The High Priestess – A Deep Dive into the Murder of Crows Tarot
They croak and cry all about you, hemming you in and feathering their nests with bits and pieces they steal from you. Dim the outer lights and let the ordinary senses become dulled. Shut them out entirely. Pour yourself into the silence that pools around you in the silver light of the moon. Drift down past dreams, hopes and desires – releasing them as you submerge – until you reach the center, until you comprehend the truth.
– Charles Harrington, Murder of Crows Tarot Deck
The Murder of Crows deck is unique in that its card meanings are written to include both the negative and positive sides of the card whether it be upright or not. Generally, when I read with these cards, I will consider both the negative and positive regardless of its position. However, should one become reversed, I interpret its negative meaning a bit more strongly than I do when it is upright. However, because this is a post, incorporating emphasis one way or the other is a bit difficult. If you’d like to explore these cards or get a further reading, you can book a reading here!
What is the Major Arcana?
The Major Arcana is the first 22 cards of a tarot deck( 0-21). These 22 cards represent situations that everyone faces throughout their lives. Each card carries its own significance and point of view to help guide you through different parts of your life. The Major Arcana represents major life moments, whereas the Minor Arcana focuses on everyday moments. The Major Arcana shows you when major life pivots occur, when you will achieve certain goals, or if things are about to go majorly awry.
The High Priestess – Major Arcana card II(2)
You can see in this card the High Priestess and the flock that nips and caws at her. This cacophony of crows represents all of the distractions you have in your life. Your work, your bills, your partner, your children, your annoying friend, your shitty boss, every bit of stress that pulls you away from your practice. Every nagging thought that has convinced you that you do not have 10 minutes for yourself to just breathe… You see the High Priestess amongst the madness, eyes covered, meditating. She is placed between the Pillar of Strength and the Pillar of Establishment, two pillars that represent the duality in all things. The divine dichotomy ever present in all the realms.
The High Priestess being sat between these pillars indicates that she is one who serves as the mediator between the realms. She is present in the liminal grey spaces between the dichotomous opposition between good and evil, right and wrong, masculine and feminine, good and evil. She believes that the answers to all things can be found in this liminal grey space between the pillars of duality. She understands that nothing is black and white, and the answers come from searching within your soul. The answers are not handed to you by someone else. You have to do the work. The High Priestess’s crow feather crown represents what she has had to overcome to get to where she is now. She believes in herself and her magick because it has brought her to this point now. She is steadfast in her work regardless of the distractions around her.
Advice from the High Priestess
The High Priestess is an indicator that you need to take a step back, slow down, and get in touch with your spiritual side. In order to evolve, you need to work with your guides, the spirits around you, and really listed to the messages being sent to you through the aether. We all have distracting and demanding lives, but if we can not find 10 minutes for ourselves and our practice, we will never be stronger beings. Modify the systems to suit your demands. It’s perfectly okay to do that…. Just don’t abandon them.Her appearance in a reading signifies that it is time to listen to your intuition. Suspend your logical mindset just a bit to allow yourself to trust your gut.
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