitable argument with them and only sees her well meaning Jewish friend, Tanya, once again - due to her parents unfortunate, ignorant influence. She embarks on her journey alone again, yet, feels infinitely richer in wisdom and knowledge.
Rachel is still hooked on religion, so decides to explore Catholicism. After researching, she decides that she wants to experience the discipline of living in a convent with its daily life, knowing a friend who is already studying there. Being a natural ‘earth mother’, she loves the cycles and rebirth of nature, so she works, tending the gardens. She is a spiritual High Priestess, also yearning to bear children with all her heart, strength and healing force.
The High Priestess is also known as Persephone, the Corn Maiden and Artemis. She sits at the gate, as indicated by the Tree of Life in the background, positioned between the darkness and the light, represented by the pillars of Solomon’s temple. The tapestry hung between the pillars keeps the casual onlookers out and allows only those initiated to enter. The pomegranates on the tapestry are sacred to Persephone. They are a symbol of duty because Persephone ate a pomegranate seed in the underworld which forced her to return every year. The High Priestess wears a blue robe and the crown of Isis, symbolising the Triple Goddess. The solar cross on her breast is a symbol of balance between male and female. In her lap, is the half-revealed Torah, representative of the esoteric teachings and higher knowledge. The moon under her left foot shows her dominion over pure intuition. The palm indicates fertility of the mind and the cube on which she sits is the earth.
Numerically, The High Priestess correlates with the number two menaing the Divine Feminine and Our Sacred Mother.
The astrological correspondence is the Moon
The previous installment can be found in the February 2019 issue of Tarot Reflections. Watch for the next installment in the April issue of Tarot Reflections.