juliecucciawatts
The High Priest-
Full Moon Cycle Sagittarius
In the image for the High Priest is the Sem Priest of Egypt arranging the carpet in front of Osiris. The High Priest card represents the full moon cycle of Sagittarius that happens the month after Summer Solstice. The image of the two-headed god at the top of the pillared door is symbolic of the dual nature of the high priest. During initiates’ Thoth/Set rites he becomes the god who dismembers Osiris. He ultimately becomes the hero when the initiate reaches his goal and the high priest leads him to find his secret name and his power. This Sem priest is the one who wears the revered leopard skin this skin indicates he too has gone though initiation.
The high priest is in charge of maintaining and tracking the three calendars of Egypt- solar, lunar, and one to track the cycle of the brightest star Sirius. The solar calendar is seasonal and tracks the three seasons of Egypt. The lunar calendar tracks the waxing and waning energies, making good use of nature’s energy flow for magical purposes. This calendar also marks the best time to begin and end projects. The Sirian calendar tracks great spans time, like the precession of the equinoxes, by calculating which constellation is at the horizon at the time of equinox (the midpoint between the longest and shortest days (solstice)). The Egyptian high priests are able to calculate vast amounts of time and predict future celestial, as well as seasonal, events. All these ways of keeping time are allowed to flow without correction, sliding at their own rate. Recorded and understood, nothing can go "out of sync" because each calendar is tracked not controlled. The variation in cycles is quite useful for differentiating between eras and tracking considerable amounts of time.
The High Priest acts as a mediator between Pharaoh and the problems of the people. They also serve as a mouthpiece for the god by reciting memorized verses spoken by the gods from sacred texts. The high priest assists the pharaoh and the pharaoh may act as a Sem Priest during times of high ritual. In this card’s image, the High Priest makes offerings to Osiris, the death and resurrection god who judges the dead. He is the archetype for future gods in both the Jewish and Christian religions.
Notes: In the image of the card flanking the doorway to the statue of Isis are two pillars. These pillars are found in many tarot decks, typically referred to as the pillars of mercy and severity. The figures standing between these pillars, found in many Hierophant (High Priest), High Priestess, and Justice tarot images, suggest that each has found balance between mercy and severity.
In a similar fashion, the Kaballah attempts to bring the secret or hidden meaning of creation closer to our own experiences. The shape of the Egyptian ankh and Tree of Life seems hidden in plain sight within the Kaballah. The god’s highest name, secret name of the god Sekhem Ur, is in the hieroglyphs above the door. Sekhem Ur refers to the highest power, First Power, or first form. The word Sekhem, found in the top hieroglyph on the left pillar, means power and form or image. At the top of the right pillar, balancing "power of image," is the hieroglyph for "name". Image and name is closely describes “highest power” just as the word Heka (magic) is a form of Sai and Hu. (Sai is “all the knowledge in the universe” and Hu, the words to explain it.) When “Moses” (Senemut) severed ties with Egypt his new religion abolished the use of (cult) images but kept magical or holy words.
Just beneath Sekhem lies khaibit, the shadow. The shadow in this context is the attachment to the physical world that a spiritual being still wants. In Egypt the image of the soul (ba) is a bird with a human head. As the ba flies closer to the light of god, it casts a shadow. If it turns and looks back to earth, it will see its shadow (khaibit). Shadows, in the Egyptian worldview, are not thought of as negative and are often seen around gravesites. Nowadays shadows are all-too-often thought of as dark spirits, negative, or scary. The khaibit is simply the part of the deceased person that is still attached to life.
To balance the shadow the other pillar bears the khu, a bird symbol with an ibis head. It represents intelligence or light. On the left pillar there is a little jug, the hieroglyph for the heart, the ab. This ab/ heart symbol is also found in the scales that weighs one’s heart against a feather. To balance the heart on the left is the hieroglyph for the ka on the right beneath the khu (ibis) this hieroglyphshowing mirror images for two arms can be interpreted as a “hug” suggesting that everything is part of everything else. The ka represents the heart of the pharaoh, meaning the pharaoh is the heart of all things, like an empathy, the pharaoh must be in tune with all of the people and with nature to keep the universe in perfect balance. The tree of life symbolism hidden within this image continues as offerings to Osiris include fish on a plate. The fish represents the physical body or khat. The body is Sethian in nature meaning that when it dies it rots and returns to earth. It's placed at the bottom of the tree of life. The spiritual body sahu is the next step up in the stem of the tree of life that is shaped like an anhk and is symbolized by the purple orb behind the priest. The tiny bird inside on the windowsill in the painting is the soul or ba casting a small shadow or khaibit.
