Secret of the High Priestess Spread

 

 

Difficulty: Average

This spread makes a nice alternative to the Celtic Cross, which covers basically the same ground. It is useful when a question doesn't quite call for the Ankh spread. This tarot spread is helpful for looking into a current trend. The High Priestess may or may not present a mysterious secret to be analysed after the rest of the spread.

1. & 2. Main impulses representing the topic at hand. They may compliment or oppose one another.

3. This is the current influence at this time.

5. The Waning Moon is the influence that is moving into the past.

4. The Waxing Moon indicates what is on the horizon, or the approaching influence. This is the immediate future.

7. The Light is what is clearly recognized, consciously.

6. The Dark indicates what is there but not fully perceived, though noticed on a deeper level of consciousness.

8. The Next Step is the near future, where this journey leads.

9. The final tarot card, only if it happens to be of the Major Arcana, reveals the Secret of the High Priestess. This is a special message that should be given added weight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Secret of the High Priestess Reading

The Waxing Moon 7 of Cups – Debauch	The Full Moon The Empress		The Waning Moon Knight of Disks
	Significator #1 2 of Wands – Dominion	Significator #2 Knight of Swords
The Dark Ace of Swords	The Secret of the High Priestess Queen of Swords		The Light 8 of Disks – Prudence
	The Next Step 7 of Disks – Failure

 

 

 

Significator #1 

 

2 of Wands – Dominion

Mars in Aries

What is the difference between passion and obsession?
Possession. Whether it manifests as anguish, lust, rage, or bliss, this is the fire of passion that drives your being. This card represents the vitality of pure will.

Meaning:
Fire in its strongest form. Influence, courage, boldness, fierceness.
When ill-dignified: turbulence, wasting anxious energy.

 

 

Significator #2 

 

Knight of Swords

Gemini

The Knight of Swords rides a red horse, symbolising the fiery passion that drives his intellectual pursuits. The birds that fly beneath him symbolise quick-wittedness. He bears a great sword in his right hand while he stashes a dagger in his left, symbolising the witty two-sided personality of a Gemini.

Meaning:
An active, skilful, witty, clever, fierce man.
When ill-dignified: An indecisive, cunning, deceitful man.

 

 

The Waning Moon is the influence that you are putting behind you, as it moves into the past. 

 

Knight of Disks

Virgo

The Knight of Disks rides the pale horse. His horse is in fact a unicorn, a symbol of Virgo. Bearing the sickle, he has come to reap the harvest. The shield radiates waves of energy that symbolise his connection with the sphere of earth. He is concerned primarily with material values.

Meaning:
Agricultural proficiency, skills regarding material concerns, perhaps preoccupied with material concerns and therefore dull.
When ill-dignified: a petty, jealous, small-minded man.

 

 

 

The Full Moon is the current influence at this time. 

 

The Empress

Venus

The Empress is queen of queens, the wife archetype. Radiating warmth, she gazes at the dove, symbolic of holy love. Two cherubs overlook her and two overlook the other half. The pelican feeding her young her own blood symbolises the self-sacrifice of motherhood.

Meaning:
Graciousness, elegance, love, gentleness, beauty.
When ill-dignified: wasting time, debauchery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Waxing Moon indicates what is on the horizon; the approaching influence. 

 

7 of Cups – Debauch

Venus in Scorpio

Seven copper cups in the shape of a septagram overflow with the oil of gladness, pleasure taken once again to excess. The star of Babylon is a symbol of whoredom.

Meaning:
Loss or lack of moral values. Deception, shameless indulgence, lust, fornication, intoxication, delusion, promises unfulfilled.

 

 

The Light is what is clearly recognized. 

 

8 of Disks – Prudence

Sun in Virgo

This card is about the virtue of patience, or taking things in their proper times. Eight clocks are hung from Jacob's Ladder. With effort dreams will be attainable. Remember: one step at a time.

Meaning:
Industriousness, agriculture, building, construction, intelligence in material affairs.
When ill-dignified: too much care spent on details at the expense of the big picture.

 

 

 

The Dark shows what is there but not fully perceived, though it has been noticed on a deeper level of consciousness. 

 

Ace of Swords

The Root of Air

The initial embodiment of the spirit of air is the bearer of light. The sword penetrates the crown of Kether. In the background ten rays pour out of the spiritual sun, indicating the full potential contained within the seed of the Ace. The beginning of a new way of thinking.

Meaning:
Invoked force, conquest, strength through tribulation, triumph of force. A spiritual understanding with heaven.

 

 

 

The Next Step is the near future, where this journey will take you. 

 

7 of Disks – Failure

Saturn in Taurus

Seven seals linked by the rainbow bridge descend enlightenment to the bull. Ignorant and arrogant, he blocks his own path. The darkness of his own delusions repels his gift from above, scattering the light.

Meaning:
Sloth, abandoned labour, hopes deceived, promises unfulfilled, disappointment. Great effort producing little gain.
When well-dignified: charity work for no profit, growth after delay.

 

 

 

The Secret of the High Priestess - if, and only if, this card a Major Arcana, it reveals the Secret of the High Priestess. This is a special spiritual message that you should pay extra special attention to. If it is not a trump, the Priestess has revealed no secret. 

 

Queen of Swords

2:00 – 4:00 Female
Libra

The Queen of Swords sits on the throne of heaven. The moon has eclipsed the sun, making for a strange overcast. The eclipse is a symbol of two that are one, a reference to the dual nature of Libra. The eclipse also represents her as a dominant female, overshadowing the male, and this is also apparent in her left hand. She represents clear perception and the pinnacle of thought. However, superficial attractiveness coupled with a lack of empathy makes her the most dangerous female in the deck.

Meaning:
A confident, gracious, just, perceptive, graceful, elegant woman.
When ill-dignified: A cruel, sly, deceitful, unreliable woman who uses charm as a weapon.