In the Tarot de Marseille, the second Arcanum, the one that is known as “The High Priestess” in other decks, is called “The Popess”.

A female Pope? This card smells like heresy. Weren’t they afraid to be burnt at the stake, those who drew and shared these pictures?

A pope is a high priest, and a popess a high priestess.

Could we have one and not the other?

There must a feminine and a masculine way to priesthood if the Tarot shows both.

Priesthood consists of being a bridge between heaven and earth. The Popess shows the feminine way.

Whatever the religion, you go see a priest or a priestess because you don’t know how to deal with the invisible dimension. Now, the definition of esotericism could be: spiritual DIY. Do it yourself. Be your own High Priestess. Integrate her attitude.

She is reading. We could wonder what book is this, but this would be barking at the wrong tree. A high priestess is probably reading something deep and meaningful.

She is not looking at the book. She doesn’t devour its content. She is not like a dog eating from its bowl. We, humans, are so greedy for words! We are possessed by a monkey mind. More, more, more, what’s next, quick, come on! We seem unable to stop.

The High Priestess reads, then she takes her gaze off the book and, looking into the distance, she sees unfolding, in her inner space, what has been awakened by the words. She dives deeper than the quick intellectual understanding of blah blah and literally touches within herself, the reality of what is meant.

She does more than see. She feels. She is it.

A book is nothing but paper and ink. A dog hardly tastes its food. A monkey is constantly distracted. The High Priestess is available to what is revealed.

A veil is lifted. (It’s behind her head.)

The Popess is like an egg. She’s sitting next to one. Does that mean that she laid it? Who came first, the egg or the Popess? Maybe she’s sitting on it. In the drawing, they had to put the egg next to the Popess’ bottom otherwise we wouldn’t see it at all. With or without impertinence, what is suggested is incubation. Keeping it warm inside.

The Popess is all wrapped up. One veil is lifted behind her head but many others are still covering her. She is shrouded in mystery. She is Isis. She is inner life.

Her posture is simple; she is sitting straight, not like Rodin’s thinker, who, pulled forward by the heavy thinking going on behind his forehead, leans forward. The Popess recommends a mental presence balanced like a tiara, all around the head, pointing upwards.

There are three levels to this tiara. Above is Heaven, down is Earth, and in between is the bridge, the Soul.

In the restored version of the Tarot de Marseille (by A. Jodorowski and P. Camoin) the Popess face and hands are so white. She is like a statue. She is as focused as the Bateleur, him moving, her immobile. All life is within.

She is like a shell. She will hatch one day.

Her number is two. This is strange. If I was the designer, I would have given the number Two to the Lovers. There are no Lovers in the Tarot de Marseille, by the way. The sixth Arcanum, “The Lovers” in many decks, is, in the Tarot de Marseille “L’amoureux”. An exact translation would be “The one who is in love”. (And looking at the card, we can see it’s complicated.)

But like those who designed other decks, I love lovers. I wouldn’t mind a rejoicing card with two young and beautiful persons, preferably caught in the act or just about to proceed, and two would be, obviously, their number.

A papess instead comes across as quite disappointing to the middle aged man in erotic mood, and maybe to you as well.

So what’s going on?

With the First Arcanum, we had an illustration of undivided attention. What happens to consciousness in this state is Unity.

We remember that at the level of absolute metaphysics, there is only One. God knows no other. This is inimaginable, but we can try. When the undivided mind is fully present in the moment, we’re as close as we can get to conscious eternity. Correct me if I’m wrong.

With the number two, division happens. Love stories as we love them start with two people who walk the path of union. Two want to become one. We're not there yet.

But if we start from One, there is nothing to unite. God can’t fall in love with another God on the other side of an uncreated fence. There must be division first. Let there be Yin and Yang. And a High Priestess to witness the miracle of One becoming Two, and keeping them together somehow.

Post Scriptum

What if the Popess’ book was The History of the World? The Akashic Records? Memories written in the astral dimension, and genetically coded to some extent?

In the egg, in the Popess, in gestation, what is to come is announced.

She is like a statue. Statues are sometimes Art and often History. We inherit them from the past.

