Bohemian Gothic Tarot

II THE HIGH PRIESTESS

Lighter or more conventional meanings

Inner wisdom * Being in touch with spiritual mysteries * Knowledge of arcane and esoteric matters * A belief system that isn't institutionalised or formalised * Seeking spiritual truth on a personal basis, outside of any established church teachings * Patiently and calmly working towards enlightenment.

Darker, shadow or more hidden meanings

Working with dark powers * Occult practices that invoke the shadow side * Seeking spiritual knowledge through trial and personal challenge * Acknowledging the more difficult and painful aspects of spiritual enlightenment.

The High Priestess is one of the most profoundly spiritual and challenging cards of the tarot. In the traditional RWS image there are references to both Egyptian religion and the Judaic Temple of Solomon and via these to ancient magic and hermeticism in general. So it's a powerful card that confronts us with issues of spirituality and belief, and asks us to search for the purpose and meaning of our lives. It stands for the mysteries and revelations that can be discovered by means of immersion in mystical and esoteric practices, whether these are pursued alone or together with others. In this way it's distinct from both The Hierophant, which is about finding faith or knowledge within the context of an institution, and The Hermit, which says that we should withdraw completely and search only within. But The High Priestess can take on many shades of meaning, and certainly won't point in every reading to a profound mystical revelation. Instead it might refer to something as simple as a moment in which you start to think about the spiritual side of life, or a time when you want to meditate quietly on your path and purpose. It may well show up when something is happening that's making you consider your life - and maybe also the afterlife - in more contemplative, spiritual terms. Although it's a serious card it can also be a calm and comforting one, that tells us that there is indeed something "behind the veil" and beyond our day to day material life. It represents the bridge between the world of mortals and that of the gods and goddesses.

The imagery here is rather different from the more earthily Gothic images in much of the rest of the deck[1]; it's formal and the religious symbolism is quite pronounced. As the female equivalent of The Hierophant (who in early tarot decks was usually depicted as Pope) this priestess wears white ceremonial Papal gloves and holds up a phial of what could be either wine or, perhaps, blood. Behind the High Priestess are two pillars carved with human skulls. In the traditional RWS card, these are depicted as Joachim and Boaz, the two pillars of the Temple of Solomon - one shown as white, the other black. In our version, in part as a reference to the RWS, one pillar is in sunlight, the other in shadow. However, the light and shade on the pillars also symbolises, in its own right, good and evil; life and death. Our High Priestess can therefore be interpreted as sitting at the gateway between this world and the next. It could be that she watches, and has dominion, over beings as they move between Heaven and Earth. But we should also consider the more grim alternative - that she sits at one of the gates not of Heaven, but of Hell.

Some further ways to consider this card

What is in the phial? Is it wine, blood, or simply a red light? What could it represent in different readings? How might this change your interpretation of the card?

The High Priestess is sitting between two pillars on which there are skulls and other signifiers of death. What do you think lies at the other side of the opening between them? Another world, the afterlife, or just another place in this world?