After leaving Egypt the people of Moses are still ingrained with Egyptian religious beliefs but their hatred for all things Egyptian causes them to discard the images as the “idolatry” of Egypt. Their god becomes imageless, the stigma of idolatry a dominant factor in this devolution. At first this dismissal of Egyptian ethos is politically motivated though it is eventually liberating for them to create their own names for all things sacred. Over time, however, words without pictures can lose their meanings. Words and vernacular often change rapidly, while words, symbols, and images convey a rich, universally understood story that is stable.
Clues to the role of the high priest can be found in the bible and the following excerpt of a Hebrew rite hints at the power inherent in Blood Mystery rituals. Passed down over thousands of years, these rituals’ origins are likely from the house of Pharaoh or possibly from the neighboring tribes of Nubia where Moses (Senemut) learned his magic. The ram, sacred to Amon-Ra, is given to Moses’ genetic brother Aaron:
“Aaron was identified as "The Ram of Ordination", a ram whose blood was sprinkled on Aaron as the High Priest of the newly established portable Temple. The blood of the ram is put on the right ear, right thumb, and big toe of the Aaron and his sons and the rest of the blood was dashed upon the sides of the altar, after its slaughter, Moses also took the organs and intestines of the ram and some unleavened bread and put them in the hands of the priests to perform a gesture that it was being offered to the ruler of the whole world before burning them upon the altar. Finally, Moses mixes some of the blood of the ram and anointing oil and sprinkled it on the priest's garment to sanctify them.” The third book of the Torah or Pentateuch (or its English name Leviticus)
It is no great stretch to construct the feminine origin to this rite by simply replacing the female’s blood of life and fertility with the masculine blood of death and sacrifice.
Card meaning: Traditionally in tarot the High Priest would be the Hierophant, “the highest spiritual authority,” like a pope for Catholics. The meaning usually refers to hard-line religious dogma and someone who is rigid in their beliefs. In The Journey into Egypt this card takes a different view as it represents a person who opens spiritual doors. He gives permission to believe in the messages from your own dreams and visions; he tells you to follow your heart and your bliss. He tells you that the laws for you are written on your heart. True spiritual leadership allows spirit to come through. The student who wants someone to give them all the answers will be frustrated with this sort of lesson. The High Priest may take you to task and expect a lot from you; he will teach patience and how to enjoy the journey. He may dis-member you to help you re-member.
©2013 Julie Cuccia-Watts
Full Moon Cycle Sagittarius
In the image for the High Priest is the Sem Priest of Egypt arranging the carpet in front of Osiris. The High Priest card represents the full moon cycle of Sagittarius that happens the month after Summer Solstice. The image of the two-headed god at the top of the pillared door is symbolic of the dual nature of the high priest. During initiates’ Thoth/Set rites he becomes the god who dismembers Osiris. He ultimately becomes the hero when the initiate reaches his goal and the high priest leads him to find his secret name and his power. This Sem priest is the one who wears the revered leopard skin this skin indicates he too has gone though initiation.
The high priest is in charge of maintaining and tracking the three calendars of Egypt- solar, lunar, and one to track the cycle of the brightest star Sirius. The solar calendar is seasonal and tracks the three seasons of Egypt. The lunar calendar tracks the waxing and waning energies, making good use of nature’s energy flow for magical purposes. This calendar also marks the best time to begin and end projects. The Sirian calendar tracks great spans time, like the precession of the equinoxes, by calculating which constellation is at the horizon at the time of equinox (the midpoint between the longest and shortest days (solstice)). The Egyptian high priests are able to calculate vast amounts of time and predict future celestial, as well as seasonal, events. All these ways of keeping time are allowed to flow without correction, sliding at their own rate. Recorded and understood, nothing can go "out of sync" because each calendar is tracked not controlled. The variation in cycles is quite useful for differentiating between eras and tracking considerable amounts of time.
The High Priest acts as a mediator between Pharaoh and the problems of the people. They also serve as a mouthpiece for the god by reciting memorized verses spoken by the gods from sacred texts. The high priest assists the pharaoh and the pharaoh may act as a Sem Priest during times of high ritual. In this card’s image, the High Priest makes offerings to Osiris, the death and resurrection god who judges the dead. He is the archetype for future gods in both the Jewish and Christian religions.
Notes: In the image of the card flanking the doorway to the statue of Isis are two pillars. These pillars are found in many tarot decks, typically referred to as the pillars of mercy and severity. The figures standing between these pillars, found in many Hierophant (High Priest), High Priestess, and Justice tarot images, suggest that each has found balance between mercy and severity.
