LUNA - II High Priestess

Priestess of the Silver Star

As Isis: E`set, Sha`di`el`kai, Blu`ma`za, Bral`ges, Gav`re`el, Ke`ruv`em, Mal`ka Be`tar`she`tem Ad`be`ru`ak`she`ka`kem, Le`va`na, Ash`me`di, ŠeŠ`ki`dnanna

Forward:

In the chapter for XVIII Luna, we discuss the lower, earthier aspects of the Moon; here we will be referring to Luna as a direct reflection of Kether. 

Lit-below from the Sunlight of Tipareth, and from above with the pure light of Kether; Nuith is represented here as the crowned priestess Isis; as she casts her own veil of light, and just out of view; are the Pillars of Seth.

She is the Priestess of the Silver Star, associated with legends of Diana the Virgin Huntress; including Atalanta, Endymion, Pan, Actaeon, Persephone, Hebe, Pallas, Athene, Pythia, and the Sybils. These are just a few of the goddesses that would represent the "virgin" aspect of the triune goddess; of Virgin Huntress, Unconditional Mother, and Wise Mother.

Appearance:

The light streams into her awareness from above, and with a look of indifference; she casts her spell. The veil of light emanates outward in brilliance, and within this light is the spirit of the light itself.

The Bow of Artemis sits in her lap, is it a weapon, or is it a musical instrument? Depending on your perspective, it could be either.

The result of her spell is at the bottom of the card, indicated by the Fruits of Labor, the resulting earthly Gemstones, and the treasure of life indicated in the colorful flowers and plant life. The card is related to the Hebrew letter Gimel, and indicates a Camel. Or better said it represents the "change in perspective" after the Camel ride. 

Vision after Invocation of Luna:

Out in the desert somewhere; Person one, looks at the old scribe (Person 2) bent over a stone tablet. Person one cannot see the value in how the old scribe spends his time writing, so Person one climbs on his camel and takes a ride to the top of the local mountain. As Person one meditates from the mountain-top; the sunlight glints off the stone tablets in such a way that he realizes that the old scribe is the Hierophant and the tablets are his vast understandings of the cosmos. 

Very similar to the above analogy, and highly recommended: Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist", a very nice book that elaborates the Hieroglyph of II High Priestess very nicely.

Crowley wrote in The Book of Thoth: II High Priestess is the first card which connects the Supernal Triad with the Hexad; and should be considered a direct connection between the father in his highest aspect, with the Son in his most perfect aspect. There is here, therefore, the purest and most exalted conception of the Moon, and at the other end of the scale is XVIII Luna.

Interpretation:

In a reading II High Priestess will sometimes indicate that the Querent is in a transition phase, and cannot see the good in their situation, but the indications say that regardless of what the Querent thinks that they want; the High Priestess has already set their path in motion, and even though the Querent cant see it; the jewels at the bottom of the card indicate that if they "do the right thing", the fruits of their labors will yield a nice material reward. By material reward, I mean that even though the Querent doesn't have what they are wanting; there are indications that at some point in the future they will be much happier than they thought possible.

It may seem impossible to convince the Querent that everything is going to be ok, but an experienced tarot practioneer will always rejoice when the High Priestess comes out, as it indicates that all is good, no worries, as Divine Providence has it under control. This card is a message from the Virgin Goddess to trust in her divine plan.

The Mysteries: 

In the tradition of the best mystery schools of the Hindus, the final obstacle to full enlightenment is the Vision of Formless Effulgence. The aspirant must come to realize that the light itself is not what we seek, it is the spiritual essence that the light veils. The dazzling brilliance of the light itself makes this spiritual essence even harder to see, except to the Yogi, High Priest, or High Priestess, Hierophant, and even a lucky student or two; may glimpse past this veil of light and into the spiritual essence of light.

Blavatsky in Isis Unveiled wrote of the Khaldi or Chandsravansa and their worship of their moon god Deus Lunu; indicating that the Akkadians were of the race of Kings of the Moon or race of the moon. Pruyag is now Allahabad, and is the location where they manifested in four lunar phases. The final "dying phase" of the moon was allegorized by them as the evil genius triumphing over sunlight. The Roman Kalends in the forth century started the tradition of calling Monday the day of the moon, as Dies Lunae.  More on this can be found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead translated by Budge.

The Egyptians and Chaldeans considered Isis as the Virgin Mother of God, or Queen of Heaven. In the valley of Biban`el`Molouk, in Thebes, Egypt, is a figure of the divine mother covered in stars who is giving birth to the Sun.

And of course Crowley's 5 Vs refers to this card and the trail that the camel leaves as he crosses the desert.   This is similar to the "square patches" on the Pyramids of Mars on the XVI Tower, or the square patch on the new earth of the XXI Universe card, the footsteps of Yod in XVIII Luna, the guide-wires if XVIII Death, or even the farm under the head of the XII Hanged Man. The 5 V's should be considered the evidence left behind by Initiates who have gone before in the great work.

Related Concepts:

Trivia, Travels, Ebb and Flow of the Tides, Cosmic Theurgic Vibrations – Invoked or Subconscious, Adventures or Journeys that Change your Perspective, Monthly Cycles associated with Women, Matters of the Family, Results of Cabbalistic Utterance, Cycles of Fertility and Libido, Worries about Wants and Needs, The Space Between High and Low on any Graph, Temporary Blinded Perspective, Communicator Between the Planets in Theurgy, Alchemy and Tarot Meditations, Hallucinations, Intoxication, Dreams and Visions, Magnetisms: Animal, Instinctual, Electro, and Mechanical.

Correspondences:

• Cosmic Association: Moon or Luna
• Tree of Life Path: 13 from the Primordial Point of Kether 1, to the Beauty of Tiphareth 6.
• Path 13 as a Prime Number: The scale of the highest feminine unity; easily transformed into secondary masculine ideas by any male component; or the unity resulting from love.
• Trump: 2 - II HIGH PRIESTESS – The Priestess of the Silver Star
• Genethliac Value and Bodily Attribution: The Senses, and the Bodily Consciousness.
• Godform: Isis – "E`set"
• Sumerian: ŠeŠ`ki`Dnanna
• Six Spirits of Ilda-Baoth: Ievo for Luna
• Seven Planetary Genies of the Ophites: Sin, Shrull, or Luna.
• Perfected Man: Isis, Hathor, the Left Eye, Chandra as the Moon.
• Drink: Water or White Wine.
• Magickal Powers: Dream Divination, Clairvoyance, and the White Tincture.
• Magickal Weapon: The Bow and Arrow as weapons of Artemis and Apollo, even indicating the Lamed and Light, signifying your understanding the entire formula of II High Priestess or Gimel.
• Magickal Formulae: ALIM
• Planetary Intelligence: Malkah be-Tarshishim ve-A`ad be-Ruah Sheharim – "Mal`ka Be`tar`she`tem Ad`be`ru`ak`she`ka`kem"
• Planetary Spirit: Chasmodai – "Ash`me`di"
• Rank: Marquis
• Olympic Spirit: Phul
• Geomantic Intelligence: Gabriel
• Geomancy: Anagram or Enneagram
• Geometry: Bottom Lower Point of the Hexagram opposite to Saturn
• Symbol: Greek cross as a plane, Table of Shewbread.
• Enochian Call: 7th
• Enochian Tablet: Sigillum Dei Aemeth on the altar, and the Luna tablet in the east
• Enochian King: Blumaza
• Enochian Prince: Bralges
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• Archangel: Gabriel
• Choir of Angels: Keruvem
• Forces or Palace: Levana
• Circumambulation: 9 times
• Name of the Lord or Utterance: "Sha`di`el`kai" – Almighty and Ever living God, referring to his function as Pangenetor.
• Day House: Cancer
• Night House: Cancer
• Household Item: Wood or Paper Glue
• Human Body: Lymphatic Systems
• Disease: Menstrual Disorders
• Transcendental Morality; Sin: Contentment or Idleness
• Colors: Blue with flashing Orange
• Perfumes: Jasmine, Eucalyptus, Menthol, Camphor, Aloes, and Menstrual Blood.
•  
• Hebrew Letter: Gimel – A Camel reminds us of the position on the tree of life as joining Kether and Tiphereth, so empowering a means to travel in the Abyss. The Virgin. The Holy Guardian Angel is achieved by Self-Sacrifice and Equilibrium.
• Hebrew Gemetria: 3
• Coptic: Gamma
• Coptic Gemetria: 3
• Arabic: jim
• Arabic Gemetria: 3
• Greek Gemetria: 3
• English: G
• Taoism: Kan and Khwan
• Buddhist Forty Meditations: Loathsomeness of Food; P = Perception.
• Buddhist and Hindu Result: Vision of Chandra
• The Noble Eightfold Path: Samma Sankappo – Right Aspiration
• Triple Trinity: The Sensory or Bodily, and on the Middle Pillar as the Automatic Consciousness.
• Vital Triad: As one of the Three Goddesses: II The Virgin
• Plant Drugs: Jupiter, Pennyroyal, and Emmenagogues such as; Yarrow Flower, Prickly Ash, Chaste Berry Tree, Safflower, Motherwort, Mugwort, Raspberry Leaf, Peach Tree Leaf, Parsley, Peppermint, Spearmint, Anise, Fennel-Seed, Wild Yam Root, Dandelion Root, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cannabis, and Ginger/Ginger Root.
• Medicines: Sugary Cough Syrups, Sweet Syrupy Pain Medications, and Pharmaceutical Emmenagogues.
• Sepher Yetzirah: The Unity Directing Consciousness, Uniting I.
• Mystic Number of the Sepiroth: 91
• Eucharist Suggestion: Mexican Pulque, or a Cup of Hot Green Tea with a shot of ice-cold Absinthe poured-in, at the time of Eucharist ritual.
• Deities: Son of the Cat goddess Bast; Khons, Khensu or Chomse as God of the Moon, The Khaldi worshipped Dues Lunus, Hathor, Selene, Artemis as the Virgin Moon, Hecate as the Evil Moon, Diana the Virgin Huntress, and Atalanta, Endymion, Pan, Actaeon, Persephone, Hebe, Pallas, Athene, Pythia, and the Sybils.
• Christian Aspect: Laodicea
• Animals: The White Stork because he traditionally brings childbirth. The Camel because of his travels across the sepirothic desert of Gimel as a sepirothic path and the Dog because as the traditional companion of the Huntress Artemis he barks at the Moon.
• Legendary Orders of Beings: Lemurs, and Ghosts.
• Plants: Ranunculus, Alder as a soft spongy wood giving off little heat when burned and normally grows in watery places, Pomegranate symbolizing menstruation, Almond, Mugwort, Hazel as the Moon in earthshine or even Hazel as the wood of the wand of the dark magician, Moonwort.
• Minerals and Gems: Silver associated with the "Marquis" ranking of the planetary spirit on Luna, Moonstone as a direct image of the moon, and Pearl and Crystal both for their purity, construction, and philosophies resulting thereof.

Neognostica