The High Priestess
a.k.a. The Priestess of the Silver Star
Card Number: Two
Rulership: the moon
Hebrew Letter: Gimel
Translation: Camel
The High Priestess is the path that runs between Kether (the Crown) and Tiphareth (Beauty). She is similar to the Magician in that she is the female inquirer, also seeking to understand the Crown. However, where the Magician is concerned with the interactions of the material representation of thought, the High Priestess is more focused on the mysterious working of the sub-conscious mind. Her path, like no other, takes her through the "false" sephira of Da'ath, the desert, and thus, it is fitting that her letter is Gimel, the camel.
The number two: Matter, the Fall; Opposition, Good and Evil; Neptune; Chokmah (subject), moons of mars; dissension. Egyptian uas; The number of division and opposition, analysis and separation; darkness and light. Mystery.
The Moon: associated with moods, emotions, feelings, and desires; i.e., personality. The phases of the moon are a representation of the cycle of life: life to death to life again (full moon-new moon-full moon). Controls menstrual cycles, influences tides. Ebb and flow. About 90% of us is water--how can the moon not have its influence on us as well? Diana's brilliant silver lamp.
Gimel: The throat and everything that is hollow. Denotes every kind of opening, outlet, canal, and manner of things hollow, concave, profound. It expresses organic covering and serves to produce all derived ideas of the bodily organism and its actions.
Numerically Gimel is G (gimel) + M (mem) + L (lamed). This is 3 + 40 + 70 = 73 or 10 or 1.
The number 73: The feminine aspect of Chokmah in its phallic function (chokmah as subject?)
We will see ten in The Wheel.
And of course 1 links us back into the Magician...
In readings:
Dignified: Intuitive insight which leads to novel solutions. The influence of women. Hidden influences at work and in the home. Mysteries and secrets. Hidden influences from the psyche affect personal circumstances.
Reversed: Problems resulting from lack of foresight. In a woman's reading, an inability to come to terms with herself, or other women. Surface or shallow knowledge. Self-conceit, sometimes. In a man's reading, an unwillingness to accept that part of him which is feminine.
Mythological links: Artemis the Huntress. Hecate. Diana. All moon goddesses.
Metaphysical Musings: The High Priestess seems to be somewhat of an enigma (and perhaps this is why she holds the Law half concealed). She is certainly connected to the Higher Self, but her path takes her through the strange realms of the subconscious mind. It is through her that we breach the veil that is the threshold to the depths of our minds. She holds the Torah in her hand, she is free from sin, and thus, is the only one able to cast the first stone--indeed, her possession of the Law is what makes stoning possible in the first place! All is available to her without moral judgement.
Where the Magician juggles names of power over things in order to understand, she appears to be still and concern herself with the mental aspects of things or perhaps with the essence of things: the true personality concealed behind the appearance. I get the feeling that she is thee most perfect and beautiful thing in all creation, but if not given the proper respect, the most ugly and vile. She is Woman in her highest.
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