Secret of the High Priestess Spread

Difficulty: Average

This spread makes a nice alternative to the Celtic Cross, which covers basically the same ground. It is useful when a question doesn't quite call for the Ankh spread. This tarot spread is helpful for looking into a current trend. The High Priestess may or may not present a mysterious secret to be analysed after the rest of the spread.

1. & 2. Main impulses representing the topic at hand. They may compliment or oppose one another.

3. This is the current influence at this time.

5. The Waning Moon is the influence that is moving into the past.

4. The Waxing Moon indicates what is on the horizon, or the approaching influence. This is the immediate future.

7. The Light is what is clearly recognized, consciously.

6. The Dark indicates what is there but not fully perceived, though noticed on a deeper level of consciousness.

8. The Next Step is the near future, where this journey leads.

9. The final tarot card, only if it happens to be of the Major Arcana, reveals the Secret of the High Priestess. This is a special message that should be given added weight.

Your Secret of the High Priestess Reading

The Waxing Moon 2 of Cups – Love	The Full Moon 5 of Swords – Defeat		The Waning Moon 3 of Disks – Work
	Significator #1 The Hermit	Significator #2 The Sun
The Dark Knight of Wands	The Secret of the High Priestess Queen of Swords		The Light 10 of Wands – Oppression
	The Next Step 3 of Swords – Sorrow

Significator #1 

Virgo

Solitary time. Father Time retreats from society to be alone. The mirror represents reflection and inner self-discovery. Cerberus follows the lantern as the Hermit enlightens his dark side. Turned sideways, the hourglass represents a moment of timelessness, and at this juncture the Hermit realises the nature of eternity.

Meaning:
Divine inspiration, wisdom, finding one's guiding light, a period of time being out of touch with society, circumspection, self-knowledge.
When ill-dignified: loneliness, despair, loss of sanity, paranoia.

Significator #2 

The Sun

The Sun says that in order to be successful one must become success. The enlightened aura boldly enlightens the darkness, shedding warmth and light on all who see it. Abraxas represents both darkness and light, unified and transcended. His sign is the swastika which represents the sun, the number 6, the four seasons, and the totality of time. The twins dance under the sun signifying good times. Like Abraxas they represent the unity of opposites.

Meaning:
Manifestation, shamelessness, truth, glory, gain, triumph, satisfaction.
When ill-dignified: arrogance, vanity, counter-productive pride. An excess of brilliance burns.

The Waning Moon is the influence that you are putting behind you, as it moves into the past. 

Mars in Capricorn

Three spinning wheels and the right eye of god symbolise the act of creation. A solid structure is being built.

Meaning:
Construction, business, commerce, employment, material gain, growth.
When ill-dignified: selfish, closed-minded, greedy individual who seeks the impossible.

The Full Moon is the current influence at this time. 

Venus in Aquarius

The pale blue background of this card symbolises airy weakness. A chipped sword attempts to battle four bent swords in the shape of a pentagram. A hopeless struggle, this solitary sword is the weakest of the five.

Meaning:
Weakness, loss, spite, malice, trouble, dishonour, degradation, infamy, revocation, loss, humiliation, anxiety. A driver of wedges.

The Waxing Moon indicates what is on the horizon; the approaching influence. 

Venus in Cancer

One heart fills both the gold and silver cups. Two vessels bound by one soul are the perfect match.

Meaning:
Perfect harmony between male and female radiates warmth and ecstasy. Love, union, friendship, warmth, comfort, passion, affinity, intercourse.

The Light is what is clearly recognized. 

Saturn in Sagittarius

The wands have now become bars. We live in prisons of flesh. We are each our own warden and we all do our own time.

Meaning:
Brute force with no apparent spiritual source. Lies, repression, cruelty, malice. The element of fire in its most destructive form.

The Dark shows what is there but not fully perceived, though it has been noticed on a deeper level of consciousness. 

Sagittarius

The Knight of Wands rides a white horse charging forward. The white horse symbolises the conscious side of awareness. It also symbolises the purity of fire, the vital energy and passion that boldly drives the organism. The Knight has his torch in his right hand and arrows on his back; bow and arrow being the weapon of Sagittarius.

Meaning:
A man of action, generosity, pride, and impetuousness.
When ill-dignified: A cruel, bigoted man without mercy.

The Next Step is the near future, where this journey will take you. 

Saturn in Libra

Two swords are crossed with a short sword connecting them into the form of a triangle. The upside-down pyramid symbolises a creation gone wrong. A deep storm is brewing in the background.

Meaning:
Melancholy, disruption, discord, delay, separation, trouble, remorse, rupture, dispersion, removal, division.
When well-dignified: faithfulness and honesty in love and commerce.

The Secret of the High Priestess - if, and only if, this card a Major Arcana, it reveals the Secret of the High Priestess. This is a special spiritual message that you should pay extra special attention to. If it is not a trump, the Priestess has revealed no secret. 

2:00 – 4:00 Female
Libra

The Queen of Swords sits on the throne of heaven. The moon has eclipsed the sun, making for a strange overcast. The eclipse is a symbol of two that are one, a reference to the dual nature of Libra. The eclipse also represents her as a dominant female, overshadowing the male, and this is also apparent in her left hand. She represents clear perception and the pinnacle of thought. However, superficial attractiveness coupled with a lack of empathy makes her the most dangerous female in the deck.

Meaning:
A confident, gracious, just, perceptive, graceful, elegant woman.
When ill-dignified: A cruel, sly, deceitful, unreliable woman who uses charm as a weapon.