Thoth Priestess Tarot Card Tutorial
The Video for the Thoth Priestess can be accessed by clicking the link: Thoth Priestess YouTube Presentation
(ii) Thoth Priestess
The Thoth Priestess sits behind a veil on her throne with a bow in her lap. There are fruit, flowers and precious stones in the foreground.
(iii) Rider Waite High Priestess
The High Priestess sits between two pillars and in front of a veil decorated with pomegranates. The veil separates realms of consciousness, with spiritual realms unseen behind it.
(iv) Thoth Priestess & the Tree of Life
Path 13: Unifying Intelligence
The Thoth Priestess occupies Path 13 titled ‘Unifying Intelligence’ linking Kether and Tiphareth as shown below and represents the ‘bridge’ over the Abyss. This path unites the Triad (Kether, Chokmah and Binah) above from the Hexad (remaining 6 sephira) below.
The Tree of Life and Astral Triangles can be seen on Rider Waite High Priestess Card if one connects the pomegranates:
(v) Thoth Priestess Hebrew & Astrological Attributions
The Thoth Priestess is associated with the letter GIMEL (which means Camel) as shown in the diagram below:
A Camel is seen in one of the symbols in the foreground of the card. The Camel holds water, water being one of the states of consciousness as identified by the Greeks and is associated with Baptism in the Bible. This water represents internal consciousness
The analogy here is that just as the camel carries physical water through the desert, so we must contact the spiritual water (sound) inside through meditation, when we are crossing the desert in our meditation. Unless our internal consciousness is focused on spirit (such as the spiritual light and sound), our vision is black and also without landmarks just like the desert. This is the path of the Son (Tiphareth) returning to the father (Kether)
The Thoth Priestess is also associated with The Moon.
Moon = the highest aspect of the divine feminine representing harmonious changeability and we will look at the Moon again in the next section on symbolism.
(vi) Thoth Priestess Symbolism
The symbolism of the Thoth Priestess can summarised in the image below:
We will now divide the card into two sections for analysis:
(a) The Priestess, main veil and Pillars
(b) Symbolism in front of the veil.
(a) The Priestess, Main Veil and Pillars
Crown of Isis = on her head representing waxing, full and waning phases of the Moon or the cycles of life, going with the flow of things.
7 moon crescents underneath crown = 7 is the number associated with Venus and her link to the Empress
Infinity Sign Around Eyes = her connection to Kether/spirit which is formless and infinite.
Throne = represents stability.
So we have the aphorism “Change is stability” and it is telling us to engage in the flow of life (Moon), accepting changes rather than always trying to control events.
Bow = symbol of willpower. The middle path of balance is attained by following ones true will and not fighting against it. Our truth is found this way. The bow in mystical terms is also the AUM sound which can be meditated upon. The harp also represents the same thing.
Lady Harris calls this a Sistrum, a musical instrument ultimately associated with Isis:
Crowley though identifies it as the bow of Artemis
Close examination shows the instrument to be a LYRE, which is associated with Apollo, brother of Artemis.
Liber 777 attributes Tiphareth to Apollo amongst other figures, and so this links her symbolically to the path which she connects from Tiphareth to Kether
Arrow of Sagittarius = pointing to truth as Sagittarius is to overcome the lower nature (horse) by reaching upwards:
Inverted Crescent Moon on base of throne = represents the unconscious/subconscious. Its receptive part is hidden or pointing downward. This inverted crescent moon is also found on the Moon Card:
The Thoth Priestess has a positive relationship with her subconscious side, with her intuition highly developed to make use of this usually untapped resource. She also has a very elevated position on the Tree of Life as we saw above linking Tiphareth and Kether on the middle pillar.
The Moon Card however, is much lower down on the Tree and not on the middle pillar:
It does not have a great relationship with the subconscious and this can result in emotional fears which hold us back.
Book of Mysteries = (cannot really see the Book) underneath the lyre on her lap and contains her esoteric (hidden) knowledge which is different to the outer instruction of the Hierophant.
The book is hidden from view. The path of the High Priestess linking Tiphareth and Kether his is the only path on the Tree of Life to go through the hidden sephiroth of Daath, and this again emphasizes the Thoth Priestess representation of hidden knowledge.
Traditionally as seen in the Rider Waite Card, the High Priestess sits in front of the two pillars with the veil behind her, however in the Thoth Priestess she sits behind the veil spreading it out to the 2 pillars at the side. This is the veil of illusion between form and formlessness, between truth and the world of Maya. Note there are no organic forms behind the veil. The Priestess therefore represents the conduit for truth which lies behind all the illusion of separateness which makes our creation unique. She represents the HGA (Holy Guardian Angel) taking us to our highest state in Kether.
Main Veil = of the abyss of which she sits behind. So we cannot see the true nature of the Thoth Priestess in the world, we need to be able to go behind the veil of appearances.
