THE HIGH PRIESTESS - GUIDE TO KNOWING WITH THE MIND
Here the High Priestess is between an orb of white and an orb of black, but instead of sitting between extremes in quiet contemplation, they are expressive. The “Veils of Creation” they wear color their worldview with vibrancy, even though they embody pause and consideration. Sometimes we may forget to view the world with all its complexity and texture, so much so that we lose sight of all the infinite possibilities that come with such a place. In our stillness, we can forget the world is a dynamic place, full of wonder and constant change.
We tend to be more experienced with processing things though the mind, accessing knowledge and problem solving with critical thinking and logic. Here, The High Priestess asks us to not only pause without coming to a conclusion, but that pause does not have to look like quiet and stillness. While meditation has often been marketed and presented as a serious experience where we quiet our minds through great effort, it does not need to be. Imagine entering some other flow state by dancing, drawing, knitting, or even just getting lost in nature. How would it feel to allow the state between decisions to be a state of flow and rest, instead of serious contemplation?
“HIGH PRIESTESS WEARS THE VEILS OF CREATION IN THEIR HAIR.”
In Rachel Pollack's Walk Through the Forest of Souls, she describes The High Priestess as a guide through the desert to the oasis. She asks us to consider how acts of deep emotion carry us from one place to another, and open up our hearts. Her perspective on The High Priestess is very present in my mind while sitting with this card. Here, we see that their love and compassion is what allows them to exist in this state between extremes. They can keep a level head precisely because they connect with their body, their heart, and their spirit. They abstain from logical thought or decision making so they may experience meditative flow, and the result is a deeper, more whole understanding of the world.
Even if we are much more experienced with using our brains to consider a problem, we may not be in a healthy relationship with our minds. The High Priestess reminds us that the point of using the mind is not to be removed from the world, but to be immersed in it. This guide asks us to find ways to experience a relaxed and slower mind that are not motivated by shame and pressure, but instead by wonder and curiosity!