Thoth - The Priestess

Priority is to live only to the Highest; and the Highest is All; be Thou as Artemis to Pan. Read Thou in the Book of Law, and break through the veil of the Virgin (Aleister Crowley)

Correspondences:-

- Herb; Cloves
- Astrology; The Moon
- Colour; White

- Rune; Uruz - Vital strength and speed. Untamed potential. Protection (certainly of Home and Land). Tenacious, freedom, gain inner strength through the achievement of goals.

- Hebrew;Gimel - (camel) which is the activity, the motion of contained limited existence or no-existence. It is Aleph and Beth. A glyph which signifies organic development and produces all ideas originating from the corporeal organs and form their actions.

Analysis:-
Represented on the card by Isis who is the Egyptian Moon Goddess. Here she trusts the intuitive abilities she has come to understand completely. Like the camel, which can travel long distance without water, when you have come to find your own inner well you radiate an air of self sufficiency. The more you accept yourself and share what knowledge you have gained with others then your perceptional clarity will strengthen. This is represented by the crystals in the card.

This is the strongest representation of balance and inner harmony in the entire deck. The upper half of the body is representative of the Yin or feminine energy. This is accentuated by the upward movement of the lines and the crescent Moons behind her head which are also in unison with those lines as they are pointing upwards.

The lower half of the body, which is veiled by crisscross lines, are that of the Yang or Masculine energy. The bow and arrow on her lap is a graphic detail of this concept.

The fruit and flowers are representative of the fertile mindfulness within your deepest self. That Intuitive and responsible self which grows fertile.

attaching the card

thanks Kaz

The first impressions: The Priestess possesses a fluidity that belies the stillness of her stationery posture. Her head-dress with its crescents curving upwards connect her with the divine source of all knowledge, & the waves of energy issuing down are what she receives in turn. The depiction of her upper torso hints at the constant flow of energy & communication as she accesses the portals of knowledge through her mental powers & her intuitive understanding. In her way, she is complete unto herself, sure of her wisdom as 'tis a blend of that which is seen or logic & the unseen or the intuitive.

The web of lines that cascade from her hands suggest a net like that of a fisherman's. As she holds the net, as if in offering what is captured within its confines, the net is representative of her "grasp" of knowledge. The fruits of her wisdom is accessible to all who know how to communicate with her. The criss-crossing lines also suggest that it is through the blend of logic/yang & the intuition/yin that one must achieve to form a wholistic understanding. She & the wisdom she represents is otherwise "veiled" from those not deemed "worthy" or mature to receive of her bounty.

The crossbow & arrow on her lap protect her virginity, her pureness of knowledge from the intrusion of those not ready to access her. They also symbolize the keeness of her discernment; her unerring aim in matters of her dominion.

Mystique: Thanks for all of your introductory postings thus far on the Thoth cards! I appreciate the access to the material.

Kaz: Thank ye for posting the card, & for all the card postings! They are clearer versions than the cards of the deck I have. This one helps me to see The Priestess with more clarity

oi, then you have the yucky greenish tinted cards i suppose, you should get yourself a copy that hasnt got that, you will appreciate the cards so much more.
wanna trade for a dutch thoth?

kaz

Kaz: The green deck is the one I have. It has sentimental value but it seems a wee blurry. Thought it just me because I have not seen another version in person & only recently found out there are other versions. Have not seen a Dutch Thoth, but I take it 'tis not green. I would be willing to trade for a Dutch Thoth. What would ye be interested in?

MystiqueMoonlight, your avatar looks uncannily similar to Thoth's Priestess! Might it be based on this card?

2 other names for Isis are Hathor and Athor. Pretty close to Thoth and Tarot, and also, to Torah which is included in Rider Waite's version.

The crossbow/arrow also remind me of the Greek goddess Artemis. There's something about the style of drawing that reminds me of Classical Greek sculpture. I think it's interesting to look at this card beside the Hierophant since he's drawn in the same style.

I don't know what to make of the pinecone. Is it a pinecone?

isthmus nekoi said:

MystiqueMoonlight, your avatar looks uncannily similar to Thoth's Priestess! Might it be based on this card?

2 other names for Isis are Hathor and Athor. Pretty close to Thoth and Tarot, and also, to Torah which is included in Rider Waite's version.

The crossbow/arrow also remind me of the Greek goddess Artemis. There's something about the style of drawing that reminds me of Classical Greek sculpture. I think it's interesting to look at this card beside the Hierophant since he's drawn in the same style.

I don't know what to make of the pinecone. Is it a pinecone?

Click to expand...

Brilliant observations!

Yes I can thank Kayne for that Avatar it is based on the Thoth High Priestess. This is my Soul card.

Do not forgt that the Thoth deck has Egyptian influences so your associations to the names are pretty much on the button. Torah is Hebrew of course.

There is alo a far bit of Greek influence in Lady Frieda Harris' work. Good pick up on that too.

I think as we go along you will discover just how versatile and eclectic this deck really is. The fear base in the Thoth deck is unfounded.

Thanks again for your keen eye for detail.

MM

I read about the Hathor/Athor connection to the word tarot in this great book called Tarot: History, Mystery Lore so it's not really my observation! I've been reading the sections about Crowley and Thoth, as well as the general history of tarot. My impression is that it's pretty informative, but I haven't looked at all its sources and suchlike yet. Unfortunately, I don't remember the author of that book

A little art history: looking again, the pose of the Priestess seems more static and stylized than the Hierophant; I'd place her in a pre-Classical period of Greek sculpture (forgot the official name.... Ionian? Er...) which was *heavily* influenced by Egyptian styles. I imagine it would be fruitful to pull parallels b/w other Egyptian gods and the Greek Panthenon other than just Thoth.

For Isis in this context, I might place her w/Hecate (b/c of the moon), Artemis (virginity). In general, I'd relate her w/any goddess associated w/the mother-son lover/agricultural story (ie. Jesus and Mary, Ishtar and Tammuz)