by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The High Priestess has an affinity with the Moon, and with Isis, Kuan Yin and Artemis, who represent Intuition, Compassion and Nature respectively. Guardian of what is hidden, she rules the watery world of Intuition, the Unconscious and the Mysteries. When she appears in a reading where the querent has a relationship question, the answer may take some time, patience and understanding to emerge. The High Priestess is an unusual figure in terms of relationship since she is so very self-contained - almost forbidding. She indicates that you have gone beyond the mundane need for romance and flattery that marks the superficial period of attraction and courting. You yearn for something real, deep and life-changing. You sense that there is much more passion and meaning that can be experienced in a true love relationship than you have yet experienced, and you long for a true Soul connection that will fill up all the dark places with light and joy, and flood the wellspring within that has become depleted and almost parched. The High Priestess also tells you that you don't always see the truth that is looking at you through the eyes of a potential lover. We all tend to judge people and prospective partners especially, by their outer wrapping, but My Lady is telling you not to fall into this trap. Take another look, use your intuition and go deeper, beyond what your mundane senses are telling you is the truth. The potential for a deep, lasting and utterly satisfying relationship is real, but it requires you to look with your inner eye to the deep truth within...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
Known also as Priestess of the Silver Star and Unity Directing Consciousness, The High Priestess is ruled by The Moon, and representing intuition, healing, walking the inner path and independence. It is significant to me that this card has turned up today, since the High Priestess is ruled by The Moon, and the Moon is at its closest orbit to the Earth, and being a Full Moon, is known as a perigree-syzygy. It should be especially significant to those Cancerians who are reading this, since this is your ruling planet. This card brings inner confidence in ones intuition, the ability to focus on one's own truth and follow the line of that truth to its natural outcome, without being sidetracked and distracted by mundane concerns. Of course, life goes on and the rent has to be paid and the dinner cooked, but these things are incidental to your true focus and purpose. When you are able to channel The High Priestess, you are following the path of your life's meaning and have access to altered states of consciousness - extra-sensory perception, intuition, shamanistic journeys, empathy and healing. The High Priestess turns up now to tell you that it is time to trust your intuition, start to practice listening to your own inner intelligence which will never lead you astray - it may be lonely, in fact it is not something you would discuss around the water cooler at the office, but it is a secret knowledge and source of life that you can tap into, know and become nourished by. She is often depicted with the Book of Knowledge...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Empress is ruled by Venus and is also called the Daughter of the Mighty Ones. She represents motherliness, nurturing, feminine power and Love. The Empress is often shown visibly pregnant, and surrounded by the fecundity of nature - this aspect of her energy emphasises her impulse to life and continuation of life. She turns the seasons and brings Spring as she comes out of the mourning of Winter, and so brings hope and increase. She symbolises fertility and is a positive symbol to those who are hoping to conceive. But she is also a welcome sign when wishing for creative inspiration, because she also represents fertility of ideas. Sometimes she is referred to the Grandmother, which is an ancient reference to her aspect as the Great Goddess. She also rules over nature and protection of the Earth and her resources - animal,vegetable and mineral - for nothing is without its place here. The Empress is the ultimate archetype of womanhood and femininity in all its aspects, and yet she does not represent an individual in the querent's life. The power of the Goddess is to great to be contained in a human individual and to do so would be to engage in hubris that does not serve the individual. Rather she represents a phase in life or energy that we can connect with and honour. When The Empress appears in a reading for you, it is time to consider your own experience of motherhood - whether it is your children or your own mother and often this card will bring a healing with important female figures in your life....
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Emperor is Son/Sun of the Morning, the Chief among the Mighty and is ruled by Aries. He represents authority, order and responsibility. The card of The Emperor is the culmination of superior masculine qualities that are called for to face a situation that is coming up for you. He asks and requires deliberate thought, decisive action and the ability to stick to your resolve and not be swayed by emotion or fear. He brings more responsibility into your life, and a time where you need to own your life and your choices, not make excuses or blame others for your circumstances. He is steadfast, serious and a rock that can be relied upon in hard times. The Emperor is also the Sovereign and as such commands respect for the burdens he takes on for the sake of peace and stability. If he must go to war, he does so with gritty determination and a strong will to succeed. This can be translated into many areas of life, whether career, relationships or finances - the card describes the attitude and actions you need to adopt now in order to succeed. I like to view the Major Arcana (of which this card is the fifth in the series) as indications of our own path in life and the lessons that arise to bring us to the next stage of our mental, spiritual & emotional development. They are all archetypal experiences that we uncover either directly, or via others in our life, but we can also internalise the lessons of each and every one of them if we so choose. This...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
Known also as Son/Sun of the Morning and Chief among the Mighty, the card of The Emperor is aligned with Aries and represents order, leadership and responsibility. Aries represents independence, courage and individuality. The card of The Emperor is number four, which is a foundational number and so represents wholeness, stability and structure. When The Emperor appears in a reading, he often represents authority figures we must deal with in a responsible way, since they also represent the balance of power. If we get on the wrong side of The Emperor, we can find ourselves in all sorts of difficulties involving red tape and hold-ups. In his negative aspect he is overbearing and in love with power for the sake of it. He often appears as a father figure, a boss or other man of power - when the card is drawn for a woman it represents a powerful figure who is significant to her growth since in society women are often discouraged from owning their power. They then choose to experience the essence of power through the channel of a significant male figure where it is deemed more acceptable. But that is not necessarily the only way this card need be met. In his positive aspect he gives us all the ability to take responsibility for ourselves and be seated in our power, and not imagine ourselves to be the victim of circumstance or the whims and fickleness of fate. When we are in our own power, we know how to take control, how to influence, how to disregard the trivial and time-wasters that are prevalent more and more in...
