Veiled truths, moonlit guidance, and the power of sacred stillness

When the High Priestess appears in a reading, the message is rarely loud — but it’s always powerful.

She is the guardian of the subconscious, the stillness between yes and no, and the embodiment of deep, feminine knowing.
And her symbols — the veil, the moon, the pomegranate — speak to the mysteries she holds.

The High Priestess doesn’t offer answers.
She offers questions that unlock your inner truth.

🌙 The Moon – Intuition, Cycles & the Subconscious

The moon at her feet (and often above her head) is no accident.
In tarot symbolism, the moon represents:

• The unconscious mind

• Psychic ability and heightened sensitivity

• Cycles of change and shadow work

• The divine feminine and hidden wisdom

It’s a reminder that not all truths are logical — some are felt, revealed slowly in dreamlike layers.

In readings, the moon in her imagery asks:
✨ What truth is rising from within?
✨ What are you sensing that words haven’t yet explained?

🔮 The Veil – Hidden Knowledge and Sacred Thresholds

Behind the High Priestess is a delicate veil — often decorated with palms, pomegranates, or sacred geometry.
It separates the seen from the unseen, the physical from the spiritual.

Symbolically, the veil represents:

• Mystery — what is not yet ready to be revealed

• Spiritual boundaries — what must be earned or embodied to be understood

• Initiation — the threshold between the mundane and the mystical

When this symbol appears, it invites you to:
✨ Pause before you push
✨ Honour the sacred unknown
✨ Trust that what’s hidden will be revealed in time

🍎 The Pomegranate – Fertility, Wisdom & the Underworld

Often seen either behind her or embroidered on the veil, pomegranates are rich with meaning:

• Feminine wisdom and creative power

• Mysteries of life, death, and rebirth

• Connection to Persephone and the underworld journey

• Seeds of knowledge — each one containing a world

This fruit is ancient, lush, and sacred. In divination, it symbolises the power that lies within the depths — especially those parts we fear, forget, or overlook.

When the High Priestess Appears…

She asks you to:

• Slow down

• Listen inward

• Honour your intuition over outside noise

• Wait for the inner “yes” before moving forward

She doesn’t demand answers — she waits for you to feel your way to them.

Because not everything that’s real can be seen.
Not everything that’s wise needs to be spoken.

Sometimes the greatest truth is the one whispered from within.

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x

Sacred equilibrium, clear truth, and the sword that cuts through illusion

The Justice card stands tall and still — not dramatic, not emotional, but absolutely unshakeable.
In tarot, it’s the embodiment of truth, fairness, accountability, and consequences.

When this card appears, it’s not about punishment. It’s about balance.
It’s about getting honest — with yourself, with others, and with the wider universe.
And the symbols within this card? They don’t mess about.

⚖️ The Scales – Balance, Karma, and Weighing the Truth

The scales are Justice’s most iconic symbol — a direct reference to:

• Balance — not just between people, but within yourself

• Karma — the law of cause and effect

• Evaluation — weighing all sides before making a decision

In readings, the scales ask:
✨ What’s out of balance right now — and what would restore harmony?
✨ Are you being fair — to others and to yourself?
✨ What truth needs to be weighed more carefully?

The scales remind us: justice isn’t about emotion. It’s about truth.

🗡️ The Sword – Clarity, Truth, and Decisive Action

Held upright in Justice’s hand, the sword represents:

• Discernment – the ability to cut through confusion or lies

• Truth – even when it’s uncomfortable

• Decisiveness – the courage to act with clarity and integrity

This isn’t the aggressive sword of The Knight — this is a still blade. A symbol of mental clarity and spiritual precision.

It asks:
✨ What needs to be cut away?
✨ Are you ready to face the truth — even if it challenges you?

Justice doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t twist the truth to suit the story.
She holds it up and lets it speak for itself.

👁️ The Uncovered Eyes – Conscious, Present, Awake

Unlike other archetypes of blind justice, tarot’s Justice sees everything.
Her eyes are wide open — because truth must be seen to be known.

