The High Priestess: Merkstave

Here is my interpretation of the High Priestess reversed.

Personally, I believe that the High Priestess card is one of the most important cards of the whole set. It asks you to really take a look at yourself in the mirror, face your ism’s and phobias.

If you don’t recognise these traits, how will you see all that is to follow?

The High Priestess is about intuition, introspection, femininity, your feminine values, wisdom and knowledge… in this version, the reverse focuses on feminine aspects and the negatives faced by them.

I have chosen three characters to navigate this card: the face collector Princess Mombi, (this character is a combination of Princess Langwidere and the witch Mombi, as represented in the 1985 film return to OZ. Although heavily inspired by this character in the film, I have taken inspiration from both these characters as individuals from L. Frank Baum’s books as well,) on the left we have our Fool character who is living the experience of the card, next to her is the 2nd earl of Rochester, John Wilmot as depicted in the Libertine. And over on the right-hand side is the crone (more like Mombi) riding a tortoise-spider.

So, you have Maiden, Mother, Crone represented but in an anti-feminine, patriarchal perspective.

Let’s begin with the Maiden.

This is our naive fool character; she is partially faceless due to her blindness to dangers around her. She is young, inexperienced, full of wants and desires. The trope commonly prescribed to this characteristic is the ‘Ingenue’. She is kind, friendly and optimistic, very much on the idealistic side. Her innocence will often inspire protective feelings in young men or fatherly types, but unfortunately her innocence and naivete make her a perfect target for our villainous friend over by the pillar, seeking to take advantage of her. In literature and film, she is sometimes the girl that goes to Hollywood to become a film star and finds herself used up, strung out, a porn star, prostitute or dead.

This may not be how it plays out in real life, but it is that Red Riding Hood message of being careful when entering a new place or situation. Being careful what you wish for. Being young is a dangerous position to be in when in a predatory world. Going to that party to have a good time, if not careful, can lead to a host of bad experiences you were not wanting to deal with the following morning. Looking for your first experience with a lover for example, only to find that that person wanted another notch on their belt, diminishing your self-worth. The Artist U.S. Girls has a moving song ‘Sororal feelings’ talking about these issues. Other similar examples are
becoming accidently pregnant due to unwanted or unprotected intercourse with a stranger. STI’s come to mind, especially when thinking about our Earl waiting in the shadows.
Suddenly finding yourself in a dangerous situation you could not have anticipated.
If this situation does happen to you, do remember that it is never your fault. It doesn’t matter how naïve you were or what you were doing that lead to it; it is never okay for someone to force their will on you.
It’s not just sexually that you can be exploited though, sadists and narcissists know how to find a willing victim to lay a trap through innocence and trust. If you are young and/or inexperienced, you haven’t learnt how dangerous the world around you can be. You may be walking in with your blinders on.

Have you had a moment where you ignored the signs of danger and entered into it?

Have you lacked the wisdom to avoid situations that could harm you?

Has your nurturing, caring personality been used to take advantage of you?

Has your willingness to be accepted meant sacrificing your own moral values in order to obtain it?

Have your desires and eagerness lead you into trouble?

The High Priestess is about introspection, self-awareness; when reversed it means you do not have these qualities. If you are not in tune with yourself, your decisions will not be in tune with your true desires and will only bring problems for you in the long run.
Nobody really wants that, right? But are you able to recognise this before it’s too late?
For most of us, no.

Does your life seem subject to mistakes made in the past?

Like our picture shows, our Maiden is covered in and tempted into vices to distract her from her path. All the things that can ruin a better life… addictions.

Having addictions mean you relinquish control from the self to another one or thing. You are at the mercy of a substance, alcohol, drugs, money, sex, gambling, smoking, an unhealthy lifestyle etc. whatever it is, it usually has an underlying emotion attached to it because of whatever reason you started in the first place. The habit becomes so concrete, it controls you instead of the other way round.

This is embodied in the Rune Pertho Reversed and to an extent Uruz Reversed (notes on these later.)

