In conversation with The High Priestess
April 19, 2020 2023-07-23 11:02In conversation with The High Priestess
The real world is beyond our thoughts and ideas; we see it through the net of our desires, divided into pleasure and pain, right and wrong, inner and outer. To see the Universe as it is, you must step beyond the net. It is not hard to do so, for the net is full of holes.
Sri Nisargadatta in Daniel Kelley’s Predicting the Present
Last week, I purposefully sat down to have a conversation with The High Priestess. The card is from the Thoth Tarot, which has had me in its grip since I received it. So, take a moment to centre yourself before you begin to read, as The Priestess invites some serious contemplation.
The High priestess is an archetypal energy in the major arcana of the 78-card tarot system. Tarot is an ancient art of divination comprising 78 cards which are divided into 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana. The 22 major arcana represent the 22 archetypal energies or forces operating in the cycle of life and death. The High Priestess is labelled card number 2. It is associated with the feminine moon-like energy, intuition and esoteric knowledge.
The conversation is presented verbatim.
(everything in italics has been added by me after the dialogue ended).
Me – Your eyes are closed.
Her – I am watching. Let’s begin..
Me – Who are you?
Her – I am the common seedling in each being. I am the light which is present inside each being. I am that eternal wisdom that each soul carries innately. I am the constant ebb and flow in the universal current.
Me – Why are you called The High Priestess?
Her – (laughs) You can call me anything. I am a witch, a wizard, a sorcerer, an illusion. I am a deep sea. I am the fish in the deepest depth of the sea.
Me – What is your importance as an archetype?
Her – (silence)
Me – I ask again.
Her – ‘You’ have to unveil the importance. That is your job. Go deep[within] and you would understand.[I believe the importance of any archetype, especially from the Tarot can have a different significance for different people, therefore, each one of us needs to unveil it in our own time and space.]
Me – How can we invoke The High Priestess energy in our lives?
Her – Meditate on her. Work with the moon cycles and go beyond the illusion of this material world. What do you see when you look at this card(the card of The High Priestess that I am interacting with)?
Me – I first saw the camel, the flower, the fruits and crystals. After that the veil/fishnet and then you. Then I noticed the bow and arrow on your lap, your arms raised and your eyes closed. And then the moon(s) on your head.
Her – Exactly. You first saw the most material manifestation and then your eyes took your heart to the deeper levels one by one till you reached the crown of my head. Similarly, you have to peel off the layers from your eyes/vision. Go deeper and deeper as much as you can. [later I understood this also as going from our root chakra to our crown chakra]
Me – Why the bow and arrow on your lap?
Her – Weapons are always around us. Humans can weaponize anything. Words, emotions, tears, race or gifts of nature. I show you that these[bow and arrow] are unnecessary to weild. I have all the power that I need inside me. I do not even need to look.
Me – I have doubts arising that I am making up this conversation. Is this for real?
Her – (laughs) Your logical mind is kicking in. I am there inside you. I am a part of you. When you slow down and take a pause, you hear me, you feel me. And the rest of the time you are lost in your reality. You invoked me today for a dialogue and now you doubt your own intention. (laughs)
Me – How do you manifest in our lives?
Her – As your intuition, that inner knowing you have. I present myself in the moments when you are at the edge of a decision. I whisper in your heart. I also present myself as a test on your path. Do you have the courage to go forward and unveil the mystery called life? Would you do whatever it takes?
Me – What can you teach me about myself?
Her – Aha! There pops up The Fool* right there. How can I teach you about yourself? That is ‘your’ soul(sole) mission. [later I read in a book that The Fool asks The Priestess the question, Who am I?(my facepalm moment)]
Me – So how can you help me learn more about myself?
Her – Now we are talking.
Me – I always thought of you as a very serious archetype. I am glad to feel wrong.
Her – (smiles) Appearances are deceptive.
Me – So back to my previous question.
Her – Find your sacred space everyday. Invoke me in your space. Meditate on me. Paint freely, use blues and whites.
Me – Alright! Thank you. Can you take me to the future?
Her – What do you want to see there? How would it help you? Are you in the present completely?
Me – (silence)
Me – Why do we want to know of the future then? Why do we use Tarot then? Why are most of our questions related to the future?
Her – (almost whispers) Because you are scared of the present. You fail to make most of it in the worry of the future and the future becomes as useless as your present.
Me – So for what purpose should we use the Tarot then? What is divination according to you?
Her – Tarot is an ancient art to learn about the mysteries of life, to learn the different phases and aspects of human life. Tarot was designed to divine the present, to understand the present, to understand the internal wisdom you contain inside you. Death, Sun, Strength, Fool, we all are one. We exist together in every soul. We facilitate each other, we hold space for each other. We depict the world as it is. We are a mirror to you.
Me – How best can we use the Tarot?
Her – Ask about the mysteries of life. Ask about what you truly don’t understand. Ask how you can contain and use your intuition. Let it reflect your present so that you can honor it[the present].
Me – So are you saying we should not divine the future at all?
Her – No. Look at the future as a flowing river. What you do right now will affect that river. Every cause has an effect. Look at the future in relation to your present circumstances. You cannot expect a garden if you have not sown any seeds. So, focus on the present and understand how it can influence your future.
Me – Do I need to know anything else?
Her – Trust your intuition, your inner knowing. You have all the answers within. Operate from your knowingness. Be present.
Me – Any message for the readers?
Her – We are all born equal. We all contain the eternal wisdom within us. Go deep within to the source and emerge anew.
Thank you Priestess!
And so it is!
I am still integrating and trying to apply this wisdom from The Priestess in my life. It is not easy given that I am used to searching outside. I have more questions but now I am looking for the answers within. At least for the time being. But ain’t that the real holy grail, eh?
And what better way to end the dialogue with The Priestess than sitting in meditation. I leave you with this beautiful meditation by Hitesh & Shubhangi. They are consciousness coaches and lovely human beings who have transformed the lives of many around them. I feel blessed to know them and to learn from them in this lifetime.
Share with me in the comments what resonates most with you from this conversation with The Priestess. What insights did you receive? And how was your experience with the above mentioned meditation.
Stay safe & turn inwards,
Sakshi
*The Fool is also an archetypal energy in the 78-card Tarot system. It is labelled card number zero, the first of the 22 major arcana.
Comment (1)
Shashi Arora
To learn the mysteries of life and to understand the internal power and wisdom which resides in us we have to be desire less and should get rid of thoughts of right and wrong ie we have to be nonjudgmental . No logics work in soul mission which should be our sole mission to know ourselves. Make best use of present as it is the present.Everything happens due to cause and effect .. so no need to worry about future. Create a sacred space within to invoke the supreme energy , meditate and then work according to your intuition which is not you which is visible , it is that invisible power that works for you , doesn’t let you feel to know about future . Every moment is present ,the present.