For our third birthday party, we decided to use the High Priestess card from the tarot as a focal point of our theme.
Traditional Rider-Waite image of the High Priestess.
The High Priestess (number 2 in the major arcana) is a concept that is a little difficult to explain when she shows up in a reading. It’s not a very advanced card, but if you don’t master this energy in the course of your journey, it’s difficult to move ahead in a natural, organic, and confident manner.
The High Priestess is, essentially, both looking back and reflecting on what you have learned and experienced thus far, and at the same time, looking ahead to how you might apply those lessons as you continue to grow.
Given that we have now outlasted our lease and seem to still be in business, this card is very appropriate to the staff of Once Upon A Silver Moon as we look ahead to what comes next. We have had some rough times in the past, and more than a few days wondering if the rent will get paid or if it was time to throw in the towel, but the business has been rather insistent that it’s going to succeed.
We’ve always managed to come through the dark times somehow. And now that we’ve reached this benchmark, we might as well assume that we have been doing something right, and continue to plan to be around for the long haul.
To that end, we’ve decided to adopt the viewpoint of a Grown Up business, and look into things that will help us transition from “beginning phase” into “building a legacy phase”. Things like planning to get a real point-of-sale system after the holidays to keep track of our inventory in real time, which will lessen some of the paperwork on my end. Switching credit card processors to be able to handle the new system and also to be able to be compliant with the chip-and-PIN technology that is supposed to be rolled out in the next few days. Woo! Can’t wait!!
But it’s not all boring administrative stuff. We’re also trying to figure out how to identify what we need to shore up, where we need to improve, and more excitingly, what we need to do next. What’s over the horizon? Don’t know yet, but the name of the game is “grow up”. Healthy, strong, stable growth, and taking risks that will either level us up or kill us outright. We prefer the former, so risks are going to be based in reality… no nightclubs, thanks.
At our 3rd birthday party we handed out favor bags that contained a meditation, a little black tealight, a tiny die, and a vial of High Priestess oil I made for the occasion. The oil contains, among other things, pomegranite and dill seeds and angelica root. Each of the ingredients is keyed to one of the meditations below.
While driving home from work a few days before the party I came up with the random idea that it would be cool to come up with a multiple choice meditation, since there are so many facets to the High Priestess card. A dice roll suggested itself, so below, find the meditation I provided, fleshed out a little bit more than what I included on the small slip of paper in the favor bag.
High Priestess Dice Meditation
Anoint a black candle with High Priestess oil. We’re using black here because the High Priestess energy is about introspection, looking into the shadows and foraging about in the caverns 0f your mind to see what hidden treasures you might find in there.
When the meditation mentions the “situation”, this is whatever it is you are looking into. It could be taking stock of where you are in life, in your big picture. It can be something specific like if you are thinking about changing jobs. It can be relationships. The goal of the meditation is to gain some insight about where you have come from, where you are now, and where you will go from here, with your eyes open.
Light some incense (we like the Song of India “Temple” incense for this). Calm yourself and open your third eye. When you are ready, light the candle.
Roll a die. Use the corresponding number below to guide you into meditation as the candle burns.
1 – POTENTIAL. Mentally explore the possibilities of your situation and listen to your Inner Voice. What is your gut feeling about the situation? What do you already know, intuitively as well as academically, that can aid you in making wise choices? How big can this thing get? Are you setting your sights too low? This is the time to think BIG. Don’t settle for mediocrity when you can see a bigger potential – dream big, aim high, say YES! I CAN! When looking at the raw potential, don’t put limits on it. You can scale it down during the planning phase, but for now, don’t worry too much about practicality. This is the dream – so dream it up!
2 – SHADOW. What are your fears about the situation? By recognizing them early on, you may find your greatest potential for success lies in challenging your biggest fear. Don’t sell yourself short because something is outside your comfort zone. A little seed will soon outgrow its starter pot, but this is just how these things go. If you have a plan, you will move into “bigger pots” as you go, so take things one step at a time. Don’t cling to tiny pots – you will only suppress your own root system and hinder your own growth. And they’ll start to pinch, anyway. So know that outgrowing a little pot is progress, and natural, not a reason to hold yourself back. Fears can be overcome by chipping away around the edges until there isn’t really much of anything left. By confronting your Shadow you will be able to turn those fears into amazing strengths.
3 – OUTSIDE CHALLENGES. Things like funding, assistance, location. Think outside the box to find solutions to tough problems. If your path is blocked, go off the path to achieve your goal. Proximity an issue? Look at moving. Health problems? Work within your limits – but stretch those limits a little more each time. Outside challenges sometimes require the assistance of others. Be open to receiving that assistance, and ask for it to manifest. If money is the problem, you might see if you can team up with someone who has money but lacks time or focus. Must you do things all on your own? Probably not! Make sure an outside challenge is not really a secret fear with a mask on.
4 – FOUNDATIONS. Having established a decent foundation, evaluate it. Patch or change problem areas before your get stuck in your ways. Are you, for example, using a 20 year old cash register because you didn’t have money for a new POS system (like us)? Is it time to grow up into a more appropriate solution now that things have stabilized? Don’t do things the hard way once it’s time to move past that phase. Yes, foundation building is important – but once you are past that stage, it’s time to build ON the foundation – and growth requires time and energy. What can you simplify in your foundation that will allow you to focus your energies in more productive ways?
5 – CROSSROADS. Contemplate the web of possibilities from your current position. It is better to grow with a challenge than to have regrets from taking the easier, yet less fulfilling, path. What baggage can you leave behind at the crossroads? Is there some skill or experience you might want to pick up, a side journey, that you might want to try before moving on to the next step? Crossroads are great places to meet other travellers, too – is there a meetup group or some other type of social club where you can exchange ideas and share experiences?
6 – LEGACY. Recharging is important. The fallow time is when nature renews and replenishes the fields. Be sure to allow this scheduled maintenance to keep you fresh and efficient, so you can have a lasting outcome. Have you had a vacation lately? Make sure to take time out to rejuvenate yourself.
When a field lies dormant, it’s not doing nothing. There are small forces at work breaking down the old stuff back into its nutrients, so that the next crop of plants can use them. If you just keep on pushing ahead you’re going to burn your field out until there is nothing left but dirt.
A helper who can take care of some of the details is one of the best ways for the visionary to recharge. The visionary will never be able to achieve the potential they have imagined if they are trying to do all of it themselves.
It is not weakness at all to delegate some of the tasks of your vision – it is a sign of growth and strength to be able to trust yourself enough to hand over some of the control to someone else. Clear your field, clear your head, clear your schedule, and recover from the exhaustive work of manifesting.
The void, chaos, the Deep, the dark – these are where creativity comes from. You must never lose your ability to access this realm if you are going to level up. If you keep your head buried under the muck of every day existence, you will not be able to achieve your potential and your dreams will become regrets. Also, you get grumpy, and people won’t like hanging out with you anymore, and that sucks.
Legacy is not something that happens by accident – it is built. Is it your goal to push one plow, or are you called to feed the world?
Once you have nourished your soil, leap back in with vigor and joy. Plant your next field, grow your next crop, attack that next project, and level up.
