The High Priestess represents our connection to our lunar nature and trusting our instincts, subconscious influences that are hidden beneath the surface.  She suggests a need to pay attention to subtleties.  But it also indicates a need to connect with our inner wisdom and deep spiritual knowledge.  This card is the 2nd Major Arcana card.  Twos symbolize formation, polarity, balance, and the coming together of opposites.  The High Priestess is the guardian of the veil, the guide through to the unseen world of intuition, inner wisdom and self-knowledge.  She represents a woman's individual nature - apart from family responsibilities and expectations.  The High Priestess is a card of intuition and listening to your inner voice. 

In readings, the High Priestess poses a challenge to you to go deeper - to look beyond the obvious, surface situation to what is hidden and obscure. She also asks you to recall the vastness of your potential and to remember the unlimited possibilities you hold within yourself. The High Priestess can represent a time of waiting and allowing. It is not always necessary to act to achieve your goals. Sometimes they can be realized through a stillness that gives desire a chance to flower within the fullness of time." - Joan Bunning

Fairy Tale:  Spiritual wisdom from within; divination and foresight; touching life's mysteries and hidden knowledge; following your own path to a strong and individual spiritual vision; finding your own way to wisdom. 

Karen Mahony used the Bohemian folktale of Libuše to illustrated the meaning behind The High Priestess.  She is the legendary ancestor of the Czech Přemyslid dynasty.  She was renowned for her wisdom and guidance of her people.  She used her powers of prophecy for the good of her people and never expected any reward.  Even when her people challenged her right to rule she did not completely abandon them.  Instead she slipped into a trance state and offered them guidance to help find a man who would be a suitable husband and co-ruler with her.  The result was the Přemyslid dynasty and the building of Prague.

Going deeper?  Listening to my inner feminine wisdom?  Yeah right, that’s gonna happen.  Actually that would have been my reaction several years (even several months ago).  However since the Readers Studio I am learning to become more comfortable with this side of my nature.  Don’t get me wrong - it’s still buried underneath a thick protective layer of sarcastic bitch but I’m at least learning to trust my judgment and perspective in this area.  That’s not an easy thing for me to do or to admit.  Somehow working with that side of my nature still feels like I’m revealing vulnerability.  This is something I do not like to do.  I often feel as though doing this weakens me somehow, when the reality is that it strengthens me.  The more comfortable I become with this side of myself; the more at ease we are in each other’s company, the more I’ll be able to tapped into those energies that I have let atrophy all these years. 

It occurs to me as I looked at these cards that I’d be more comfortable with the LIbuse aspect of the High Priestess than I would be with the veiled one on the Collaborative Spirit card.  When I realized that I had to ask myself why.  Then it occurred to me - although Libuse is guarding a gateway and possesses oracular abilities, she is not especially veiled.  She is relatively familiar to me.  I’ve channeled her energy once or two.  Yes it has High Priestess qualities in it but it has a fairly forceful aspect too.  The Collaborative Spirit High Priestess is veiled; unknown and hidden.  This made me stop and consider what I’m hiding as well as what I’m hiding from.  There is a great line in the movie The Serpent and the Rainbow when Paul Winfield’s character tells Bill Pullman’s character “in Haiti, there are things we hide even from ourselves”.  So what am I hiding from myself?  What part of myself am I afraid of facing and dealing with in a more direct manner?  I don’t really know right now but this is obviously something I need to consider much more closely.