Comparing the High Priestess with the Empress

The High Priestess and The Empress are two cards in the major arcana within the tarot. Their archetypal imagery represents two differing aspects of the feminine potential within all of us (males also!). Females may naturally feel more able to tap into these archetypes but the potential resides within all of us, and is important for us to explore if we wish to be whole individuals with both the positive and beneficial forces of femininity and masculinity within us. I wish to explore the way in which the meanings of these two cards can help to support us in the process of bringing forth our creations to the physical world, how we can develop insight into our own selves, and insight into the part we play within the creative process of life.

First let us compare these two cards with a metaphor. The High Priestess is the womb, and The Empress is the process of giving birth. Within the cosmic womb all potentials lie waiting to manifest, The High Priestess has access to these potentials – she is the essence of receptivity. It is through the creative process that a potential manifests in the earthly sphere – this earthly sphere is what The Empress signifies. She is the form, the shape that manifestation takes. She is also the caregiver of manifestation – she nurtures and protects it through its process of becoming.

The High Priestess relates to the sub-conscious. She is of the shadowy realms. She is illusive and mysterious. She cannot be grasped by the rational or logical mind. She is heard more through whispers, symbolism, dreams and intuition. She is found in the stillness of silence. She shows the polarities of dark and light within us. We can sometimes get lost inside our inner-self if we allow ourselves to stagnate in our receptivity and fail to take action. The energy of The Empress can provide grounding and a reminder that we are in the physical reality.

The Empress relates to physical manifestations that can be experienced through the senses and are tangible. She offers abundance and material life. Her nature is creative – that creativity can manifest as light and darkness. She signifies the time for harvest, the time of blossoming, of ripening. She is sensory in nature and governs the body. She can also show up in a spread when we are blocking our true creative ability. Through our own fears, grief or anger we can inhibit our positive creations. Destruction is inherent within the creative process, and we must make sure we align ourselves with that which is beneficial for all. The energy of The High Priestess can help us here in reminding us that that we are all connected, and help us see through the illusion of separateness. For she lives at a depth where the interconnectedness of everything can not be denied.

The High Priestess looks inward and is revered for her inner knowledge of the universe. She is connected to the primordial forces. She is wise but her wisdom is not there to service ego, she communicates the Divinity within. She can take you into places that if you are not very grounded, can overwhelm you. You can meet with the darkness of your own being – or the shadow self you may not want to face. Before embarking on such a journey – one must have developed their light. True grounding is only useful if aligned with the beneficence of the universe – if you lose touch with this, exploration of her terrain could be dangerous. Thankfully she is often not so accessible – she protects us from taking on too much before we are ready to fully process it consciously. She has to reveal herself gradually, so she will not overwhelm. We can see the effects in some people whom she has revealed too much before they were ready and the instability to the mind that brings. If you find yourself going in too deep, best to engage your senses positively in the world around you to re-ground yourself. Such as spending time in nature, or being of practical service or support to those around you.

The High Priestess beckons us to tap into our inner creative potential that comes from turning our mind inward. Abiding in silence and waiting for our own inner being to give us insight into our true nature, we can gradually grow to be more able to interpret her messages through continual practice and dedication. We of course must be able to act on these insights, bring forth these inspirations to better our being, and only then can we influence others to do the same through our own shining example. These inspirations are shared with others through the realm that The Empress represents, it is in her realm that we can benefit others in a way in which they will feel is tangible. When we act on our own truth and align with the universe, naturally those things we seek will manifest when the time is ripe. The Empress shows you the way in which you proceed – like a mother who loves, protects and nurtures her child – this is what you must do with your creations. To make sure our creative energy remains unblocked we must both trust and feel safe in our own form, and the myriad of forms around us. A good way to cultivate this is to aim to give freely to all beings. If we wish to be blessed by abundant manifestation, giving supporting nurturance and protection to others helps us to receive this in return. This also helps to set up good positive behaviours within ourselves, whether directed inward or outward. For The Empress relates to being able to provide for ourselves as well as others and to accept with gratitude all abundance that has been given to us.

As I have mentioned The Empress represents our ability to nurture that which we are giving birth to in a physical sense. She can provide the physical location for our dreams. Through the support of this energy we align ourselves with the cycles of nature. If we do this we will naturally be supported, cared for and protected. Without her the potentials inherent in the womb would have no physicality to come into being in the material world. We can see how The High Priestess and The Empress relate and are both necessary for our earthly manifestation. We need the physical to realise the dreams of the inner world, and we need the inner world to feed the physical so we can have the inspiration to create. We need to slowly bring in to the conscious waking mind that which is hidden and unknown. Bringing the dark into the light. We are also here to experience a physical manifestation (something I often find difficulty with!) so we must see that we are Divinity in the flesh.

The High Priestess represents the mystery, the illusive and that which is going on behind the scenes. Her realm is often disregarded by those who are to bound to their physicality and their senses, or who are too immersed in their own logic and reason to be open to any form of intuitive understanding. It is sometimes easy to forget even for those who are open to her influence that there is more beyond the physical forms that we attempt to grasp. When we fall into the mundane and become entrapped within the surface of things The High Priestess can encourage us to look deeper. She can remind us that spirit dwells within matter, and that there are unseen forces that we are not yet aware of operating in the universe – she reminds us of the beauty and the mystery of existence. As she is connected to the depths she can remind us of the subtle behind the gross. She can add depth and insight to the physical manifestation of The Empress's world.

I hope this article has given some insight into how we can use the energies represented by The Empress and The High Priestess to better our lives and the lives of those around us. May the feminine principle be called upon and worked on by all!

Blessings

Night time Meditations

I sometimes feel like the night sky enters my mind,
As the stars twinkle inwardly,
Making me feel sickly honey sweet.
There's something romanticised in my mind,
About going Supernova.
Way down into the Galatic Center,
Where there is no sound...
The cosmic womb...

Today I said that that was the highest thing I could aspire to, to be as the cosmic womb, pregnant with infinite possibility.

Again my mind is overtaken by ether-like notions, and the heaviness of human existence is momentarily forgotten.

Drawing down the Goddess.
Speaking to the wind.
My heart beats fast,
There's a sense of urgency
I dont know how long I will be in this form,
So I must do what I can...
(If only I could burn away the heaviness in my weary head)
And be fresh, like the dew.

I could implode at any moment!
But somehow... I stay together!
What is this substance that keeps me maintained!