the sexuality of the priestess

i remember reading bits and pieces about the mysterious sexuality of the high priestess, but it might help to have it all in one thread.

i've been studying the karma tarot and the body of the priestess in this deck is depicted as a vagina. she's wearing a red dress underneath a blue cloak, the creative/ active vagina enclosed by passive/ virginal blue, which is the dominant colour of the card.

is this indicative of sexuality not expressed? and does she choose not to express it?

I interpret the HP as being secretive about her sexuality, as she is about all things. This card is represented as Wisdom (the goddess Sarasvati) in the Goddess Tarot, and stands for knowledge learned gracefully. A little twist on the classic meaning, but goes along the same line.

Traditionally, the HP is a learned woman, highly spiritual in nature, and is in posession of what is in the female heart in it's very deepest, most protected corner. She is patient and never rushes anything, be it of a sexual nature or acquiring information about anything. She is intuitive and knows what a woman desires, and when and with whom. Thus, the ability to provide a satisfying relationship can be indicated with this card. It can also represent a clandestine relationship, or even spying, for the HP divulges nothing she does not need to.

That's what I've learned about this card.

I always thought of the HP as a virgin.

Funny, I see her as the most dangerous woman in the whole deck! With her knowledge of the human being and magic she transcends the physical sex. She is a sort of witch who doesn´t need carnal experiences to reach "Heaven". She is beyond that. She is even beyond male/female opposition (no wonder in some decks she may even look "manly").
One of the most fascinating tarot cards.

Yes, I, too, have heard this described as the "Vestal Virgin" card.

My feeling is that is because the HP points to that ethereal link between earth and "what-is-behind-the-veil". Hers is the realm of spirituality vs. physicality. In that way, physical sexuality wouldn't play into it, I think.

these are all wonderful replies, thank you.

Tara2007 said:

Traditionally, the HP is a learned woman, highly spiritual in nature, and is in posession of what is in the female heart in it's very deepest, most protected corner. She is patient and never rushes anything, be it of a sexual nature or acquiring information about anything. She is intuitive and knows what a woman desires, and when and with whom. Thus, the ability to provide a satisfying relationship can be indicated with this card. It can also represent a clandestine relationship, or even spying, for the HP divulges nothing she does not need to.

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i think this is what i was looking for but couldn't put into words. i wrote that down in my notebook (hope you don't mind).

ana luisa said:

She is even beyond male/female opposition (no wonder in some decks she may even look "manly").

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and the hp in the karma tarot does indeed look masculine. that's an interesting thought!

starrystarrynight said:

My feeling is that is because the HP points to that ethereal link between earth and "what-is-behind-the-veil". Hers is the realm of spirituality vs. physicality. In that way, physical sexuality wouldn't play into it, I think.

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i can see how this might apply, but in the deck i used she is actually shaped like a vagina, even though 'protected' (or disguised?) by the virginal blue of her cloak.

starrystarrynight said:

Yes, I, too, have heard this described as the "Vestal Virgin" card.

My feeling is that is because the HP points to that ethereal link between earth and "what-is-behind-the-veil". Hers is the realm of spirituality vs. physicality. In that way, physical sexuality wouldn't play into it, I think.

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I can't agree with that view. She is a virgin only in the sense of being a woman alone - that is, a woman who is not controlled by men. That does not make her unphysical. What is behind the veil? It's a mystery. But it's a human mystery, and we are creatures of the flesh, so necessarily, sexuality also lies there. Of a different, more profound kind, I believe.

What Tara wrote really resonated with me.

On a related note to Tara's and Fudugazi's takes, the HP can also be a Mata Hari type. This is perhaps a more reversed-HP interpretation, where mystery becomes allure, and wisdom turns into damaging knowledge.

Fudugazi said:

Quote:
Originally Posted by starrystarrynight
Yes, I, too, have heard this described as the "Vestal Virgin" card.

My feeling is that is because the HP points to that ethereal link between earth and "what-is-behind-the-veil". Hers is the realm of spirituality vs. physicality. In that way, physical sexuality wouldn't play into it, I think.

I can't agree with that view. She is a virgin only in the sense of being a woman alone - that is, a woman who is not controlled by men. That does not make her unphysical. What is behind the veil? It's a mystery. But it's a human mystery, and we are creatures of the flesh, so necessarily, sexuality also lies there. Of a different, more profound kind, I believe.

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Perhaps we differ here because I don't see the High Priestess as a woman really. I see this as the counterpart to the Magician, both more androgynous figures in my mind...only taking on a type of human sexuality/physicality once we get to the Empress and Emperor. I feel that the Magician and High Priestess are portrayed as male/female because that is what we, as humans, can relate to...but, again, I think they are more ethereal or spiritual than that, not yet as concrete as "fleshy" man or woman.

Fudugazi said:

She is a virgin only in the sense of being a woman alone - that is, a woman who is not controlled by men. That does not make her unphysical. What is behind the veil? It's a mystery. But it's a human mystery, and we are creatures of the flesh, so necessarily, sexuality also lies there. Of a different, more profound kind, I believe.

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I agree with Fudugazi on this one. The HP knows that the answers lie within, not without. In that vein, she does not need a man in her life, and I cannot see her as a woman deferential to men.

Interesting how the word virgin has come to mean to most that the woman in question has never had sex with a man, instead of its early meaning of one who is not married or necessarily exclusively partnered with one specific man, but makes her own choices, relying on her own judgement rather than that of others.