The Gatekeeper

Lunatic Tarot- High Priestess

I have learned an important thing about The High Priestess as I wrote this post, about her, about myself.  I tend to take on tasks as something to check off; git 'er done is my philosophy.  The High Priestess does not want to be anyone's task, and she requires a certain finesse in one's approach to her energy.  You can't just feel her up; you have to approach on her terms, and seduce her.  Making demands gets you nowhere.  Sweetness and reverence yield what you desire.

As we leave The Magician, who has all his cards on the table, we come to the High Priestess, a lady who shows nothing.  The High Priestess is gatekeeper to all secret things, and most of us hold sex as one of the most secret things of all.

There is something so tantalizing about the thought of such a prim and proper lady becoming completely undone with desire, and while it is entirely possible to cause her to lose her composure, it come with work,and she never loses her dignity.

The danger, as we approach the High Priestess, is to confuse her chosen consort as The Magician.  While the tarot archetypes come apart and back together in infinite variety in order to best reflect the energies of a situation, The High Priestess, always a lady, is not impressed with the bluster and bravado The Magician can sometimes have, and I think, being full of Magician energy myself when I thought I was ready to write about her, I came at her with an expectation that she would just yield all of her secrets to me, but she is The Gatekeeper, the guardian of all secret things, and you have to give her more than just your words to gain those secrets.  The Magician may make lots of promises, but the High Priestess wants your very heart, at least for the time you spend together.

The pillars she is often portrayed with, her curtained off sanctuary, and her prim and proper dress all indicate that she is to be treated as a sacred object, and while The Magician can be either polarity, the High Priestess most often portrays feminine energy, as her connection to The Moon is so thoroughly displayed, in her headdress, in the crescent by her feet, which may be mere decoration, or may be a deadly weapon.  Try to cross her threshold without her permission and you will find out!

As a symbol in readings regarding love and sex, she often asks us to consider how our sexuality relates to our sanctity, and asks you if you are treating bodies, both your own, and your partners, as sacred and holy.  The answer to that lies in your own belief system, whether you see sex as sacred, or merely recreational.  She can also appear to help you remember your personal boundaries, and in extreme cases, to remind you that you don't have to sleep with just anyone who would jump into bed with you.

Although she is quiet, The High Priestess has much to say in the arena of love and sex, and she will spill her secrets as we tease them out of her over the next few days.