We will continue to patiently analyze the trump cards of Tarot’s Major Arcana. We will discuss two cards that symbolize the decisive influence of the Divine Feminine in our daily lives and its significance for Mankind.
III – The High Priestess
This card shows a woman of great authority majestically sitting in front of a thin veil that is decorated with pomegranates, discreetly separating the Conscious and the Unconscious parts of our minds. It marks the boundary between what is evident in our daily lives from what is hidden in the same; in order to cross that threshold, we must acquire wisdom and knowledge. The pomegranate is an old symbol of fertility and thus epitomizes the Divine Feminine that assures the survival of our species. The access to the temple of wisdom has two pillars—one black with the letter B and one white with the letter J. The first one represents Boaz, i.e. “in his strength”, and the second one represents Jachin, i.e. “he will establish.” The juxtaposition of colors implies that both “the feminine” and “the masculine” halves are essential for Life. On her lap she has a partially concealed scroll dubbed as Tora, which represents the divine knowledge that will only be totally revealed to the truly capable for that task.
Note – This picture shows the sculpture called The Rape of Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rape_of_Prosepina_September_2015-3a.jpg
One of the oldest myths from the beginning of Human Civilization in the stretch of land spanning between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (located in what is known today as Iraq) is the Sumerian narration of an abduction. Samuel Noah Kramer, one of the foremost experts in Ancient Mythology, stated that the fair maiden Ereshkigal was abducted by Kur, the fierce demon that ruled the Underworld, and forced her to become his queen, ruling together their dark realm. Almost all the old civilizations had a version of this tale but the most famous one has been the Myth of Persephone.
In Greek mythology, Hades, the ruler of the Underworld, was madly in love with the beautiful Persephone but Demeter, her mother, was adamantly opposed to the bond. One day when Persephone was innocently gathering flowers in the field with Artemis and Pallas, Hades burst through a cleft in the terrain and abducted her. Demeter searched for her missing daughter everywhere until Hellios, the Sun, that could see everything told her what had happened. The grieving mother pleaded with Zeus, who received the pleas of other deities, and he forced Hades to release her. However, before he complied with his superior’s order, Hades tricked Persephone into tasting the pomegranate; hooked on that fruit’s unique taste, she was obliged to return to the Underworld a fourth of the calendar year, in Wintertime, and to go back to the surface when Spring came. The arrival of Persephone heralded soil’s fertility.
Upright High Priestess – This scene announces a period of unusual growth and fertile creativity in the life of an individual. For the eventual accomplishment of that goal., he/she/ihr must take some distance from the material and pedestrian world in order to healthily re-connect with the inner spirituality that we all carry, in different forms and levels, inside us. Only after we perform that “inner cleansing” will the truth be revealed to us and, therefore, pave the way for our open success in society.
Reversed High Priestess – This scene indicates that there might be some serious stumbling blocks in our path to creative expansiveness and personal happiness. If it appears in the context of a sentimental relationship, it means that there are some hidden or camouflaged issues that are damaging our relationship with other persons. It is our duty to pause and make an introspective analysis to find and remedy them.
IV – The Empress
This card shows a gorgeous blonde with a crown of twelve stars on her head—the symbol of her connection to the twelve months of the year and the twelve planets. With a robe adorned with the ancient symbol of fertility—the pomegranate, the fruit of Persephone—she is sitting on a comfortable cushion that has the symbol of Venus. In the background there is a glimpse of a thick forest that would most likely be teeming with animals, plants, etc. This scene epitomizes the growth and fertility potential of the Feminine Divine. In ancient civilizations, which were mostly agrarian in nature, women were enthroned as the symbol of human presence in their environment; only when marauding bands of hunting men started to conquer these settlements, did the idea of Patriarchy rise. The concept of Mother Nature, or Mother Earth, is the embodiment of the life-giving and nurturing capabilities of Nature by representing it as a woman and a mother.
Note – This well preserved mosaic from a Roman villa in the Marche region depicts Aion, the God of Eternity, standing inside a celestial sphere decorated with the twelve zodiac signs, between a green tree (representing the Summertime) and a bare one (representing the Wintertime) In front of him, Tellus (the Roman counterpart of Gaia, the Greek goddess of Mother Earth) is lounging with her four children, each representing a season of the year. Glyptothek, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Johann Jakob Bachofen was a Swiss antiquarian, jurist philologist, anthropologist, and professor of Roman Law at the University of Basel, that proposed the still controversial concept that in the beginning of human civilization, the matriarchate was the predominant form of social order in most communities. His seminal book Das Mutterrecht—”Mother Right: an investigation of the religious and juridical character of matriarchy in the Ancient world”—was published in 1861and even though it was largely ignored in his own times, it became one of the philosophical foundations of Modern Feminism in the 1970s. Bachofen proposed that by shunning the raw promiscuity of our prehistoric times, women started to efficiently organize their communities around the concept of family and parental obligations for the kin.
Upright Empress – This scene represents the personal period of renewed growth that will eventually spawn the emergence of new projects and new accomplishments. Following the guidance of our natural instincts, we should open our hearts and minds to new possibilities in the labor, professional, study, financial and romantic realms. For women, this card calls for a renewed bonding with their femininity—sensuality, eroticism, creative energies, and generous nurturing—in order to bring much more harmony to their environment and family relationships. The creation of Beauty. It represents an ancient allegory to the “birthing phenomenon”, personal or social.
Reversed Empress – This scene represents the actual blocking of our inner creative energies and deepest emotions by certain phenomena or persons standing in our way. The apparition of this card for a lady may mean that it is time for her to stop caring so much for the feelings and needs of her close ones and to dedicate a little bit more time to herself for a change. What to do? She should try to re-connect with her old girlfriends, make new friends, go back to school or the arts, change jobs, etc. If this card appears for a gentleman, it might be an indication that he “should open up more” in his couple ,without waiting for others to explicitly demand for a change. Do not procrastinate.
Stay distant. Stay safe. Stay beautiful.
What do you think? Please tell us.
Don’t leave me alone.