On a more serious note;
This is next post describes the RWS High Priestess, while offering overall meanings that might apply to the card and clarifying some of the symbolism. One modification in the Connolly card is no "B" or "J" on the pillars. I have seen information that suggests Smith didn't place letters on the columns either and letters were added later at the print shop.
2 – THE HIGH PRIESTESS
The High Priestess is perhaps the most difficult card in Tarot to fathom. Embracing a power veiled in mystery, the card bears a broad scope of interpretations in readings. She communicates directly from the subconscious plane through intuition. As expression of the intrinsically mysterious nature of human existence, she balances power brandished by The Magician. Her powers are as divine and mystical as those the juggler of external influence wields but the nucleus of energy is different. While The Magician directs power outward, The Priestess suggests using internal force to achieve a meaningful effect on the psyche. With transformations less dramatic than The Magician, she exerts greater impact on personal existence. The Magician introduces red and white, the main colors of Tarot; however, this card symbolically predicts most other hues in the deck. Offering unlimited potential of Yin, she provides symmetry necessary for The Magician to serve as Yang of creation. This essential balance of Yin and Yang controls the entire universe.
Grasping the equilibrium between potential and creation offers a thread to unravel the secrecy veiled within this card. The High Priestess not only shows equality of force, she is the scale. Her delicate symmetry yields true power. This card parts the veil into occult understanding and a basis for grasping these secrets is already deep within your subconscious. The High Priestess shows that dreams may now become very significant. Spiritually profound, the card signifies a potent force as subtle as the moon slipping behind a cloud. Missing influence of this card is easy, unless you open your mind and heart. The High Priestess heralds the emergence of psychic ability when it appears with The Moon in a spread. This card shares astrological power with the Moon, which ties closely into dreams, motherhood and other feminine influences.
This card offers several striking symbols. First, the lunar image of the subconscious sits at her feet, like a pet: Symbolism here is apparent. Less obvious are the cryptic characters “B” and “J” which mark the pair of pillars flanking The Priestessthe pair of pillars flanking The Priestess. Most Tarot researchers agree that this is a Biblical reference to the two pillars honoring Jachin and Boaz in the Temple of King Solomon. Named for his ancestors, they were also black and white. Jachin translates into “He establishes” and Boaz means, “In Him there is strength.” Pillars depicted on the card show a veil strung between them, which hides realms of the subconscious. She sits before the partition as a moderator to universal wisdom. Indications of duality are highly visible but a trilogy also emerges since her image sits between two columns. Her skirts flow into headwaters of a subtle river running through the Major Arcana.
If The High Priestess appears in a spread, it suggests an unseen negative side of your personality emerging. Negative does not necessarily imply evil; it simply represents the opposite of positive. Many remain unaware of this less expressive more feminine side of the psyche. If you can accept this shadow within, subconscious powers will emerge. Since this is a passive side of your make-up, the card may indicate a need to be passive in a situation. Inaction is often as effective as action in achieving goals.
As mistress of the inner voice, The High Priestess epitomizes an ideal woman. Like the Lady of the Lake in the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, she surfaces with a mystical gift and may signal intuition is sending you a message. The subconscious offers messages veiled in symbolism and to hear the inner whispers we must remain alert. If an important decision is at hand when this card appears, it is likely signaling that your subconscious may reveal a path in upcoming days. By patiently waiting and remaining receptive to messages from within, you soon hear subtle whispers of the mind. Open your heart, as the awesome power of this card enriches and transforms you on an internal level. She teaches that all knowledge exists beyond your conscious veil, at a deeper level of the psyche. Her message emerges from two words by Linnaeus, a scientist and philosopher, who said, “Know thyself.”
Just look at her penetrating yet diffuse stare, the emblem of the inner eye prominent on her forehead, the golden pectoral cross of her high calling, the rolled up scroll that contains her "TORA" of the infinite arcanum, the gorgeous blue dress patterned with the Moon and Morning Star, the intertwined connectedness of her dress's blue and white trimmings, the inmost echoes of her blue stockings and delicate shoes. Before her lies the undending watery depths of the unconscious, at her sides are the bipolar pillars of her holy temple, and beyond the reclaimed Eden of the Moon Garden, veiled by the living palms and pomegranates of sacrifice and love. The goddess Moon is her guide: celestial in the night sky, immanent at her feet.