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 ![]() 4 of Pentacles |
The Full Moon ![]() 6 of Pentacles |
The Waning Moon ![]() 5 of Swords |
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Significator #1 ![]() The Lovers The Secret of the High Priestess |
Significator #2 ![]() 4 of Cups |
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The Dark ![]() Balance |
![]() 6 of Wands |
The Light ![]() King of Pentacles |
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The Next Step ![]() The Sorcerer |
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Significator #1
The Lovers
9:00 – Card 6
Male, Air, Sagittarius.
Ceration is the alchemical act of adding a liquid to the substance while heated, yielding a softer substance with a wax-like texture. Not to be confused with alchemical union, but an important step toward it.
Significator #2
4 of Cups
When you order people to do something, be certain that your orders are clear.
The Waning Moon is the influence that you are putting behind you, as it moves into the past.
5 of Swords
An homage to Bosch and Bruegel, and a card symbolic of victory to the well-armed and pain to the unprepared or unwilling to defend.
The Full Moon is the current influence at this time.
6 of Pentacles
Don't overlook a good solution just because it's obvious.
The Waxing Moon indicates what is on the horizon; the approaching influence.
4 of Pentacles
It doesn't always come out the way you wanted. That doesn't mean you can't still enjoy it.
The Light is what is clearly recognized.
King of Pentacles
A portrait of Anton LaVey, (1930–1997), founder of the Church of Satan and author of The Satanic Bible. Anyone else would be Blasphemy.
You choose who you look up to. If you look up to a musician who does every drug in the book and dies at 25 your results may vary, from admiring the lives of men and women who have changed the world, lived happy and died old.
The Dark shows what is there but not fully perceived, though it has been noticed on a deeper level of consciousness.
Balance
AKA Justice in traditional Tarot.
Not the scales of a common religious moralist and no longer a cardinal virtue, but the raw, heartless justice of nature.
The Next Step is the near future, where this journey will take you.
The Sorcerer
AKA The Magician in traditional Tarot.
The sort of guy who knows, wills, dares and keeps his mouth shut.
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.
6 of Wands
If you're stuck, the first step to freedom is to examine what's holding you in place.