78 Weeks of Tarot: The High Priestess

[Gardener]

Hi Rupicapra,

 

When I first read your comment, I thought you were saying how SIMILAR the HP was, from Kati's deck and Surreal's.  I looked at the images and did a total double-take.  I thought - how are these two similar???  Then I re-read your post.  Isn't it interesting how many different types of HP there are?  It seems there was a lot of similarity with the Fool, but less so with the Magician and HP.  If these are archetypes, they are interpreted so differently by each deck creator.  

 

I was thinking of the Archetype card The Underworld and contrasting it to the Ironwing HP.  The Ironwing HP connects us to The Underworld, but the literal underground of rocks and geology rather than a mystical place...

[Contrascarpe]

The Phantasmagorical Theater High Priestess is not quite as reverential as standard RWS imagery. In fact, I get a feeling of a 60's hippie figure (I learned tarot in the 60's, so I have an affinity to that era). Her crown consists of a series of small stars, almost making me believe her head is in the clouds. Since I often feel that this a card of introspection/looking inward, her mask with the pentacle tells me that the HP is navel gazing, while her other eye keeps her grounded in reality.  Her "throne" is a comfy chair, which indicates to me that she is comfortable in herself, confident in her wisdom, and again, grounded in reality.