Addiction binds us to bad habits that can cause us to make poor decisions that can only lead to our own misfortune. They are not only vices for us but tools for those wanting to have control over us.

Are you suffering due to lack of control?

Are you battling addiction?

Are your vices starting to get you into trouble?

Is someone trying to control you with temptation or promises?

Another example of this is the 19 on the gambling dice. In Stephen King’s book The Gunslinger, the Man in Black tells a woman to utter the number 19 to learn all the secrets of the universe, but she will surely wish for death upon doing so.

She is given the number in full knowledge that it will plague her mind, the temptation will render her helpless, she will be unable to resist uttering the number 19.

Temptation is a hard battle to fight.

The Abyss
Behind in the background we have a wasteland – the Abyss. Without the help of the High Priestess/intuition and wisdom, you will be lost in the Abyss, unable to leave. The current path can lead you here. Lost, alone, rejected, no one left to help you when you have hit the bottom.

This is like opening the door to past traumas without the help of a good therapist. Trying to confront your problems without knowing how. Entering a new country without knowing how to survive there.

Being trapped in a situation there is no way out from. Like addiction, all these things can suck you into the vortex of a downward spiral where there is no one or nothing to help pull you out.

The 2nd Earl of Rochester:

This is a man who was famous for his rakish lifestyle (a man who habitually engaged in immoral conduct, particularly womanising) as depicted in The Libertine.

One of his many deeds was to pretend to be a doctor – ‘Doctor Bendo.’ Under this persona, he claimed he could treat “barrenness” (infertility), and other gynecological disorders. Rochester’s practice was “not without success”, using himself as a sperm donor. On occasion, Rochester also assumed the role of ‘Mrs. Bendo’, the matron, so that he could inspect young women privately without arousing their husbands’ suspicions. He died of a combination of symptoms affiliated with syphilis, gonorrhea, a host of other venereal diseases and alcoholism. In the film The Libertine he has completely removed femininity from his perspective and places zero worth on humanity. A narcissist and an abuser, he is depicted as a man who refused to take any good advice. A man who squandered his potential. It was only at the end of the film, once riddled with syphilis and suffering hardships, self-worth and the worth of others combined with a healthier perspective, was he able to redeem himself with the use of his skillset to full potential.

This character perfectly illustrates the High Priestess reversed.

These are the toxic masculine traits that accompany the reversed meanings: chauvinism, misogyny, sexism, etc.

At the time, the Earl was in a social group that championed and condoned his behaviour. Even now when reading about him, I was surprised to see that due to his success as a writer, he is somewhat excused by the rebellious nature of his perspective and lifestyle. Referred to as ‘a punk in a frock coat.’

Have things changed that much in current times?

There are plenty of instances in the media showing that men of influence use their power to excuse or condone their behaviour towards women, gender queer and even children. Social circles and environments, including religious and social institutions, that promote attitudes that are conducive to negative ideologies towards woman, gender queer and children.

Are you in an environment that cultivates toxic masculinity?

How do you feel when you see the words toxic masculinity, sexism, chauvinism, misogyny, feminist, gender queer?

Are these issues that you are dealing with?

“The code of toxic masculinity requires that men are dominant over everyone else, have no needs, show no emotion and are always winning…this also requires that men buy into a rigid hierarchy in which straight men are dominant over everybody else. Furthermore, among straight men, this decrees that hypermasculine men are dominant over men who reject or find themselves outside the box…this scramble for dominance and denial of emotion comes at great cost. It blunts men’s awareness of other people’s needs and emotions, drives domestic and sexual violence, makes aggression look like a reasonable way to solve conflict, forbids seeking health care, and pours fuel on the fire of drug and alcohol abuse.” Writes Ellen Hendriksen, PhD, who is a clinical psychologist.

She goes on to say that a study was done to see how men perceived other men’s attitudes and found that most men believe that other men are hypermasculine and so need to act like them, ‘the everybody else is,  so I should’ reasoning. Even though it showed that most men are not and only perceive that other men are. This is called the reinforcement of pluralistic ignorance. This means that people won’t speak out against their peers even if they don’t agree with the behaviour.

