Queen of Tarot

The ancient wisdom of the cards

The Papess Tarot Card Meaning and Art Marseilles Pattern Trumps

Designation

The Papess

About the Deck

Marseilles Pattern Trumps

A typical French tarot pattern.

Provenance

France, 18th Century

Tags

trumps-2, the-papess

According to Many Schools of Thought

A. E. Waite's Secondary Meanings

The High Priestess, the Pope Joan, or Female Pontiff; early expositors have sought to term this card the Mother, or Pope's Wife, which is opposed to the symbolism. It is sometimes held to represent the Divine Law and the Gnosis, in which case the Priestess corresponds to the idea of the Shekinah. She is the Secret Tradition and the higher sense of the instituted Mysteries.

S. L. MacGregor Mathers's Divinatory Meanings

Upright

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education

Reversed

Conceit, Ignorance, Unskilfulness, Superficial Knowledge.

Papus's Divinatory Meanings

Female Inquirer.