High Priestess Vs The Empress - Sex Appeal?

Quick question for you guys; how would you interpret the High Priestess in terms of physical attractiveness, and what separates her from the Empress in beauty? Both these cards speak of the essence of femininity, but I was just a little stumped as to what sets them apart. Is the High Priestess the femme fatale or woman of mystery? But then I guess that would make her attractive in a sense that is not as tangible as physical appearance...who's got more sex appeal? Her or the Empress?

I'd say the Empress would have the most sex appeal. The High Priestess is more reserved, "covered up", virginal, unspoiled, unavailable sexually and mostly on a spiritual plane. The Empress is the fully blossoming woman in all her glory, having been introduced to the world of sexuality and earthy worldliness.

I would agree that the Empress has more sex appeal--though, of course, it really depends on what you mean by sex appeal. Different people are attracted to different things.

The HPS often takes on the role of Maiden or Crone. So she can certainly be the sexual young woman, mysterious and very powerful as well as fresh and intense. HOWEVER she can also be regarded as a chaste Maiden, a nun. Or a knowing old crone. These make her sexual appeal ambiguous.

If we accept her as being represented by the Moon, then we have the dark moon as well as other phases. This makes her moody, unpredictable, her sexuality as likely to drive someone to lunacy as poetry. Thus, she may have very powerful sexuality, but her lover might well find this attraction a very dangerous one. It's all too easy to lose ones way there in the dark.

The Empress, on the other hand, is all about creativity and abundance. There is a great deal of generosity in her. We can see her as one who gives of herself, who is creative and selfless in her sexuality, and who has enough to keep on giving. She will, likely, be constant and supportive.

If we accept her as being represented by Venus, then her sexuality is pretty well set as she is a represenative of love. She might be a bit too motherly at times, perhaps even possessive of her lover, but she will keep him/her satisfied.

She is more likely to be the woman with the Rubanesque figure, curvy, lush, all woman and willing to show it. This, in contrast with the HPS, who, depending on the phase of the moon, might hide her femininity behind a veil--which, to be fair, could be more alluring to some, but there you go.

And Lyric is absolutely right that there is that contrast between the earthy woman (Empress) and the distant Moon Maiden. You don't have to woo the Empress down from the sky, and she certainly knows what she's doing and how to make it fun.

Does that answer the question?

I see the High Priestess as the mysterious woman with a lot of sex appeal - but of the kind that is undefinable. She knows her power - over men and over other women - and she can deploy it or not as she sees fit. She is very self-contained. She is the Womb in which all gestates, the essence of immanent feminity - she is. She can be nun-like if she wants - it's part of her - but she can also be a sex bomb. As Thirteen says, she is the young woman and the grandmother - but she is also mother-in-waiting.

The Empress is like a fountain - she can no more contain her sensuality than trees stop growing on the Equator. She is growth and openness. She has created - she is not the hidden womb, not the essence, but the open arms and mouth and sex, the woman who gives birth - to children, to love, to food, to ideas, to poems, to songs, to new projects, to storms and tantrums,...

All women have a bit of both in them, at different times in their lives, though some seem to lean more to one than to the other.

I agree. Great definitions. When I see these two pictures, I imagine the HP as a witch who can use her power of seduction at any time but does it under "veils". she is subtle and careful. She is more sensual rather than sexual. The Empress is more like a country girl, exuberant, fresh and showing her sexuality without restraints , fears or "plans". The empress is more "natural".

High Priestess

In a man's spread, the presence of the High Priestess indicates the perfect woman for him - in his eyes, she is the ideal in sexuality, sensuality, mystery - an enigma with unfathomable depths that will enthrall him and keep him spell bound - in a word : the woman of his dreams.

The Empress would represent someone more akin to his mother : nurturing, matronly, giving ~ great wife material and great bearer of many children - but when he dreams, it is the High Priestess that he sees ~ but wakes up in the arms of the Empress.

Two very different types of women.

The Empress

The Empress is much about fertility - abundance - cornucopia of delights - strength - but not mystery and would not create the kind of passion and desire in the bosom of a man the way the High Priestess would.

Thanks guys!

Thirteen's explanations in particular were so helpful. I think I get it..a little..the High Priestess' allure comes not so much from what you can see as from what you DON'T see, right?. The idea of leaving a little something for the imagination goes a long way with her, and some men DO find mystery and unattainablilty a sexy quality. She might not be beautiful in a conventional sense, but there's something about her that makes a man want to find out more about her...I also feel that because of her connection to the moon she has a kind of subtle effect that pulls you like the tide. Men are drawn to her without quite being able to put their finger on why, but they nevertheless find her or the idea of her very exciting. The Empress' appeal I think is a bit clearer to me - she knows how to use her appeal and enjoys doing so for the pleasure of others as well as herself, but whereas she is willing to SHARE, the High Priestess withholds. If a man was say - staring at her across the room, The Empress, if she liked him would give him a full on smile - the High Priestess would give half a smile with one raised eyebrow

I think you've got it...with one addendum....

obsidian_queen said:

If a man was say - staring at her across the room, The Empress, if she liked him would give him a full on smile - the High Priestess would give half a smile with one raised eyebrow

Click to expand...

Actually, the HPS probably wouldn't look at him at all--and he likely wouldn't see her full on anyway. He's catch glimpses of her, always at night, sometimes illuminated by moonlight, often with her face hidden behind a sheer veil, alluring and mysterious.

She doesn't flirt, she doesn't need to. Men and women will always come to her.

Yesssssss…but with the Moon, there's another aspect of womanhood, and human sexuality that's being ignored.
On one hand you have the cocktail waitress.
On another – you have Erin Brockovich (who used sexuality, not sex to bring corporations to their knees – an interesting image…).
Both would be represented by the High Priestess – and the fourth and usually ignored phase of the moon.
Also – not all strippers are sluts, and not all sluts are strippers – but society lumps them (through ignorance and sexual prejudice) into one category, and then ignore them, turn their backs on their own sisters.
Yes! The High Priestess can be very sexual – and sex, and sexuality scares the hell out of a lotta folks.
Ever notice there are two kinds of women who love to show off a lot of cleavage. One type says "Don't you dare even think of looking" – That's the Empress.
The other says, "Look all you want, but don't touch (yet)" – That's the High Priestess.
The High Priestess can also represent the "Other Woman".



(unless there are only three phases of the moon/womanhood)