Invoking the High Priestess
An oracle in our midst.
Walking home through darkened streets this evening, I felt comforted by the luminous presence of a full moon.
The timing felt like a wink from the High Priestess, who graced us with an appearance at last night’s session of the Resonant Man.
We worked with the card to support our deepening exploration of intuition — a significant thread woven through this month’s theme of the Feminine.
The High Priestess — associated with the moon-goddess Isis, among countless other archetypal Feminine figures — wears one full and two crescent moons on her crown, a symbol of her knowledge of nature’s rhythms and cycles. The lunar headgear also represents her connection to ‘universal mind’, and her capacity to ‘download’ this higher-dimensional awareness on behalf of her community, via her finely tuned intuitive capacities.
Provided, of course, we approach her with due reverence, respect and care.
It might seem almost counter-intuitive for a men’s group to invoke the High Priestess, especially in this early phase of our year-long arc.
And yet, as Jacob summarised last week, it felt essential to inquire into how the Feminine lives in and through us — at least in part to potentiate our forthcoming exploration of our relationship with more classically Masculine-oriented themes, as the Northern winter turns to spring.
I was reminded during the session how, in my own process, I’ve begun to become much more attuned to how easily I lose touch with my intuition when I’m reacting to a trigger, or acting out a script held by some much younger part of myself.
Last month’s exploration of Resonant Dialogue has already served to grow my capacity to discern when I’m in flow with the people and situations around me, and when I’m out of step.
As Theresa Bullard, whose guide to the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot has had a big influence on me, explains, the four-armed cross worn by the High Priestess represents the Hermetic law ‘As above, So below.’ For me, this principle serves as a reminder of the kinds of radically expanded potentials implied by holographic or fractal models of reality, in contrast to the more constrained, linear mechanisms of cause and effect that we’ve mostly been taught to embrace.
This form of equal-armed cross also evokes the importance of striking a balance between two types of inputs: The inspired, intuitive stream of guidance we receive from above — or the ‘vertical’, in the parlance of some teachers; and the data our physical senses render from the ‘horizontal’ plane of the mundane, more tangible world we inhabit day-to-day.
As anyone who’s engaged in any form of consistent spiritual practice can attest, that’s never an easy balance to strike.
With all that said, after our moment of honouring the depth of Feminine wisdom channelled by the High Priestess, I feel there may be a little more help available than usual this week to stay ahead of my triggers, and to remember that intuitive guidance is always available — if I can find the humility to ask.
— Matthew
Learn more from The Resonant Man and hear about upcoming events for men and women:
How To Take Part
Jacob and I convene a 90-minute Resonant Man men’s circle every Sunday at 1900 GMT (2000 CEST / 1400 EST / 1100 PST). A nucleus of men have been meeting since November, and we are welcoming new joiners.
The cost of participation is £125 per month, including four 90-minute live online sessions per month, and continued discussion and support via a WhatsApp group.
The circles will run at least until November 2025, which will mark the completion of the initial one-year commitment Jacob and I have made to this initiative — which we anticipate will then continue.
We recognise some men may wish to join on an open-ended basis, while others may find it valuable to attend for a month or two — with the possibility open to return. Either way, the space is open for new men to take part.
If you feel like you might be interested, drop us a reply to this post via email, or post in the comments below, and we can organise a call. Thank you!