Dreaming with the High Priestess

It was the High Priestess that taught me how to look into and beyond the images presented in the tarot. When I began my tarot studies with my Smith-Waite deck - at an age that feels both more distant and yet just passed at the same time - I followed the instructions in my first tarot book to perform a pathworking (i.e. a western esoteric tradition word for guided meditation that originated from specific practices of moving along the paths of the Tree of Life as illustrated in Kabbalah) with each card. I did just that and it’s something I’ve continued to do in my own practice and have taught it to my students, too, because I think it is so useful in magickal and healing work. As I was learning this pathworking technique, there were some cards that were my favorite to travel into and the High Priestess was and is one of them. 

Perhaps it is the watery nature of the card that my Piscean heart adored or the fact that I knew early on in my life that I was to one day take vows of a Priest/ess/x. It was an easy, dreamy card for my little witchling self to connect with and I loved learning about the symbolism of the card from the pomegranate’s on the fabric behind the High Priestess, to the Moon beneath their feet, and the pillars framing the scene. 

Decks shown are the Brady Tarot + Smith-Waite Centennial Edition

Then, one journey into the card, I was overwhelmed by the sound of the sea. Suddenly I saw what had remained hidden, but seemed so obvious now. The sense of vastness I got whenever I journeyed into the card was not just because the High Priestess represented a library of arcane wisdom that I was so eager to read, but that they were, more importantly, a keeper of the gates of which beyond was a vast sea to explore. I had been looking at the card all this time but not really seen it - in the process, I had missed an entire world beyond the surface of my initial viewings of the image. 

Such is the way of things, right? We think we are seeing all of it until we look again and find that the world is far more vast than originally thought. As a card of Moon, a representation of our consciousness, the High Priestess teaches us how to connect with the vastness both around and within us through the lunar path of dreamwork. Even more importantly, the High Priestess does this in a way that’s not about keeping secrets or revealing them, but teaches us, instead, how to read our world and discern knowledge through observation.

One of the primary herbs that I use to connect with the energy and healing magick of the High Priestess is Mugwort (Artemisia spp.). My favorite way to work with Mugwort is through herbal baths - I’ve shared a recipe for just that below. Tarot has long been rich in plant imagery and the Smith Waite deck illustrated esoteric knowledge of plants through its art, adding yet another layer of knowledge to the intricately layered world of the cards. If you’re enjoying all of this talk of plants and herbs, you can check out my full profile for the High Priestess from my course, The Tarot Apothecary, by joining my free Magick Mail newsletter. You’ll then gain access to a member’s only page full of recipes, rituals, and more. 

The High Priestess profile from The Tarot Apothecary

Mugwort Dream Bath

Mugwort is one of the most revered of dreaming herbs in the western materia medica. I am lucky to live in a part of the world where native and migrating versions of the plant thrive, which is why I use three varieties in my dream bath blend. I prefer to bathe with Mugwort when it comes to dreamwork, but for those of you who feel more tethered to the waking world than the one of dreams, you might also try it in tea form. 

I included Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) in the blend for a number of reasons, not least of which for its lovely smell. It’s a plant of Mercury with Venusian energies meaning that it helps us clear out and connect our pathways of communication (Mercury) through gentle, warming, and uplifting methods (Venus). It has a bit of a guardian energy to it, too, which is always useful in dream work and exploring the vastness of our inner realms.

Juniper Berries (Juniperus communis) round out the blend with their rich purple-black color reminding me of the Dark of the Moon. Juniper serves as a holy herb for burning in Celtic cultures, clearing the air of impurities and cleansing the energetic body. The plant helps us to remember our dreams and understand what they mean. As a Dark of the Moon herb, Juniper assists us in connecting to our depths through dreamwork. 

Decks shown are the Many Queens Tarot and the Numinous Tarot

I combined roughly equal parts of the following herbs, but adjust the amounts of each herb depending on what you have available. If you don’t have multiple varieties of Mugwort to use, simply use more of the variety that you do have.

• Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

• Dream Plant (Artemisia douglasiana)

• California Mugwort (Artemisia californica)

• Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

• Juniper Berries (Juniperus communis)

Use 1/2 to 1 cup of herbs for a bath. I brew the herbs ahead of time in a jar, strain out the herbs, and add the infusion to my bath water (you can get all my tips and tricks for herbal baths, including bathing with herbs without a bath here). After a dream bath, I suggest going right to bed, spending some time journaling or maybe even pulling a few cards before heading off to sleep. For an extra layer of magick, you can even build a little dream altar ahead of time featuring the High Priestess and a dream pillow full of Mugwort to keep beside you bed.

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I hope you’re feeling inspired to look deeper into your tarot cards and, in turn, deeper into yourself. Using dreamwork as a tool of self-discovery is not only effective, but an ancient way of self-knowing. May you seek and find your High Priestess waiting for you to see beyond.

