By Sarah Taylor
The Priestess’s third appearance in five weeks is drawing our attention to the message she embodies as card II in the major arcana, while her change in position from the other two readings — then centre, now left — indicates a shift in emphasis. Her presence today serves as a reminder of what we have already been called to do earlier this winter (summer, if you are in the Southern hemisphere); it is a moment of recall and revision before a change in circumstances.
The Priestess is about going to the quiet within. She is the principle of stillness — or, rather, active stillness: her work is in the inner realms but she is by no means doing nothing. While The Magus is concerned with magic created through action, The Priestess’s work is contemplative. The Magician conjures and creates; the Priestess reflects.
What is she reflecting? Knowledge. Core knowledge. I can’t be more specific than that because it will be entirely personal to each person who seeks it. The Priestess is an inhabitant of the liminal world between matter and Spirit. In a process that lies outside thought, she tunes into that core knowledge, and then brings it into the physical world in a way that is understandable and digestible. When we are listening to our intuition, we are working with The Priestess archetype.
And learning stillness is going to be useful, because we are poised on the edge of a period of transition, as we move from The Priestess and into the influence of Fortune.
M. M. Meleen writes this about the Fortune card from the Rosetta Tarot:
… Fortune is usually a welcome card indicating a surprising change for the better, and a fortunate development in an uncertain arena. It points to adapting to changes in the courses of both karma and destiny. Transformations are on the horizon, and our willingness to adjust to this flow will support our true calling.
The thing about Fortune is that — even when it is good — when it is sudden, it can throw us off balance, and all manner of beasties are waiting for us on the outside of the wheel if we find ourselves holding on to the edge by our fingertips. Those beasties might not want our hides at all, but that distinction becomes academic when we are thrust into survival mode.
So, during times of change and unexpected happenings, it pays to stay centred. And we do this by invoking the archetype of The Priestess and the core knowledge that we have acquired through our connection to her. This way, we move to the centre of the wheel, where there is less movement and fewer obstacles to mire our attention and divert us.
This is even more significant when we look at the final card: the Seven of Wands, or Valour.
The Seven in this instance emphasises the power behind the turning of the wheel in Fortune: in the Seven, the two, arrowed wands that lie behind the front-most single wand are echoed in the two arrows at the top of the Fortune card. They appear to be connected to the direction in which the wheel turns.
Wands are fiery, creative energy, and this is no exception in the Seven. I tend to see the Seven as something emerging into consciousness that we might be tempted to dismiss or resist rather than considering letting it in and looking at it. It has the power to shift something dramatically, but with that power comes the potential for us to raise our defences — to shoot first, and ask questions later. When we are in that mode, we are destabilised and less disposed to connect to the stillness within that is our guiding light.
If we can dismantle or bypass resistances that block creative energy and move to the centre of the wheel, then we make room for something new.
Remember what you know; remember your own connection to wisdom. When there is an unexpected knock on the door of your awareness and you feel that the world might move under your feet — when you feel that change is on the way — revisit your time with The Priestess and let her guide you to a course of action that is both creative and speaks to your deepest sense of truth.
Astrology correspondences: The Priestess (Moon), Fortune (Jupiter), Seven of Wands (Mars in Leo)
M. M. Meleen’s website: www.rosettatarot.com
To purchase the Rosetta Tarot or The Book of Seshet: http://shop.rosettatarot.com/
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
Sarah
Thanks so much for all the insight and wisdom that you have brought into my life in 2012. I look forward to your articles every week and am anticipating all that 2013 brings with delight.
Thanks, Sarah. The cards and your interpretation are clear, apt to my situation and helpful–by reminding me to stay centered as the wheel starts to turn……
thank you, sarah! sorry i could not fix it for you. anatoly, alas, is in an even earlier time zone that you are. 🙂
Fixed! Sorry to leave you hanging like that. Sleep beckoned. 🙂
PWOutsider and Lizzy – You are welcome. Happy New Year!
Thanks Amanda. I figured some weird thing must have happened. We patiently wait. :>)
apologies: it seems that when i made one small update to sarah’s article, my computer connection got hung up and now half of her article is missing. i used to be able to fix this, but the current version of word press is different from what it used to be. i have asked anatoly for help in returning the rest of sarah’s article. please check back for the rest of it!
Thank you so much for this, dear Sarah – so nourishing and helpful.
Thanks so much for a year of wonderful insight, knowledge and gifts you’ve given to all of us, Sarah. I’ve enjoyed and appreciated everything.
Have a wonderful New Year – sending you loads of love from Australia!!!