Onaorkal
I'm pretty sure the Priestess depicted on this card is a Russian Blue cat. (See the silky bluish silver coat, bright green eyes, dark nose and large ears.) She is sitting in an amethyst cave and is looking directly at the reader. She's wearing a silver necklace with 3 amethyst crystal points. Through 2 openings at the back, we can see it's night time outside. Many stars and a moon crescent (wet/horned moon) can be seen. There is also a mountain and some foliage. Interestingly, the amethyst crystals are not covering all sides of the card. In the lower left corner, there is an opening, meaning there is a part of the cave we can't see from our viewpoint.
Colors : Purple stands out.
In the book, the role of the Priestess is explained as being the inheritor of the wisdom and consciousness of her predecessors. She is there to help us "see [our] true self" and her advice to us is "Trust your inner guidance."
I could gather quite a lot of symbols from the card, with some being hypothetical or anecdotal. May it give you some inspiration for your readings and to build your own meaning of the card.
Russian Blue : This breed has an uncertain history. It probably came from Russia during the 19th century, but was it really a popular breed among the royalty? Who knows.
One thing is sure though, these cats are reputed for being smart and playful, but quiet and reserved, especially with strangers.
An interesting characteristic is that they're known for being particularly sensitive to human emotions.
Another legend says that they used to be thought of having magical powers allowing them to ward off evil spirits.
A fun fact : the first official public appearance of a Russian Blue in Europe was at a cat show in London in 1875 at... Crystal Palace!
Blue color : Indeed, this cat looks grey and/or silver, but I still decided to look up the symbolism of blue. In the RW drawing, the High Priestess wears a blue cloak. Blue is generally associated with emotions, the psychic realm, calmness, healing and spirituality, among other things.
Amethyst : Used for healing, helps to open spiritual/psychic center, associated with spiritual wisdom.
Purple color : Associated with intuition, psychic realm, compassion, power, spirituality.
Silver : Metal of the Moon, associated with emotions, healing, psychic realm, intuition.
Number 3 : Symbol of vital force, positive energy and related to the triple moon goddess.
Night : Associated with the feminine, passive and unconscious.
Stars : Represent goals, faith, inspiration, spiritual self and hope.
Moon : Symbol of instincts, unconscious, emotions, feminine.
Now onto this specific Moon crescent, called 'wet moon', 'horned moon' or even 'Cheshire moon'.
The moon will appear this way (U shaped) only during a certain time of the year. It's called the 'wet moon' in the Hawaiian mythology because it looks like a bowl waiting to be filled by the rain. (You can look up online the whole scientific explanation and the associated folklore.) The period when this happens is ranging from January 20 to February 18.
And what is the birthstone associated with this period?
Yep, the amethyst! Funny no?
'Horned moon' is another way to call it, but in literature the term is sometimes used to designate any moon crescent, whatever its orientation. Most information I could find would bring me to the relation between the Horned God and the Moon Goddess. I am not sure if there is a potential link to be made in this case. Let me know what you think!
Finally, this moon is also called 'Cheshire moon', for obvious reasons. At first I didn't pay attention to it, but then I had an illumination! Since we are talking about the Mystical CATS Tarot, wouldn't it be possible that the authors would have wanted to give a tribute to a very special and well known cat of literature? Especially since the Cheshire cat is the perfect example of a mysterious guide that helps you in getting the answers from your inner wisdom!
Colors : Purple stands out.
In the book, the role of the Priestess is explained as being the inheritor of the wisdom and consciousness of her predecessors. She is there to help us "see [our] true self" and her advice to us is "Trust your inner guidance."
I could gather quite a lot of symbols from the card, with some being hypothetical or anecdotal. May it give you some inspiration for your readings and to build your own meaning of the card.
Russian Blue : This breed has an uncertain history. It probably came from Russia during the 19th century, but was it really a popular breed among the royalty? Who knows.
One thing is sure though, these cats are reputed for being smart and playful, but quiet and reserved, especially with strangers.
An interesting characteristic is that they're known for being particularly sensitive to human emotions.
Another legend says that they used to be thought of having magical powers allowing them to ward off evil spirits.
A fun fact : the first official public appearance of a Russian Blue in Europe was at a cat show in London in 1875 at... Crystal Palace!
Blue color : Indeed, this cat looks grey and/or silver, but I still decided to look up the symbolism of blue. In the RW drawing, the High Priestess wears a blue cloak. Blue is generally associated with emotions, the psychic realm, calmness, healing and spirituality, among other things.
Amethyst : Used for healing, helps to open spiritual/psychic center, associated with spiritual wisdom.
Purple color : Associated with intuition, psychic realm, compassion, power, spirituality.
Silver : Metal of the Moon, associated with emotions, healing, psychic realm, intuition.
Number 3 : Symbol of vital force, positive energy and related to the triple moon goddess.
Night : Associated with the feminine, passive and unconscious.
Stars : Represent goals, faith, inspiration, spiritual self and hope.
Moon : Symbol of instincts, unconscious, emotions, feminine.
Now onto this specific Moon crescent, called 'wet moon', 'horned moon' or even 'Cheshire moon'.
The moon will appear this way (U shaped) only during a certain time of the year. It's called the 'wet moon' in the Hawaiian mythology because it looks like a bowl waiting to be filled by the rain. (You can look up online the whole scientific explanation and the associated folklore.) The period when this happens is ranging from January 20 to February 18.
And what is the birthstone associated with this period?
Yep, the amethyst! Funny no?
'Horned moon' is another way to call it, but in literature the term is sometimes used to designate any moon crescent, whatever its orientation. Most information I could find would bring me to the relation between the Horned God and the Moon Goddess. I am not sure if there is a potential link to be made in this case. Let me know what you think!
Finally, this moon is also called 'Cheshire moon', for obvious reasons. At first I didn't pay attention to it, but then I had an illumination! Since we are talking about the Mystical CATS Tarot, wouldn't it be possible that the authors would have wanted to give a tribute to a very special and well known cat of literature? Especially since the Cheshire cat is the perfect example of a mysterious guide that helps you in getting the answers from your inner wisdom!