Symbolically, this means:

• Nothing is hidden

• Illusions can’t survive scrutiny

• Accountability is conscious and aware

Justice doesn’t hide behind ideals — she looks you straight in the eye and says:
“You already know what’s right. Are you ready to act on it?”

When Justice Appears…

It might be time to:

• Take responsibility for your actions

• Consider the long-term consequences of a choice

• Speak or seek the truth, even if it’s hard

• Restore balance in a relationship or situation

Justice calls us to live in alignment — with our values, our truth, and our integrity.

It’s not always easy.
But it is right.

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x

When everything falls apart… to fall into place

The Tower is one of the most dramatic and confronting cards in the tarot.
Lightning splits the sky. A crown falls. People are flung from a crumbling structure. And yet — for those willing to see beyond the rubble, it’s a card of liberation.

Because while The Tower looks like disaster, it’s really a spiritual clean slate.

In the world of symbology, The Tower represents destruction, yes — but not punishment.
It’s truth breaking through illusion.
It’s divine fire purifying what can no longer stand.
It’s the crack that lets the light in.

⚡ The Lightning – Sudden Illumination

The bolt of lightning that strikes The Tower comes from above — a direct hit from the divine, symbolic of:

• Sudden truth

• Awakening or realisation

• A powerful insight that can’t be ignored

It often appears in readings when something is being revealed — and once seen, it cannot be unseen.

Ask:
✨ What truth is striking through right now?
✨ What clarity have I been avoiding?

🏰 The Tower – False Foundations

The crumbling tower itself symbolises the structures we’ve built our lives upon — beliefs, relationships, identities, jobs, habits — that are no longer sustainable.

The symbolism here is:

• Ego collapse

• Breaking down of old paradigms

• Release of outdated structures

• Shifting from control to surrender

It’s painful, yes. But it’s also a deep mercy — because what can’t support your soul must go.

👑 The Falling Crown – The Death of Ego

A golden crown is flung from the top of the tower. This isn’t just about monarchy — it’s about ego.

The crown symbolises:

• False power

• Illusion of control

• Identities we cling to out of fear

When the crown falls, so does the illusion.
And beneath it? Your true self waits, ready to rise.

🕊️ Rebirth After the Fall

While the card itself looks chaotic, it’s followed in the tarot by The Star — the symbol of hope, healing, and divine guidance. The message is clear:

Destruction isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.

In divination, The Tower’s symbols remind us that:

• Collapse is sacred

• Change is non-negotiable

• Truth frees you, even if it burns on the way through

When The Tower Appears…

It may not feel gentle — but it’s always purposeful.

Ask:
✨ What is being cleared away, even if I don’t feel ready?
✨ What truth have I been resisting?
✨ What might rise from the ashes once I surrender?

Because The Tower doesn’t destroy for the sake of it.
It clears the ground for something real to take root.

Let the walls fall.
Let the light in.
Let yourself begin again.

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x

When shadow becomes mirror and the symbol becomes the spark

The Devil card in tarot often triggers discomfort — and that’s exactly the point.

This isn’t a card of external evil or punishment. It’s a card about bondage by choice, illusion mistaken for truth, and the power to break free.

The symbols within The Devil are bold and intense: 🔥 fire, ⛓️ chains, 🧿 temptation, the goat, the pentagram. They challenge us to look at where we’re giving our power away — and what we’re ready to reclaim.

Because in divination, darkness doesn’t mean danger.
It means depth.

🧿 The Devil as a Symbol – Not Evil, but Illusion

The Devil card isn’t about literal demons.
It’s about the things that feel inescapable but aren’t — addiction, obsession, self-sabotage, fear, conditioning.

When this card appears, it often signals:

• Feeling trapped by something external — or internal

• A pattern that’s holding you back

• A false sense of powerlessness

The key symbolism here isn’t doom… it’s awakening.

⛓️ The Chains – Voluntary Bondage

In the traditional Rider-Waite card, two figures stand chained to a pedestal beneath The Devil — but the chains are loose. They could remove them, but don’t.

This imagery asks:

• Where are you choosing comfort over freedom?

