Major Arcana Spreads
The Fool
The Magician
The High Priestess
The Empress
The Emperor
The Hierophant
The Lovers
The Chariot
Justice
The Hermit
The Wheel of Fortune
Strength
The Hanged Man
Death
Temperance
The Devil
The Tower
The Star
The Moon
The Sun
The Last Judgement
The World
Other Spreads
Hekate Spread, or The Triune Path
Court Card Spread
Tarot Cards
The Emperor
The Star
The Moon
The Two of Swords
Ilmonda
Zero
The Magician
The High Priestess
Tarot Initials
Fool-Lovers
Chariot-Hanged Man
Death-Sun
Judgement-Ace of Pentacles
Another in my series of gender-reversed Tarot cards. One day I took the (Rider)-Waite-Smith Tarot deck and sorted cards according to whether the pictures were male or female. Of course you can't tell on all of them, and also it was a while back, but something like 75% of the characters depicted on the cards were male. Which, as a feminist and a witch turns me right off. Granted they were made at the turn of the (last) century, but with all the Waite/Smith-clone decks out there and its popularity, its "the" Tarot deck everyone thinks of (at least here in the States). But I just find it so annoying when the default, as it were, is assumed to be male, like those "everyman" movies with Jack Lemmon or something, supposing to represent universal truths. Far as I can tell that guy-stuff is just that, guy-stuff, which is fine for guys, but doesn't have a whole lot to do with us women.
--All right, enough ranting.
This card is (I think) representing the unconscious deep aspects of life and the mind, especially sexuality. It was important to me to keep the name as "the High Priestess", rather than making it "the High Priest", since that would be the Hierophant and have a very different meaning.
The other cards in this (hopefully) series are the Fool or Zero, and the Magician. If you've got any ideas on how I can wrap my brain around the Empress as male, let me know.
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Artist Formerly Known As Mary Crane.
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