In the world of duality, there is Spirit and Matter, inner life and manifestation, masculine and feminine, past and future, time.

What becomes manifested is recorded. A book symbolises all imprints. What is in gestation won’t come up as a blank slate.

History is made of cycles, histories repeating themselves, or evolving spirals. Wisdom can be extracted from all stories. There is a thread to follow, a plot that may be lost. How can we keep the World together?

The High Priestess knows.

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I am Jean-Marc, Storyteller and Astrologer. You’re on my website here! Don’t hesitate to visit the homepage to learn more about my book, other blogs, astrology readings or classes.

In the “Tarot de Marseille” the first Major Arcanum, which in other decks, is called “The Magician”, is “Le Bateleur”.

A “bateleur” in mediaeval times, was an illusionist. He is pretending to be a magician. He is performing tricks.

He may have announced what he is now doing like this:

“I will charge this coin with fluid and instead of one, three coins will appear in my hand, before your eyes!”

Now he is fully focused. What he’s doing is not easy.

Look at his eyes. He is not looking at his hands. He trusts them. His body knows what he is doing. His mind doesn’t interfere.

I used to be a guitarist. I wasn’t really good, but I know the feeling, when you master a piece. You can play the chords whilst striking a nice rhythm with the other hand and sing without looking at your hands. It all flows through you, effortlessly, you become the music, you forget the technique. You become one with what you’re doing. One is the number of the card. One is the purpose of the game. It’s mastery. It’s shown at the beginning, but it’s the end of the lesson. Can you become One?

Now, if we remember that the world is an illusion, and that the Arcanum XXI is “the World'', we may think that this illusionist may well be a real magician after all. He is even the greatest of them all: he makes The World appear and we, little consciousnesses, are taken in. We are fooled. We are The Fool. Le Mat.

Did you think that they could only think of God as an old man with a beard? The Tarot suggests a young one with golden locks!

Now, as the story goes, God is within ourselves. Any human is the creator of the World. Some say we are “co-creators”. When we sing a song, we’re creating a world. When we speak, think or act, we create.

Everyone is a sorcerer apprentice. Everyone can be a magician.

Awakening is the goal of the game.

On the table, in front of the Bateleur, are various objects. A hat, out of which he may draw a rabbit every now and then, or incredibly long scarfs. A goblet and a knife, he wouldn’t have been allowed to set his stand on the marketplace with a sword and it would have been silly to bring a magnificently chiselled cup. He is playing with the minor arcanas anyway. The coins evoke the suit of pentacles. In French, pentacles are “deniers”. Deniers were money. Translators wanted something more magical I suppose. Coins are powerful symbols though.

There are dice on this table. We are playing with fate and fortune.

Those who practise divination say that cards don’t show up by chance.

How about dice? Is luck a thing? When you’re playing, do you hold the dice in your fist, blow on them in an attempt to charge them with your intention? Is breath like a magic wand?

Then you roll the dice…

Do you believe it’s possible to direct the world with the power of the mind? The Bateleur shows us: yes, do like this. One intention. One action. One straight wand.

Are you familiar with the game called four-twenty one by the way?

The number one is displayed on the brightest side of the three dice. Four and two are seen on the other sides.

One can mean One, but one can also mean first.

There will be a second, a third and a fourth number, called two three and four, the series will carry on far beyond twenty one or twenty two. The Bateleur is wearing only one hat, but shaped as the symbol of infinity.

When we were children, we wondered at the very thought of infinity. Then we forgot. We can do it again, to get an intuition of the Great Mystery. Have you ever tried to count up to infinity?

Is there a limit to the sky? If yes, is there another side to this limit? If not, could the world be wrapped up in a magic sheet that has one one side, called the vault of heaven? If not, just look up, infinity is there, physically.

What is our attitude? Are we constantly turning away from the mystery?

Is its presence just above our heads unbearable? It’s a shame. We may not be able to understand, but we may become fertilised, if we don’t push it out of our consciousness altogether.

Many rabbits may be conjured out of the Bateleur’s bag. Another day, a story-interpretation may be suggested by his belt or the knife. Or the coin. Or the particular way he’s waving the wand, with his left hand.

Jean-Marc

Storyteller, writer, astrologer.

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