In a similar fashion, the Kaballah attempts to bring the secret or hidden meaning of creation closer to our own experiences. The shape of the Egyptian ankh and Tree of Life seems hidden in plain sight within the Kaballah. The god’s highest name, secret name of the god Sekhem Ur, is in the hieroglyphs above the door. Sekhem Ur refers to the highest power, First Power, or first form. The word Sekhem, found in the top hieroglyph on the left pillar, means power and form or image. At the top of the right pillar, balancing "power of image," is the hieroglyph for "name". Image and name is closely describes “highest power” just as the word Heka (magic) is a form of Sai and Hu. (Sai is “all the knowledge in the universe” and Hu, the words to explain it.) When “Moses” (Senemut) severed ties with Egypt his new religion abolished the use of (cult) images but kept magical or holy words.
Just beneath Sekhem lies khaibit, the shadow. The shadow in this context is the attachment to the physical world that a spiritual being still wants. In Egypt the image of the soul (ba) is a bird with a human head. As the ba flies closer to the light of god, it casts a shadow. If it turns and looks back to earth, it will see its shadow (khaibit). Shadows, in the Egyptian worldview, are not thought of as negative and are often seen around gravesites. Nowadays shadows are all-too-often thought of as dark spirits, negative, or scary. The khaibit is simply the part of the deceased person that is still attached to life.
To balance the shadow the other pillar bears the khu, a bird symbol with an ibis head. It represents intelligence or light. On the left pillar there is a little jug, the hieroglyph for the heart, the ab. This ab/ heart symbol is also found in the scales that weighs one’s heart against a feather. To balance the heart on the left is the hieroglyph for the ka on the right beneath the khu (ibis) this hieroglyphshowing mirror images for two arms can be interpreted as a “hug” suggesting that everything is part of everything else. The ka represents the heart of the pharaoh, meaning the pharaoh is the heart of all things, like an empathy, the pharaoh must be in tune with all of the people and with nature to keep the universe in perfect balance. The tree of life symbolism hidden within this image continues as offerings to Osiris include fish on a plate. The fish represents the physical body or khat. The body is Sethian in nature meaning that when it dies it rots and returns to earth. It's placed at the bottom of the tree of life. The spiritual body sahu is the next step up in the stem of the tree of life that is shaped like an anhk and is symbolized by the purple orb behind the priest. The tiny bird inside on the windowsill in the painting is the soul or ba casting a small shadow or khaibit.
After leaving Egypt the people of Moses are still ingrained with Egyptian religious beliefs but their hatred for all things Egyptian causes them to discard the images as the “idolatry” of Egypt. Their god becomes imageless, the stigma of idolatry a dominant factor in this devolution. At first this dismissal of Egyptian ethos is politically motivated though it is eventually liberating for them to create their own names for all things sacred. Over time, however, words without pictures can lose their meanings. Words and vernacular often change rapidly, while words, symbols, and images convey a rich, universally understood story that is stable.
Clues to the role of the high priest can be found in the bible and the following excerpt of a Hebrew rite hints at the power inherent in Blood Mystery rituals. Passed down over thousands of years, these rituals’ origins are likely from the house of Pharaoh or possibly from the neighboring tribes of Nubia where Moses (Senemut) learned his magic. The ram, sacred to Amon-Ra, is given to Moses’ genetic brother Aaron:
“Aaron was identified as "The Ram of Ordination", a ram whose blood was sprinkled on Aaron as the High Priest of the newly established portable Temple. The blood of the ram is put on the right ear, right thumb, and big toe of the Aaron and his sons and the rest of the blood was dashed upon the sides of the altar, after its slaughter, Moses also took the organs and intestines of the ram and some unleavened bread and put them in the hands of the priests to perform a gesture that it was being offered to the ruler of the whole world before burning them upon the altar. Finally, Moses mixes some of the blood of the ram and anointing oil and sprinkled it on the priest's garment to sanctify them.” The third book of the Torah or Pentateuch (or its English name Leviticus)
It is no great stretch to construct the feminine origin to this rite by simply replacing the female’s blood of life and fertility with the masculine blood of death and sacrifice.
Card meaning: Traditionally in tarot the High Priest would be the Hierophant, “the highest spiritual authority,” like a pope for Catholics. The meaning usually refers to hard-line religious dogma and someone who is rigid in their beliefs. In The Journey into Egypt this card takes a different view as it represents a person who opens spiritual doors. He gives permission to believe in the messages from your own dreams and visions; he tells you to follow your heart and your bliss. He tells you that the laws for you are written on your heart. True spiritual leadership allows spirit to come through. The student who wants someone to give them all the answers will be frustrated with this sort of lesson. The High Priest may take you to task and expect a lot from you; he will teach patience and how to enjoy the journey. He may dis-member you to help you re-member.
©2013 Julie Cuccia-Watts
