I've always associated The High Priestess with esoteric spirituality, and I use the term spiritual to mean the inner experience of whatever religious or spiritual doctrine and practice we choose to follow, if any. In order to hear her message we must listen within to the "still small voice" for she speaks in a whisper and is easily drowned out by the louder and constant mental conversation of the ego-mind. One way of stilling the mind is through deep breathing and meditation. Another is prayer, though not the petitionary type of prayer which seeks something from the divine; but rather the kind of prayer which seeks to know and become one with the divine.
Exoteric spirituality, on the other hand, is the structure and outer expression of this spiritual experience, and is associated with The Hierophant. In the Rider-Waite deck this is depicted by the Pope, the figure-head of the Catholic Church, but the concept applies to any prevailing religion and the religious traditions of its culture.
Traditions of all kinds are represented by the fixed signs, of which Taurus is one. The four fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) tend to be slow to change and may even resist it, as does the Church; for their purpose is to establish and make permanent whatever has been initiated by the cardinal signs which precede them. In Medieval days, unless people were well enough off to afford a private education, the only place one could receive one was through the Church, and since religious doctrine was also a part of that education, The Hierophant is associated with education as well.
“In her right hand she holds a crystal ball, the symbol of mystery and magic, the unseen, mystic knowledge that can only come from within. Spheres are also a symbol of the feminine, so this symbolizes the intuitive, indirect side of a person, as well. It’s in her right hand, although that is the active, not the intuitive side, because that is the way she most often works. That is her strong suit, if you will.”
“A leader and teacher wearing vestments, indicating wisdom, almost fades into the background. The stained glass window enveloping him brings to mind the great cathedrals of the past, incredible poems of glass and stone reaching toward heaven. This is an apt symbol of humankind’s greatest achievements of understanding the physical and spiritual worlds. A view of the universe--of all that there is to know, both physically and spiritually--lies beyond. Looking at these elements as three levels, we see in the background the knowable universe, then humankind’s understanding and utilization of this knowledge, and finally the passing on of that knowledge to individual people through formal education and religious training.” The Gilded Tarot Companion Barbara Moore
So, in comparing and contrasting these two cards we have the kind of spirituality which can be practiced anywhere by anyone, simply by turning within and listening; and the kind of spirituality which is expressed in the outer world by structures such as churches, mosques, and temples, and which represents itself, for the most part, as the bridge between the individual and the divine.
The Moon moves into Gemini tomorrow, so I will be taking a look at a different aspect of The High Priestess and the way she may relate to The Lovers.
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