Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today’s Tarot Thursday post focuses on Divine Feminine Tarot archetypes in the High Priestess and the Empress as a Priestess. I will examine this through the two main aspects of the Priestess which I personally embody. The two main aspects of my Priestess energy are the Lover Priestess and the Shadow Priestess. This differs from Priestess Paths in the Sisterhood of Avalon tradition, in that this is not about the specific path you are following in Priestess work, but instead more of the archetype of the Priestess you personally embody, so more about personality than activity, if you will. Without further ado, let’s look at the Priestess energies and the Divine Feminine in the Tarot!
THE EMPRESS & LOVER PRIESTESS
~The Empress is the third card of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. She is the Divine Feminine in the Physical Material Realms, being deeply associated with fertility, abundance, prosperity, sexuality, sensuality, Sovereignty, and the May Queen and High Queen energies. The Empress embodies both the Sovereignty of the Land made manifest and therefore gifting Sovereignty unto a King who married the land, as well as the maternal nurturing of a Mother Goddess. This balance of Sex Goddess and Earth Mother energy shows her to be very much in line with the Lover Priestess. The Lover Priestess embodies the romantic and sensual side of Priestess’s work. She is often one to find fulfillment running women’s circles for transitions in life, blessing children, and promoting fertility and sexuality in her magick. This aligns very much with the Empress energy!
THE HIGH PRIESTESS & SHADOW PRIESTESS
~The High Priestess is the second card of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. She is the Divine Feminine in the Ephemeral Spiritual Realms, being deeply associated with psychic ability, channeling of the Divine, communion with higher realms, initiation, and teaching. The High Priestess embodies both the prophecy of the Seer and the deep exploration of the personal Shadow made manifest. This balance is very much in line with the Shadow Priestess’s energy, for she encourages the confrontation of our personal Shadow, as well as holds others as they transition into new phases. Often the Shadow Priestess will excel at helping people mourn a loss and let go of that which does not serve us in order to embrace changes. She may be a Medium, Tarot reader, Palmist, or other Psychic worker as part of her Priestess work. This aligns very much with the High Priestess energy!
~I hope you have enjoyed this short look at the connection between the Divine Feminine in Tarot and Priestess archetypes. What is your connection to Priestess energy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading
- The Only Tarot Book You’ll Ever Need by Skye Alexander
- Goddesses in Every Woman by Jean Shinoda Bolen
- The Ninefold Way of Avalon by Jhenah Telyndru
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