The High Priestess in the Natural Array


 * Alchemical Correspondence: The Principle of Salt
 * Astrological Correspondence: The Modality of Fixedness
 * Hebrew Correspondence: The Mother Letter Mem
 * Philosophical Correspondence: Antithesis
 * Eastern Correspondence: Yin

In A Reading
The High Priestess is archetypally earth opposed to heaven, darkness to light, cold to heat, form to force, matter to energy. Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The High Priestess represents the equal and opposite Yin reaction to all things Yang. Human brains process Yin as female and Yang as male, but actual men and women have all the archetypes within them.

Upright, a High Priestess is wise, perceptive, and mystical. She knows what is right and she knows what to do and she knows when to do it. This is a card that often shows up when a Querent already has the answer to their question, they just weren't ready to express it outloud and make it an established truth. The High Priestess herself has stability, serenity and tempered emotions. As a mother, friend, or lover, she is not as demonstrably affectionate as say The Empress, Strength, or The Lovers-- but she is a supportive ally with a lot of patience and self restraint.

Reversed, the High Priestess has too much restraint. She doesn't speak up or defend herself, enduring hardships with a stoicism that can be mistaken for indifference. She can be stubborn, dogmatic, inflexible and makes dialogue or collaboration impossible. A reversed High Priestess is often a suggestion for a querent to be more flexible, adaptable and think outside of the box.

In The Natural Array
The three modalities are represented by the three horizontal paths in the Olam Mandala. As the formative principle that establishes an antithesis, The High Priestess can be the bottom path bridging between Netazach and Hod. As she sits between the Pillars of Polarity on the card itself, the High Priestess suggests meditation and the technique of mindfulness to bring oneself into a state of balance. To do this, she needs to permit energy, Yang Force into herself and let it synthesize and become Tao.

In Daily Life
Statues more than people exemplify the High Priestess all around us. The Virgin Mary, the Statue of Liberty, Lady Justice are three female icons that allegorically personify the High Priestess, but the Lincoln Memorial, Stonehenge, the Pantheon do as well. They are timeless and sacred to us, unchanging and represent virtues and sacred knowledge we have a hard time articulating in words. When we are denied truth, liberty, justice, freedom, knowledge, we certainly recognize it though. Seeing something or someone who is "sacred" being brutalized brings a kind of horror that is different when we are ourselves a victim.