High Priestess & The Empress

High Priestess & The Empress

Artistic Disclaimer: The cards which are shown are from the Shadowscapes deck, by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. You can see the deck here: https://www.shadowscapes.com/Tarot/cardsmain.php?suit=0  The work Ms. Law does is full of grace and beauty and I cannot recommend her enough as an artist.  I was thrilled when she came out with a deck of cards featuring her artwork.  Please respect the artist and give credit if you share these or any artwork belonging to anyone.

Meaning Disclaimer: All information below is based on my own practices and interpretations.  Everyone can and should come to their own meanings as needed. The given meaning for a card is where you start. Look at the card, look at where it sits in the deck. Is it reversed? Does that mean the opposite of the original meaning, or simply a temperamental change? Does one image suddenly speak to you more than ever? Listen to your gut…and speak your truth. 

High Priestess – Card Number 2

The High Priestess in the third card in the Major Arcana.

The standard meanings are:

UPRIGHT: Intuition, sacred knowledge, divine feminine, the subconscious mind

REVERSED: Secrets, disconnected from intuition, withdrawal and silence

My Meanings:

When she shows up in readings, I tend to pretty much follow the standard meanings…she is the ultimate in female/female energy intuition. When reversed, I generally perceive it as refusing to acknowledge first instincts. While trusting your instincts is not always a good thing, this is an indicator that perhaps you should do so…providing it does no harm.

Image Study of this card:

You see that she has a pomegranate with a bite taken from it…this is to represent Persephone who choose (at least in my mind) to tie herself to Hades for a season.  She still has the knowledge of the world above, and moves freely within it, but now she also has the knowledge of the world below…and moves freely within it too.  She has the owl – a representative of wisdom, to aid her in understanding the knowledge that she holds. Sometimes an intuitive jump is really just a judicial application of wisdom to knowledge hard earned.  

The Empress – Card number 3

The Empress is the fourth card in the Major Arcana.

UPRIGHT: Femininity, beauty, nature, nurturing, abundance

REVERSED: Creative block, dependence on others

My Meanings:

The Empress is the ultimate Mom card. She is known for being a “pregnancy” card.  Now here is where I differ somewhat…I do not think this is a literal “pregnant and giving birth” prediction…but rather a symbol of whatever fertility means to you…it could be the beginning of a brand-new business venture, a new house design, heck, a new more efficient route to work. It is a nurturing card, a comforting card. A “sisters are doing it for themselves” card. It can stand alone or graciously accept assistance or whatever tribute is granted to her as is her right.

Image Study of this card:

She is graciously accepting the fruits of the harvest…and enjoying the display of beauty it brings her. She is mother nature at her best. Both directing the outcome of this years harvest while beginning preparations for next year. She is life. Fertility existing.