High Priestess query

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Tigerwings	05 Jul 2002
Hey all Just wondering... why does the Rider Waite High Priestess card have the letters B and J on either side of her? Do they stand for something, or mean anything? Erin

wavebreaker	05 Jul 2002
From Rachel Pollack's 78DW: The letters 'B' and 'J' stand for Boaz and Jakin, the names given to the two main pillars of the temple in Jerusalem. Obviously, the dark Boaz stands for passivity and mystery while Jakin symbolizes action and consciousness. Notice, though, that the letters carry the reverse indications, a white B and a black J. Like the dots in the Tao symbol the letters signify that duality is an illusion, and each extreme carries the other imbedded inside it.

Geenius at Wrok	05 Jul 2002
So how many people here already know that there's a screenwriter and director named Boaz Yakin ("Fresh," "A Price Above Rubies")?

Liliana	05 Jul 2002
The pillars also represent the pillars of severiity and mercy in the tree of life, but thats not what was asked, tarotlady already answered that ;) but as THE official forum High Priestess I had to say something lol :THP

raeanne	05 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae The book of Kings is part of the Torah. I just want to clarify one point. The Book of Kings isn't a part of the Torah. The Jewish Holy Book is called the Tenach. It has three parts. The Torah is just the first five books of the Old Testament. Their latin names are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. That's all. No other books are a part of the Torah. The second section of the Tenach is the Neviim which is The Prophets. The Book of Kings is a part of the Neviim. The last section of the Tenach is the Ketuvim which stands for The Writings and it includes the Psalms, Proverbs, etc. I hope this helps clear up what the Torah is and isn't.

Ravenswing	06 Jul 2002
umbrae-- Rather interesting that the H (heh??) is concealed in the Priestess' scroll. The very letter used to make Abram Abraham and Sari Sarah... I wonder what that might mean. Something to ponder. Do you have any thoughts about this? LVX steve

Sullanciri2002	17 Jul 2002
.... Isis & Osiris, linking to the Temple of Solomon - or - try linking a query on that to the origins of Freemasonry - or - even do a query on the Book of Enoch ... of you want to find more stiff related to this question than you can shake a stick at (beware though, it's a lot to work through - and could shake up a few of your conceptions) - grins

Sullanciri2002	17 Jul 2002
sorry for typos in last entry - butterfingers strikes again

elisabethstarr	17 Jul 2002
I won't attempt to spell the names themselves (not my forte), but the B and the J (one a black pillar and one a white pillar, correct?) stand for the names of the corresponding pillars that existed in the Temple of Solomon.

divinerguy	18 Jul 2002
Wow - you guys are pretty smart. Everything I always wanted to know about the HP.

The High Priestess query thread was originally posted on 05 Jul 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.