In a previous post I spoke about working with triads in tarot, a concept introduced to me by Rachel Pollack in Tarot Wisdom (one of my favorite tarot books). You can see in the image below the major arcana have been broken up into 3 lines, each line representing a part of our consciousness, with the Fool outside of the lines, observing and learning—like we are!
The first line, cards 1-7 represents the unconscious, the way we instinctually move through the world
The second line, cards 8-14 represent the subconscious, what is happening below the surface of awareness
The third line, cards 15-21 representing the superconscious, our higher selves that exists beyond what is unconscious and subconscious
To explore the medicine the tarot has to offer you, we read these cards vertically rather than horizontal. In my previous post I shared a Venn Diagram of the first triad which includes, The Magician, Strength and The Devil and gave various journal prompts for exploring how these archetypes can help teach you how to understand yourself as a spiritual being having a human experience.
Refer back to the previous post for those journal prompts! Let's move on to the second triad, The High Priestess, The Hermit and The Tower. These three powerful archetypes all deal specifically with the mind and how to learn to trust your intuition as the path to finding your inner knowing.
These three cards together speak to me in a circular pattern, learning to trust your intuition with The High Priestess, discovering your inner wisdom and how to share it with The Hermit, and being willing to let it all crash down to rebuild with The Tower. This triad reminds us that we have access to everything we need to know about ourselves and the world at any time, and that we also mustn't cling too tightly to our beliefs. The more we cling, the more painful it becomes when it is time for evolution.
Journal Prompts for working with the second triad:
- How does your intuition present itself to you? Is it a gut feeling, inner knowing, or a small nagging nudge or whisper?
- Imagine The High Priestess and The Hermit having a conversation over tea, what might they be speaking about? Write down the first thing that comes to mind, no wrong answers!
- How comfortable are you speaking up and sharing about your intuitive guidance? Do you feel the need to have more concrete information behind you or do you feel confident in trusting your body/mind's messages?
- How can you lean into the wisdom that comes from within you during times of upheaval?
You can also take your inquiry a step further by bringing in the astrological correspondences of each of these cards. The High Priestess is The Moon, The Hermit is Virgo and The Tower is the planet Mars. The moon is associated with intuition, mystery, and seeing what is hidden in the dark, along with feminine cycles. While Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the messenger of the gods and directly related to communication and the many facets of the mind. Mars is the fiery planet associated with war, action, and sexual expression. Bearing these astrological assignments, what might those planetary energies have to share with you about your own mind, the way you process information and interpret the messages from your body?
Close your eyes and imagine the relationship between your personal moon sign, mine is Scorpio and your Mercury sign, mine is Leo and your Mars sign, mine is Libra. These three planetary archetypes will be different for you, but all carry their own energy and flavor to how your mindset shapes the way you move in the world.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments!