The High Priestess And The Star

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Jul 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

samhaindark	11 Jul 2003
I belong to a weekly tarot group. one week we got into a heated discussion because i said that that the high priestess and the star card had a lot in common and where linked together. for one i argued that they are both about understanding inner spiritual powers and they are both very feminine. the difference i thought was that the highpriestess had found female mysteries (so the card had an inner focoss) and that the star was about trying to find spiritual power so it had an outer focus. what do others think do people agree we me or disagree, also what other cards do people feel are linked. for example my reading of the lovers card is finding balance and possibly making a choice and on it's own does not nesserly mean a love interest, however with the two of cups in the spread as well it does indeed bode well for a new relationship- again what ideas do others have on this?

DarkElectric	11 Jul 2003
Hi S D, this is interesting. I also see a link between The High Priestess and The Star. As well as a link between The Star, and The Guide. (Temperance in other decks. I'm using Tarot of the Old Path here.) The High Priestess knows the mysteries of the nature of all things. The essential balance of masculine and feminine. The subtle interrelation between the outer and inner worlds. The wisdom which is to be found in self discovery, which is revealed to us through the secret processes of time. She is the embodiment of feminine wisdom, which I believe is indeed introspective in nature. She sees, she takes it into herself, cogitates, and becomes the repository of such wisdom, to be shared when the time is right, or the seeker appears. This is her province. If you were to ask her for advice would she not tell you to "Know Thyself"? I think she would. The Star, on the other hand, seems to be saying "You Know Thyself now. Look! Out there! Take it farther. Go beyond your expectations, illusions, and paradigms. See the reflection of yourself in the cosmos.". In the Guide, the angel pours water from one cup, into the other, back and forth. (Knowing your limits, and defining boundaries is I think, an essential lesson of The Guide. ) The Star pours the water on the ground, back into the stream where it came from, and is involved in something a lot bigger. It's a whole cyclic system she's a part of. As she challenges us to go beyond what we assumed were our limitations now, we may be stuck there, and it's time to get beyond them in order to find out what our limitations really are. She encourages us to dream, and that we can realise those dreams. She is the muse, whispering into our ear at night, because she knows, that in the morning, we'll leap out of bed, take that inspiration, and go beyond what we thought we were capable of. She is Nietzche's "Eternal Feminine". Hers is the province of nourishment of the soul, and challenging it, so as to keep it growing, preventing stagnation. I also see a link between "The Wheel of Fortune" and "The Close"(Death). The Wheel illustrates the concept of change on an immediate level. Change in fortune, change of seasons, good times, bad times, the vicissitudes of life. The Close illustrates this concept on a greater level. The wheel turns, once again within the context of greater changes, the wheel within a wheel. Personal fortunes will go up and down, but there are greater lessons to be learned. The cycles continue, the wheel turns, but it's farther down the road this time. The Close tells us that yes, the cycle is familiar, but the actual circumstances will be completely different. Our perspective will have changed, because of our experiences in time. As we go on, we realise that there are things we can't hold on to, change is truly the only constant. Things must change, but something different will always fill the gap. Understanding the lessons of The Close seems to make the inevitable turning of the Wheel of Fortune easier to bear.

samhaindark	11 Jul 2003
i will have to read what you put again d.e. if it's not over simplfing it are you partly stating the the priestess is the giver or guider to spiritual wisdom within ourselves where as the star says we have already got that wisdom and to trust in our intuition?

DarkElectric	11 Jul 2003
Brevity is the soul of wit, sir :) Indeed, I am. The High Priestess is, in essence saying "You've got it in ya." The Star is saying "Now, RUN with it!"

samhaindark	11 Jul 2003
that makes things very clear to me. YOUR MAIL BOX IS FULL BTW i can't pvt you until you empty it!

emily2otters	11 Jul 2003
i've always seen a strong link between the magician and strength, as each channels the energies of the universe to do marvelous things... the magician through ritual (manipulations, skills, applied knowledge), and strength through miracle (purity of intent, faith, trust in self). where a doctor would perform retinal transplant surgery to make the blind to see, a faith healer would lay on hands. where steve irwin would jump on the lion's back and rope its muzzle tightly closed, daniel would let the angel do it. :)

samhaindark	11 Jul 2003
ive not seen that myself emily but i can see where your coming from. ive been studying the cards a lot recently and was surprised to (re) discover how many cards where linked with endings. death, tower, judgement, wheel of fortune and the world all seem to be about endings, and of cause without endings one can't have the fool. it just goes to show that throughout time the same ideas continue to be important to us and thats why the tarot has hung around

jmd	11 Jul 2003
Another connection which is at times made between II the High Priestess and XVII the Star is that they are both, by some, connected to Isis - veiled in the first instance, unveiled in the other. Yet another connection is of their numeration when written in Roman, II & XV-II. Here the ten ('X') is of a different rank, and the five ('V') is half of that figure (visually, not just mathematically). They each have, therefore, a 'II-ness' to them. In more modern decks, with the pillars depicted on the Priestess card, these can also be viewed at the pillars down which may flow the inspiration poured from the vessels of the Star card. It is also interesting that if one adopts the Hebrew letter association used on the continent, but changed with the GD and its derivatives, then the two letters, the second and sevententh respectively, are Beth (II) and Peh (XVII). These are linguistically related, as the first is the voiced version of the other, in both their fricative (V & F) and plosive & dageshed (B & P) renditions. In Hebrew, these may also be linked, respectively, to the word for Virgin and the word for Paradise. There are other connections one may make, but as this is already a longish post, I'll stop here... and hope it helps :)

Tallarico	12 Jul 2003
wow! what great insights. this is an amazing thread. i am always learning something here. (i am new) thanks, all :T3S

Elle	25 Jul 2003
On the topic of the High Priestess and the Star - I recently parted ways with a friend and I drew the Moon, the Star and the High priestess - all in reverse. Interesting that there is a connection already noted here on this site and I have been pondering these three images for two days straight. Thanks for bringing up the connection between the Star and the HIgh Priestess - I'm connecting with someone's energy out there and getting answers! Elle

catti	25 Jul 2003
when it first came up and then forgot, thanks for bringing it back elle, i see a link between high priestess 2 ( forgive me, jmd ) and justice 11 and strength 8 and the star17 at first it was just the numerology but the portraits also reflect each other. Both HP and J are seated women , in postitions of authority, heavily robed and somewhat intimidating figures. what i mean by this is placed before either of these women , you would hope they are looking at you benevolently. also both appear to be inside Strenght and Star are both outside, in a wild environment ,yet the two women reflect serenity. I see them as Day and Night. catti

Tabby	15 May 2004
I've had the Star and The High Priestess reversed in a reading I done today about whether or not my boyfriend/friend will be in a better mood tommorrow. I came with Priestess reveresed in the self position and the Star reversed in the Outcome position. Even though I ain't been studying the Tarot that long, I'm taking the meaning may be no. Just a guess...lol But, what does the High Priestess reversed mean in the Self position?

smleite	17 May 2004
Answering your question, StormsNeverLast, I would interpret the High Priestess reversed as meaning that the person you imagined in the “self” position is very distant from his own feelings and inner self; that person is not paying attention to his emotions, to who he really is and wants. Maybe he is paying too much attention to material aspirations and social appearance, busy building a façade, and not getting in touch with intuition and self-knowledge. As to the connection between the High Priestess - La Papesse - and L’Étoile, I understand very well and agree with what’s been said. But I also find L’Étoile to be closely related to Le Pape! They have presented themselves to me as a meaningful pair, Le Pape representing a mediator between man and God, an institutional way of religion (from the Latin re–ligare, to re-establish a connection), and L’Étoile representing a direct, un-mediated and “natural” way of ascension.

The The High Priestess And The Star thread was originally posted on 11 Jul 2003 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.