Are you trapped in this scenario?

Are you dealing with people like this? 

The two subordinates:
At the forefront of the page are two female bodies at the foot of the princess. They are still like statues, like the porcelain statues in a clockwork orange. Stagnant and unable to move, they both have tattoos symbolising why. The woman on the left has a tattoo that symbolises insecurities due to dominance, male dominance over woman, being objectified, persecuted for being a woman.

This is an issue that can be found in workplaces through various types of sexual harassment. In society as gender control or stigma. Confidence will always be crushed, and your human rights violated unless you find the courage and self-esteem to oppose it. Otherwise you will always be bent into submission because of fear and prejudice.

The woman on the right has a similar tattoo but is different as it symbolises internalised misogynism. This is someone who’s aware of the inequality and abuse, sometimes after trying to confront it themselves or not, end up in a complicated state of hating their own femininity and that of others. Often in cases of abuse or hatred we can become that which we hate or suffered. Doing to others what has been done to us.

This is what is called becoming a product of the environment. This represents losing touch of your feminine side to an extreme, internally. But can show itself externally in subtle ways. For example, a mother that condones her son’s abuse of his partner due to their hatred of the woman. A woman that will pick on all the girls for feminine attributes, but the boys are shining examples of humanity. It’s the mother that slowly chips away at the daughter’s self-esteem because she’s a woman. When this happens in the workplace it is usually because this behaviour is acceptable to the misogynistic men and becomes a successful attitude for climbing up the ladder. 

These two women have very different perspectives but are subject to the same thing.

This is not just relevant to woman but all who do not fit into the box of straight male. All who don’t fit into the box of social norms. I suppose that would be internalised self-hate. Projecting your shadow onto others. Denying your true feelings and having them twist into something more damaging.

Are you projecting yourself onto others; passing on your pain in anger?

Princess Mombi:

Our central figure. She is vain; craves attention from all directions. She surrounds herself with attributes of herself that please her but smashes all those that don’t. She distracts herself by whatever means present themselves. Ultimately the main reason the heads are collected is the ‘I must be the most beautiful at all times’ problem. A different head for every occasion. Hiding yourself in plain sight. This is a person that would rather jump off a cliff than spend a moment alone with their inner thoughts. Possibly someone that cannot bear to be alone at all.

They may be completely dependent on someone else, can bounce from relationship to relationship or even interchange relationships. They will always find a way to pull people into their zone for as long as possible. Now this is easily achieved with social media; one doesn’t ever need to feel alone.

They will have performative causes to hide behind to appear caring, even if they are not directly affected by the cause they are championing. Public image is everything; it must be maintained like a landlord painting the outside fence when the house is rotting on the inside.
Take away all the masks however and you’re left with an empty, headless body.

How can you get to know thyself if you do not spend time with yourself?

Are you afraid to sit with your thoughts?

Do fill your time with activities constantly?

Do you get caught up in other people’s drama to hide from your own?

Do you ignore and wash over feelings that are building up inside?

Another flipside to this occurs with Langwidere. She is so self-important that others are not worthy of her time or attention and so she isolates herself from others with adequate distraction. This is the flip side of the same issue. Likes to have opinions but does not like to receive any. Can’t have someone pointing out their weakness or wrong doings. This person can be very opinionated; a desktop warrior.

If you do converse with them, they will talk at you, over you, you can’t even get a word in. Therefore, they never listen, making their advice useless or leaving you feeling lectured rather than a part of the conversation. If you disagree, however, you may find yourself excluded from their social life or unwelcome as you have a habit of contradicting them in public or highlighting flaws or issues not to be brought to attention. Very much like the first example, except this person is more of an elitist. Careful about who they share time with and distracts themselves with ‘keeping themselves busy.’

