Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Oh, and a couple other decks' interpretations...
In my B5, this is Ivanova, which almost works but not quite. In HP, this is Fawkes, or as I said, Trelawney. Hmm...I kind of like a phoenix in this one. It looks like a relatively normal bird at first glance, but it's not. Hmm.
Notes on the High Priestess...

"Now lets unveil this card a bit. The symbolism is poignant, so lets give birth to our deeper understanding. Notice the veil of pomegranates behind her. What is it? Joe Steve Swick III has demonstrated something remarkable to me concerning this card. Pomegranates are symbols of fertility, which aptly fits the Goddess as a Fertility Goddess of Life. But there is something hidden here. Hathor, the Egyptian Goddess gave birth to the Egyptian Sun God Ra as we shall see here shortly in our translation and analysis of the Egyptian Book of the Dead Chapter 17. But look again at the veil and see what it is. This is the Tree of Life of the Qabalah!" --http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/tarot.htm

"The High Priestess performs the rites of initiation into the new world that was announced by the Magician. She holds the key to understanding this world. Her knowledge is intuitive. When the High Priestess guides you, you will come to a deep understanding of your inner self....This card often appears when you are just beginning to explore occult mysteries. The High Priestess opens your third eye or inner vision and teaches you on a subconscious level. Her chant is the voice of intuition." --http://members.shaw.ca/betawaves/tarot/trumps/priestess.html

"Motto:
Statu variabilis (Steadfast in changing)
Deities:
Artemis, Diana; Hecate; Luna; Isis; Persephone. " --http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/PT/M4.html

"In the depths of the forest, you meet the High Priestess on the path, her snake coiling around her neck, moving from the source of her sexuality to her right hand and passing over her heart, symbolizing the wisdom she offers that comes from deepest inner knowing. Her familiar, a blue-eyed temple cat, lies at her feet, symbol of the mystery and devotion contained in silence. Power sparkles all around the priestess as she stands on the ancient forest path. Her gaze invites:
Come, learn the ways of magic... surrender to the wisdom that is within you, as I have done... open to the unseen, and come naked to the mysteries... " --http://www.lunaea.com/tarot/tarottour/tour2.html

" The High Priestess represents your virgin self, the part of you that belongs to no one but you. When she shows her face, you are being asked to have conversations with that virgin self, to go within and listen to the counsel of your own holy guardian angel. Bring your question to the virgin self, but not your responsibilities and worries. Ask what your path is now, but do not put conditions on the answer, like money, or preference. You can sort that out later, after the inner truth is heard." --http://www.writerinthewindow.com/high_priestess.htm

"This card represents the esoteric, intuitive, and things unseen. The High Priestess finds knowledge that isn't clearly visible to most. She visits you in your dreams, shows up in your artwork, and points things out to you through any of the arts of divination, such as torot, astrology, and numerology. She reminds you to dig a little deeper and to trust your intuitions -- there's far more there than what meets the eye!" --http://www.catryce.com/MysticCat/Tarot/2.html

"Recall the Magician who uses the outer tools available to him- here, with the High Priestess, the tools are within. The subconscious mind, that energy which moves of its own accord and is made up of our memories, as well as the memories of all mankind that we inherit as humans. This card reminds us that the energy inside is the core source of what can help us progress." --http://roswell.fortunecity.com/leehigh/340/shadow/shadow8.htm

Okay, a few things...while I still adore the symbolism of the original Rider-Waite, I just never really got Quabalistic magic, and so I probably will have to get rid of most of that stuff. Still like the pillars, though...I think I'm using the trees from Tolkein's sketch of the Gate into Moria for them. :D

Second, yeah, the Magician needs to be male...there's a balance of masculine/feminine in the Major Arcana, and I kind of want to keep it there. Thing is, I *know* I redid the card to have a male figure in it, but I did it in my trial version of PSP7, which has now run out, and I was dumb and didn't save it as anything other than a PSP7 file, and now I can't open it!! Grrr!

As to the Priestess...hmm... I'm having visions of that old black lady from Stephen King's The Stand. Not sure if she quite fits my image, though. Must think on this.