Two Pillars = representing Mercy and Severity and she sits between the two showing the path she rules on the Tree of Life. These pillars have J & B on them in the Rider Waite Card. According to the Bible, Boaz and Jachin were two copper, brass or bronze pillars which stood on the porch of Solomon’s Temple, the first Temple in Jerusalem:
(b) In front of the Veil
Camel = associated with its Hebrew attribution (see above)
Fruits/flowers/crystals = Tiphareth is beauty and these outwardly represent it but the Priestess is truth CONCEALED within these forms which are ultimately illusion. We must be able to penetrate through the veil the veil the Thoth Priestess hides behind in order to see her true nature. This requires spiritual insight beyond the world of forms (fruits/flowers/crystals). Crowley associates these with the ‘seeds’ or beginnings of form and so we have illusion in front of the veil and truth behind it.
We use the camel filled with water (symbolizing our crossing the desert in our meditation using the water of truth inside) in order to pierce the veil which she hides behind
Flower on Right Side = yellow and has 10 petals = Malkuth & manifestation. They are spiral in shape and represent force = Chokmah.
Flower on Left Side = concave petals = receptive = Binah
Camel = found between the two opposite flowers above, much like the path of the Priestess sitting between the pillars on the Tree of Life
Pine cone = associated with Bacchus.
Grapes = associated with Dionysus.
They are associated with the creative potential of the Fool (who connects Kether with Chokmah) but also the intoxication with illusory things as they are in front of the veil.
Geometric Forms = 2 on each side of the Thoth Priestess and represent the manifestation of the formed universe. They look very much like Plato’s Solids:
(vii) The Magus to Priestess Transition
In this transition we have gone from structuring our lives and creating things that are useful in our spiritual quest (Magus) to actually being in touch with our higher intuition and spiritual energy that guides us internally towards union with spirit (Thoth Priestess). So the Magus does the external organizing and the Priestess connects us internally with our spiritual energy for higher work. Since she connects Tiphareth with Kether, she represents the energy which guides our soul or highest self (Tiphareth) with its final union with spirit (Kether). The fact that she appears so early in the card sequence does not mean that we have little work to do as we will see through the rest of the Atu.
As in all cards we are dealing with a duality and therefore with the Thoth Priestess there can be difficult transitions. These include not being able to access our intuition, higher self, divine light or AUM inside if our intellect is too dominant for instance. Also we can mistake ’emotional’ urges for higher intuition and this can lead to people following secular groups/cults in the name of spirituality where as their practice is very negative.
(viii) Thoth Priestess Divinatory Meanings
Thoth Priestess Upright
A platonic friendship based on spirituality.
A period of solace to get in touch with your inner self.
Changes on the inside are needed in order to bring about changes on the outside of your life.
To connect and be more confident with your intuition/feminine side.
An active spiritual path, inspired, intuitive and going with the flow of life. All in balance.
Your spiritual guide is calling you to raise your bow (consciousness) inwards and upwards.
Yearning to see behind the illusion (veil) of life.
In times of darkness (desert) where you may be lost, look to your inner guide and connect with your intuition
Thoth Priestess Reversed
Looking at the surface of things without any depth or understanding
Ignoring your spiritual side/intuition and being mind dominant.
Unwillingness to accept your feminine side (in either males or females).
Not making enough time for spiritual study.
Getting too caught up in the material side of life (things in front of the veil)
Struggling spiritually, trying to get behind the veil but not succeeding and so your spiritual path is hard going at present.
(ix) Thoth Priestess in the Celtic Cross Spread
1: Heart of the Situation = you have to connect with your spiritual source and make it a central part of your life.
2: Possible obstacle = too much engagement in material things and what’s happening at the surface of your life. Implies the need to look deeper with what is resonating.
3: Unconscious Influences = our intuition is waiting for us to connect and use it as a life tool for the better.
4: Recent Past = alignment with your spiritual guide which has brought you to the present
5: Hopes and goals = aligning with our souls purpose to find a deeper meaning for our life.
6: Short Term Future = take a step back from what you are doing, create some space and use your intuition as a tool for answers.
7: Our Self Image = hold things back, don’t reveal our real self unless someone is showing genuine interest in what we hold to be important.
8: Environment = use of a meditation or other spiritual group to further your soul path. Support for your inner journey.
9: Guidance & Warning = learn to trust to your inner voice/intuition and what feels right. Try not to override it with intellect but blend the two. Align with your soul purpose as much as possible otherwise karma can wreak havoc and steer you off course for long periods.
10: Overall Outcome = becoming a spiritual teacher or a guide for others.
(xii) Thoth Priestess Links
Other Links
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Thank you for the thoughtful analysis of the imagery!
Awesome in dept explanation of this card!
Your part about the transitioning from the Magus to the High Priestess makes exceptional sense. Thanks as always.
I would say that the pine cone represents the pineal gland which is what needs to be activated in order to attain the raising of Kundalini. To me this represents the 13th path from Tiphareth to Kether. This is what connects the layperson to spirit over the abyss so quickly and easily(for some). The aftermath is the journey through the rest of the M arcana.