Today’s card reminds me that wisdom and age are no more joined at the hip than foolishness and youth. Here we see a young woman holding a scroll of knowledge. A large hat sits on her head. I think it looks like a Greek Orthodox priest’s hat. Obviously, I’m no expert on that religion so that may be way off.
Anywho! She’s young. She almost looks like a schoolgirl with her ruffled lace collar and white stockings. But her gaze is clear and direct. She’s seen things you and I haven’t yet. She’s known how the world works for a long time.
Sometimes I forget that age doesn’t equal wisdom. I can point to more than a handful of those who are “old enough to know better” but don’t. I can point to an equal number of those who should be carefree and not worried about the state of the world, but are.
When I was fifteen, twenty five was officially “too old to have fun.” Now that I’m fifty-one (and a half, thank you very much), I am not sure if there is an age that is “too old to have fun.” Okay, so maybe my fifteen year old self would find sitting at an auction for nine hours fun, but my fifty one year old self certainly did.
That fifteen year old me held passions that have never gone away. I started talking to trees (and getting answers) when I was eleven (the year my father died.) I’ve never stopped that. I’ve never stopped weeping when a healthy tree is cut down for no reason. I’ve never stopped believing that my animals talk to me all the time and I’m just not getting the full message.
So what if this High Priestess has a young face? So what if her face is unlined? Perhaps her lines are on the inside. Perhaps I need to remember that everyone has something to share and to teach. Perhaps I need to look at my ideas of wisdom with younger eyes.
This fabulous High Priestess is from a brand new deck released by U.S. Games Systems Inc. I want to be clear. I review for USGS which means they send me free product. That doesn’t influence my thoughts or opinions on these decks. This is the Dreaming Way Tarot, 2012.
Seek joy, y’all! Pass it on!