THE TAROT RUG PROJECT, PART FIVE: THE HIGH PRIESTESS.

NOTE:  Skip to the bottom of this post for answers to basic questions about the show--where to see it, how long it will be at each venue, how to bring it to your town, and more.  To start at the beginning of this series of posts or to locate other rugs in the show, go HERE. 

This is the fifth in the series on the Tarot Rug Project.
Here is the classic RWS image of The High Priestess:

Universal Waite Tarot images used with permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. © 1990 by U.S. Games Systems. All rights reserved.

The wordless voice,
The whisper in the soul,
The sudden knowing--
All arise from Silence.
 
And here is Wanda Kerr’s tarot rug version of the High Priestess:

Photo credit: Anne-Marie W. Littenberg. The rug is © 2015 to Wanda Kerr, all rights reserved. Please do not copy or pin without permission.

Wanda is a Canadian textile artist who is well-known not only for her original rugs and her tireless teaching of rug hooking, but also for her dyeing skills and her long running column on dyeing wool in Rug Hooking Magazine.  She is a master dyer and an endless source of creative ideas in her writing, videos, and with her students.  Have a look at her site HERE.  She also runs The Welcome Mat, an online rug hooking school that’s jam-packed with information and well worth the subscription.
 
I found her interpretation of this card fascinating.   The black and white pillars of the original card are still there in the rug, but presented so differently (black wrought-iron on the left, white birch on the right).  The pomegranate veil that is so prominent on the original is now the very subtle veil suspended from the birch…and the Priestess is facing it, whereas in the original she has her back to it.  The waters flowing from her blue robes in the original are now the lake in front of her.  The moon headdress of the original is now the full moon in the rug.  And of course, the fully-clothed Priestess, facing us in the original, is now the unclothed, truth-telling back of the Priestess in the rug.  The scroll she holds in the original has become the stack of books she sits upon in the rug.  The mirror is a Wanda addition—since to get the full effect of the message of this card, one must look within oneself.

Wanda adds her comment:  "If people like they could look closely at the wrought iron for crescent moon, scroll, ying and yang and pomegranates, it was a great catch all for symbols!"
 
As usual, I’ll avoid spoiling the artist’s statement she has published in the catalog (you can find out how to get a catalog at the bottom of this post—proceeds go to helping to ship the rugs as the show travels).
 
WHAT DOES THE CARD MEAN?

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.  We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
— Albert Einstein
 
“Intuitions are like migratory birds, they come without a map without a reason.”
― Amit Ray,
 
“There are other ways of knowing than just through reason.”
― Gerald Morris

Among other things, the High Priestess card is an image of our subconsciousness.

As I’ve said in every post, the many layers of symbolism in the cards mean I can only touch on surface levels of meaning here, but the High Priestess is the voice of intuition.  She is the voice that can only be heard in Silence, and the normal din of everyday life makes it hard for us to hear her.  She’s the voice that speaks when we listen deeply, when we take a moment to be quiet, when we are suddenly given an insight that has an immediate ring of truth. 

I always find that a genuine intuition is accompanied by a clear, pronounced physical sensation:  a felt sense that what I am getting is deeply true.  Goose-bumps, or a sensation of utter shock and certainty.  Without the physical sensation, I generally don’t trust it.  Of course, I will always double-check any intuition if possible (a good idea anyway). 

When you get this card, ask yourself: 

• How can I slow down for a few moments and genuinely listen to my inner voice?
• When in the past have I recognized this voice?  (This can give you clues to how it may be recognized)
• In the past, when it’s been a genuine intuition, how have I known that?  What were the sensations in my body that let me know it was true?  (If it's genuine, there is usually an immediate, instant sense that "The truth has landed."  You KNOW.  And a genuine intuition doesn't arise from fear, it just arrives.)
  
• What is my subconscious, my intuition, telling me right now?
  

 
We all have intuition.  Yes, we all have it.  It’s simply a matter of listening for it.  If you don’t trust yours, feel free to rigorously double-check it.  As I said, that’s a good idea anyway.  But first, you have to allow it to speak.  Listen first; then evaluate.  Otherwise you'll be warring with yourself, commenting at the very moment you are getting the intuition, "Oh, this is just my imagination."  Yes, it IS your imagination, which arises from subconsciousness and is an underrated faculty--imagination may hold substantial truth.  Practice with it, and you'll be richly rewarded.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SHOW:

HOW DO I GET A CATALOG?

• Email Michele Micarelli at [email protected]  (Cost of catalog will be $18 US plus shipping)  NOTE:  Catalog sales support the costs of shipping the rugs from venue to venue.  Thanks for ordering!  (Donations for this purpose also accepted)

IF I WANT TO BRING THE SHOW TO MY TOWN, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

• To bring the show to your town/country (yes, you can do that—it’s a traveling show!), contact either of the organizers:
  • Michele Micarelli at [email protected] or
  • Loretta Scena at [email protected]
• Both of the organizers have websites and you may also contact them there:
  • Michele at http://www.michelemicarelli.com/
  • Loretta at http://www.lorettascena.com/

WHERE WILL THE SHOW GO NEXT?

• As of this writing, the show will be going next to Montpelier, VT (May 2016), then to Onancock, VA (July 2016), then to Sauder Village's Rug Hooking Week (August 2016), then to the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild Show (October 2016).  In 2017 it will be traveling in Canada.
• In most cases the show will be at a venue only for a few weeks or for only the duration of an event (Sauder Village, Green Mountain), so there are weeks when it has not yet been scheduled.  If you would like the show to travel to a venue near you, contact Michele or Loretta as detailed above.