Alternatives to Year Ahead Tarot Spreads

Whenever the new year lands for you whether in January or one of the many seasonal and celestial celebrations of the year, it’s a popular time to cast a big ol’ annual spread of cards. I did this myself for many a year and then I stopped. Not because I don’t think the tradition of a year ahead spread is not a completely magickal way to begin your year, but because it no longer was useful for me and my practice. I began to notice that by the time I hit months seven through twelve of my reading in real time (i.e. seven to twelve months after casting my spread), the cards energies felt water down if not completely out of alignment with what was occurring in my life. Were the cards wrong? Or was I reading them wrong? No. In truth my life in recent years has seem to go through these seismic shake-ups and changes that the lines of my wyrd, to use the Old English word denoting a combination of personal unfixed destiny and the power of becoming, have been reweaving at a rapid pace. 

Experiencing a weird and wild wyrd? I think that’s true for a lot of folks right now. And I think at different parts in our lives different styles of an annual spread make sense. I imagine that in a decade or two I’ll probably try a traditional twelve month spread for my new year, but in the meantime, I’ve come up with a few alternatives. These spreads developed from my own seeking to find something that felt more flexible and co-creative with my cards and my magick. Here are my three alternatives to annual tarot spreads that are a little less fated, more wyrd, and a way to keep engaged with the turning wheel of the year.

The Elemental Tarot by Caroline Smith + John Astrop

The Yearly Guide

The simplest alternative is to choose to work with one card as a guide and ally through the year. Since I work with the wheel of the year, I like to call this card the Guardian of the Wheel. The Yearly Guide(s) act like a teacher, helping you to meet anything that may come your way during a year. They also embody qualities for you to examine within yourself including qualities that we might need to release and others that need developing. I recommend pulling from the Major Arcana of your deck to find a Yearly Guide card, but feel free to that which you are called to do.

There are a few ways to figure out which card is your Yearly Guide. You can pull out your deck and shuffle through, pulling a card at random to be the card of the year for you. You can look through your deck face up and purposefully choose a card to work with (this is especially powerful if you’re trying to gain a sense of will and personal power about yourself). Finally, you can use a bit of sacred numerology to discover your year card from the Major Arcana. To do this, add together the number of your birth month and birth date with the number of the year. Here are a few examples:

Someone born July 17 and seeking their annual card for 2019 would add their numbers as so: 7 + 1 + 7 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 27. Since 27 is larger than 21 (the highest number of the Major Arcana) they would then add 2 + 7 to get 9. Their card for 2019 would be The Hermit.

If you were born on November 9 your numbers would add up as so : 1 + 1 + 9 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 23. Then adding together 2 + 3 you would get 5 representing The Hierophant.

Sometimes you get two numbers. For example, someone born on January 17 has an annual number of 21. You could further add together 2 + 1 to get 3. So they would have two Yearly Guide cards - the World and the Empress. Alternatively, they could choose to work with one card over the other or work with one card for half of the year and the other card for the second half of the year. 

Once you’ve discovered your Yearly Guide card, you can incorporate it into your magickal work, add it to your altars, keep a copy in your wallet, paste it to a seven day candle. Keep it in your sight both physically and magickally.

The Luna Sol Tarot by Mike Medaglia

Six Months Ahead Spread

As the title suggests, the six months spread is half the length of an annual spread recognizing that energies often change halfway through the year. The six month ahead spread is a great choice for those who like the familiarity of the annual spread but are feeling, like me, that the cards for the last six months of the spread aren’t always as resonant as the first six. It’s also establishes a great mid-year magickal practice where you cast another six cards for the final half of the year.

The Numinous Tarot by Noel Arthur Heimpel (left) and Thea’s Tarot by Rhea West

The Solar - Lunar Spread

Here’s my most complex proposal for a year ahead alternative spread. It combines the tradition of the twelve card annual spread with a bit of Moon magick. Begin by casting your twelve monthly cards which we’ll card the Solar Cards from here on out. Alternatively, if you want to really tie it to solar energies, cast twelve cards for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. So your first card would be for Aries corresponding roughly to the period of March 20 to April 20 (this changes year to year, so be sure to check your astrological calendar).

Your Lunar Cards are cast each month on the New Moon. If your Solar Cards are just for each calendar month, on the New Moon in January you would cast a Lunar Card to go alongside your Solar card. If you’ve chosen the astrological method, you would cast your Lunar Card on the New Moon corresponding to the solar sign. To cast a Lunar Card for your Solar Card of Aries you would cast it on the New Moon in Aries. 

The Solar Cards act much in the same way as a the twelve cards in a traditional annual spread. They give an overview of energies for a month-long period in their life. The Lunar Cards, which are cast month-to-month, take into consideration the fluctuating energies and changes happening for you at the moment in time that you’re casting them. The Lunar Cards can reveal what had been hidden but come to light or speak to the ways that you have changed since you cast the original twelve Solar Cards. They’re really helpful at nuancing the message of Solar Cards cast for the latter half of the year. It can be very revealing to read the twelve Solar Cards at the beginning of the year and then notice how your interpretation shifts or deepens when you pair each Solar Card with their Lunar Card partner.

What will I be doing this year? A combination of all three! I’ll be working with my annual guide along with pulling a six month Solar - Lunar spread.

So there are my three alternatives to year ahead tarot spreads! You can check out all of my divinatory spreads or my spreads for each one of the Sabbats if you’re feeling inspired. And if you’re thinking it’s time to discover the intersections of herbal healing and tarot, come this way.