Into the Shadows with Tarot Symbolism: The High Priestess

In Tarot Symbolism, the High Priestess Archetype is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. She sits between two pillars, the light and darkness, the conscious and subconscious, representing our inner world. When we explore the hidden realms within ourselves and embrace the depths of our subconscious mind, we can balance the light and darkness within. 

You cannot have light without the dark. The only way to truly assimilate our shadow side is to accept and integrate the dark parts of ourselves. This allows us to shine light on our shadows and embody the light to use this power for good. 

The High Priestess Archetype symbolizes mystery, intuition, and inner wisdom. She represents the divine feminine, embodying the timeless power of the feminine archetype. She teaches us to embrace our receptive, nurturing, and intuitive qualities. She also represents mystery, hidden things, and the realm of ancient wisdom; she is the unbroken link between the conscious and unconscious. 

Through her deep, inner wisdom, the High Priestess archetype teaches us important lessons for spiritual growth and self-empowerment. She guides us to embrace our inner wisdom, trust our inner voice, and delve into the mysteries of the unknown. She helps us navigate the complexities of life with clarity and purpose and embark on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and healing. 

Integrated, The High Priestess represents the power of the feminine archetype and the feminine side we all share. As a gentle female depiction, she balances out the masculinity of the Magician archetype. The High Priestess urges us to dig deep into the dark, murky, wetlands of our mind to uncover our hidden power and the mysterious truth within. 

When we release ourselves from our fears, doubts, insecurities, and negative belief patterns we take back our personal power and there is peace and balance within. With patience and stillness, we gain clarity and insight. We trust our intuition and form a deeper connection to the hidden realms of our psyches and embrace a new spiritual dimension to life. 

The High Priestess shadow represents secrets, uncertainty, the inability to trust yourself and others, and fear of the unknown. When we become fearful of the unknown it can cause fear and anxiety. We are creatures of habit and like our physical world routines to remain unchanged, even if change desperately needs to occur in our lives. 

When we fight change, we begin infighting within ourselves, the battle between the heart and the mind. We tell ourselves if we change, we will lose our physical world security, the jobs or material possessions we hold dear, and the comfort of our friends and routines. 

But this is the veil of illusion. At the core of our inner struggles are just fears that we need to examine and process. Fears created through unresolved emotions, tribal beliefs and negative thought patterns that have accumulated throughout our lives. 

When we release the hold our fears have over us we can find clarity, resting in the knowing that the physical world is the illusion. With trust and faith, we can embrace our inner wisdom and find peace knowing that things happen for a reason and there is more to the world than what we can see on the surface.

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