If these are the characteristics of one person, it can cause great internal conflict. They don’t want to be alone but can’t stand other people. So, they find themselves in a state of chaos.
This is represented by the two pillars. One pillar is still standing, the other has toppled over. This shows imbalance, polarity, reactionary behaviour. Boaz still stands as the façade of strength but in this sense it is usually put on display, even though internally everything is weak and unstable. This can lead to this person being fiery, aggressive in behaviour or prone to violent outbursts. Fitting, as this card is symbolised by fire when reversed.

On top of the Boaz pillar there is an overturned vessel, referring to Peorth and to spilled water. All emotions have run out of the cup leaving the person cold and aloof or in the moment of tipping, the person has lost control of their emotions all together.

With one of the pillars toppled, the veil has been torn down. This means the truth is revealed. This can be truths better left unrevealed. Things best kept to oneself, personal truths not meant for the world to see. Again, social media is a great example of privacy violations and how people’s lives can be used as weapons against them. This causes great stress, emotional turmoil, feelings of inadequacy, everything is up for scrutiny from all angles. This is shown with the mirrors, which our princess has smashed and turned her back on. Truth can be revealed but also cruel. If not dealt with properly can cause more damage than good, especially when in the hands of a vindictive person.

The Moon is full and governs all. Emotions run rampant, acting without thinking, reacting instead of planning. Our princess is the centre of the waxing and waning moon symbol, meaning the full and new moon are absent. Nothing can be started or concluded, realisation never gained. Barren, un-nurturing and stuck in the eternal polarisation limbo of wax and wane. She is also blocked and cannot receive any information or inspiration. A creature of habit, an empty vessel like the one on Boaz.

Princess Mombi also looks like a mannequin. This coupled with her many heads demonstrates an individual that avoids and distracts by being a chameleon, like Julia Roberts in the film Runaway Bride. This character changes her tastes and interests to suit others around her instead of having her own concrete personality. It’s okay to have different hats for different situations, but it’s another thing to have a false personality to gain acceptance. The illusion will only last so long. It will break down and you will be found out or you will break down and then be found out.

How can you be true to yourself if you are having to change who you are to please other people?

This is also a reference to the act of ‘glamouring’ people.

Wearing a mask of deception to please others for your own gain. This makes you a blank canvas; a mirror of what others want to see, rather than allowing the real you to show.

The hourglass her mannequin body sits on refers to finite time, which a falsified personality has to exist bringing the whole world down for that person when the bubble pops or reality catches up. The person’s mirror may shatter or they may hide it again by flipping the hour glass and simply changing heads. This is usually the sticky situation a narcissist finds themselves in when their lies and manipulations come unstuck and people start talking to one another. They either have to face everyone or flee and assume a new identity.

The Crone:

This was inspired by two characters: Mombi (as she appears in the books) and the widow of the web from the movie Krull.

A lonely old woman, rejected, ostracised, bitter and resentful. She is the old woman who uses secrets to hurt those close to her. This is a person who after a lifetime of wrong choices is going to take it out on everybody around them. Surrounded by a web to stick them to. She is riding a monster: half turtle, half spider. The turtle is someone who withdraws into themselves rather than face the truth. Avoids problems and ignores conflicts in general, even to their own detriment. The spider however is a creature of habit, lashing out at anything caught in its web. This animal is someone who is stuck in a problem they can’t escape from, bound by the web. They try to ignore and hide from it but also act erratically and aggressively when the outside world discovers what is going on.

Quite often, especially in domestic violence cases, the person who tries to step in and help the victim can be attacked by the victim themselves. Instead of taking the help offered, they withdraw and lash out. The helper pays the price for interfering.

Are you the victim?

Have you turned away help offered?

Are you trying to help someone that can’t be helped?

In this type of situation, the person must free themselves from their own web if you try and go in you will end up entangled in their web of chaos.

The Crone has taken so long to realise the error of her ways that reconciliation with loved ones is virtually impossible. Years of mistreatment have built brick walls that will take too long to crumble down. Trust will need to be re-established; forgiveness gained. Sometimes our elders, if like this, realise as they draw to the end of their lives that they are all alone and need to make amends. This can be difficult for both parties. Is death a good enough motive?

