The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 39 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton
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THE HIGH PRIESTESS. THE HIGH PRIESTESS. 2. ב 2nd Hebrew letter (Beth). ORIGIN OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE SECOND CARD OF THE TAROT. The Beth hieroglyphically expresses the mouth of man as the organ of speech. Speech is the production of man's inner self. Therefore Beth expresses that inner self, central as a dwelling, to which one can retire without fear of disturbance. From this ideas arise of a Sanctuary, an inviolate abode for man and for God. But the Beth also expresses every production that emanates from this mysterious retreat, every internal activity, and from it issue ideas of Instruction, of the higher Knowledge, of Law, of Erudition, of occult Science or Kabbalah. Beth corresponds with the number 2, and astronomically with the moon. This number has given birth to all the passive significations emanated from the Binary, hence the ideas of reflection, of Woman; applied to the Moon relatively to the Sun, and to Woman relatively to Man. THE SECOND CARD OF THE TAROT. The High Priestess . God himself, or God the Father, reflects himself, and gives birth to God the Man, or God the Son, the negative relatively to his creator. As we have seen, man is the divine receiver, therefore this second card of the Tarot will express all the ideas of the first conceived negatively. The first card represents a man standing; this, on the contrary, bears the figure of a seated woman . (First idea of passivity) by the woman and by her position. The man, endowed with all the attributes of Power, was placed in the midst of nature. The woman is adorned with all the attributes of Authority and persuasion, and she is placed under the porch of the temple of Isis, between two columns. Idea of a sacred dwelling, of a divine recipient. The two columns, like the arms of the Juggler, express the Positive and the Negative. The woman is crowned with a tiara, surmounted by the lunar crescent, she is enveloped in a transparent veil falling over her face. On her breast she bears the solar cross, and upon her knees lies an open book, which she half covers with her mantle. This is the picture of Isis, of Nature, whose veil must not be raised before the profane. The book indicates that the doctrines of Isis are bidden; but she divulges to the magi the secrets of the true Kabbalah, and of occult science. We must admire this profound symbol. The first card expressed Osiris in the three worlds; this second gives us the signification of Isis, the companion of Osiris-- In God it is the reflex of Osiris, the reflex of God the Father, Isis, or God the Son. In Man it is the reflex of Adam of the absolute man: Eve, the woman, life (min). In the Universe it is the reflex of natura naturans : it is natura naturata . 2. ב The High Priestess . AFFINITIES SIGNIFICATIONS Hieroglyphic: The Mouth of Man Kabbalah: Chocmah Astronomy: The Moon ☽ Day of the Week: Monday Hebrew letter: Beth (Double) Reflex of God the Father or Osiris GOD the Son ISIS yod of he he he __________ Reflex of Adam EVE the woman he of he he he OBSERVATIONS Reflex of Natura naturans NATURA NATURATA vau of he he he __________ 2 nd he of he
The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.
The text emphasizes the reflection of divine principles across three levels (God, Man, Universe), embodying the 'as above, so below' axiom.
A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.
The passage explicitly describes a cascading reflection from God the Father to God the Son, paralleled in Man (Adam/Eve) and the Universe (Natura naturans/naturata).
The Hermetic doctrine that a masculine-feminine generative principle operates on every plane of being, not only the biological — present at all times as a structural feature of creation itself. Distinct from divine_marriage (a specific reunification event or symbol) and aeons (paired divine beings arranged in syzygies, not a universal structural claim).
The text extensively discusses masculine-feminine principles (Sun/Moon, Man/Woman, Positive/Negative) as structural features of creation and the Tarot card.
The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.
The passage draws direct parallels between the divine structure (Father/Son) and human structure (Adam/Eve), positioning man as a reflection of the divine.
The Hermetic doctrine that apparent opposites are identical in nature but differ in degree — two extremes of the same scale (hot/cold, love/hate) — such that one pole can be shifted toward its opposite by a change of degree ('mental transmutation'). Distinct from opposites_transcended (a completion-state marking the path's end, not this doctrine's active technique) and magical_equilibrium (balance held BETWEEN two forces, not identity-by-degree of what looks like two forces).
The text describes the two columns as expressing the Positive and the Negative, and discusses the Binary as giving birth to passive significations.