Are you able to reconcile, forgive, apologise or accept?

So, in this one card you can see a connection of pathways and choices that leads to each other through the maiden, mother, crone aspect. All affected by the attitudes of our one male character.

Are you the victim of sexual harassment, misogyny, chauvinism, internalised misogyny, homophobia, bi-phobia, heterosexism, trans* pathologization, transphobia, sexism?

Abuse?

Don’t accept it, seek help, exit that scenario. Every person is a divine being, the ruler of their own universe and so deserves to be treated like one. Likewise, if you have suffered because of it, speak, share, unburden, you shouldn’t have to carry this alone.

Are you the type of person that wants to be responsible for a lifetime of abuse like these female archetypes have to suffer? That gender-diverse people have to suffer?

Do you want to inflict self-doubt, anxiety, low self-worth, body issues, embarrassment, gender control, self-deprecation, homophobia, internalised misogyny on others? Are your actions in any way lending to these issues?

Are you allowing this to happen around you?

In your workplace? at your favourite hangout?

Is this an issue in your society that you could do something about?

This card mainly deals with femininity, self-gnosis and self-worth.

However, I feel it worth mentioning these subjects are awfully similar to any of the ism’s and phobias.

Society is rife with people hating on other people for the colour of their skin, their orientation, their beliefs, their body size/type, their class etc. Any hate or prejudice is blocking someone from having happiness. It’s time to stop the hate, disassemble the organisations that propagate hate speech, boycott religions and businesses that thrive on the misfortune and exclusion of others.

By no means am I saying start a fight, a riot, lose your job etc. but if you don’t contribute to it and don’t turn a blind eye there will be one less person in the world keeping things unequal. 

Everyone needs to know themselves in their own way to discover their true path. Who are we to stand in the way of someone’s destiny? Everyone deserves equality.

Peorth:
P Dice cup, dice, mystery, vagina (vulva), magic, initiation, a secret, unknown .

Merkstave: Addiction, stagnation, malaise, loneliness.

Peorth in merkstave warns of the inability to be clearheaded and unable to understand due to addictions. How can you be aware of your surroundings if you’re out of it?

How can you make sound decisions if you’re out of it?

How can others rely on you if you’re always out of it?

How can you be trusted if you are driven by an addiction?

How can you live a happy and fulfilling life you aren’t in it?

Addiction is a one-way path to isolation and permanent stagnation.
Peorth also talks about fate, chance, not having control. That old saying ‘the dice is cast.’ So be present and awake, so that you can adapt to the situations that life throws you.

This can also include other’s manipulations and hidden agendas. Don’t be so trusting of advice that goes against your own intuition. Try and be aware of motives of those trying to influence your life.

Uruz:

U, Ur, Auroch, Ox, Strength.

Merkstave: Weakness, ignorance, obsession, domination and manipulation of others, sickness

I feel this quote from Joanne Walmsley – Sacred Scribes site is super important, 

‘To find your true strengths, you must first face your weaknesses’.

This one quote sums up the whole High Priestess card upright and reversed. It embodies shadow work and the entire Merkstave project. It is also why I said that the High Priestess card is one of the most important cards of the deck.

Uruz tells you to take a very honest look at yourself, pinpoint those weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Be aware of yourself and sure of yourself. Like Atreyu in The Neverending Story, facing the mirror in his final challenge of the oracle. It is scary looking at yourself with an objective eye, realising that you may have made a mistake that has derailed you. Admitting you have flaws. But it is so important for personal growth.

Uruz also talks about being led astray, being manipulated or preyed upon. Becoming a victim of other people’s dominance. Having your own strengths used against you for others gain.

The main thing to take from this is to not hate yourself but learn about yourself, so that you can recognise behaviour and turn negative traits into positive ones. Don’t get swept up in other people’s ideals, be strong enough to love yourself and those around you without prejudice.

Be the strong individual you are meant to be and a pillar of strength and influence for others. This is the key to unlocking equality in society and healing all the hate in the world. Eliminating self-hate with recognition of your worth.