• What stories are keeping you small?

• What part of you feels bound — and why?

The chains are symbolic of:

• Limiting beliefs

• Toxic attachments

• Internalised fear or shame

• False identities

And the truth is: the key is always within reach.

🔥 The Fire – Temptation, Energy & Transformation

Fire in The Devil card is wild — not the sacred hearth flame, but the untamed blaze of desire and ego.

Fire here can mean:

• Unchecked passion

• Seduction by power or pleasure

• The energy of transformation (when owned, not feared)

It’s important to remember: fire isn’t “bad.” It’s raw power. It’s how we use it that defines the outcome.

In divination, this fire might ask:

• Are you suppressing something vital — or feeding it without awareness?

• Is there a truth burning to be claimed?

🐐 The Goat – Wildness, Earthiness & Instinct

Often depicted as a horned figure or the goat-headed Baphomet, The Devil is a symbol of primal instinct — the part of us that’s animal, earthy, unfiltered.

This symbol represents:

• Untamed desire

• Bodily sovereignty

• Spiritual independence (often misread as rebellion)

In many traditions, the goat is sacred — a climber of mountains, a creature of persistence. In tarot, it dares us to ask:
✨ What if the “forbidden” is actually the doorway to freedom?

The Inverted Pentagram – Spirit Reversed, Power Misused

Sometimes The Devil bears an inverted pentagram — a symbol often misunderstood. Upright, the pentagram represents the elements in harmony, with spirit at the top. Inverted, it can represent:

• Over-identification with the material

• Spirit buried beneath ego or illusion

• Power used for control instead of growth

It’s not a warning of evil. It’s a mirror — showing where imbalance lives and asking how we might restore alignment.

When The Devil Appears…

Ask yourself:
✨ What illusion am I buying into right now?
✨ Where do I feel trapped — and what’s the truth beneath that?
✨ What power am I ready to reclaim from the shadows?

Because The Devil doesn’t ask for obedience.
It asks for awareness.
It asks for choice.

And once you see through the illusion, you’re no longer bound by it.

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x

Spiritual light, soul renewal, and the path after the storm

After the Tower crumbles and the ground feels uncertain, there it is —
a single star shining through the darkness.

The Star is one of the most beloved cards in the tarot, and for good reason. It brings hope, healing, and spiritual reassurance. It tells us that the worst is behind us, that renewal is possible, and that divine guidance is quietly lighting the way forward.

Whether it appears in a card, a dream, or a quiet moment of clarity, the symbol of the star invites us to return to faith, intuition, and light — even when we feel lost.

🌟 The Star in Tarot – A Symbol of Healing and Spiritual Trust

Traditionally the Star shows a naked figure kneeling, pouring water into a pool and onto the land. Above her, a large central star glows, surrounded by seven smaller ones — a symbol of divine connection, cosmic harmony, and spiritual alignment.

The water represents emotion and intuition. The land symbolises the material world. She pours into both — showing us that healing and trust must happen both within and without.

This card often appears:

• After a difficult time (especially following The Tower)

• When your faith is being restored

• When a quiet, gentle guidance is beginning to stir again

It whispers:
✨ You’re not alone.
✨ The path is returning.
✨ There is light — even if it’s faint, even if you can’t see the end.

💫 Stars as Spiritual Symbols

Across cultures, the star has always been a symbol of guidance.
Think of the North Star for navigators, the Star of Bethlehem, the seven-pointed Faery Star, or the stars used in astrology to divine personality and destiny.

Stars symbolise:

• Higher guidance or spiritual presence

• Soul purpose or a calling

• Renewal, clarity, and deep inner truth

• A return to calm after chaos

In a reading, a star might suggest:

• It’s safe to hope again

• You’re being guided, even if you can’t see the full map

• Healing is happening (or is ready to begin)

🌙 Symbolic Layers Within the Star Card

• Water – Intuition, emotional healing, the sacred feminine

• Nudity – Vulnerability, authenticity, truth without armour

• Stars – Cosmic support, spiritual messages, inner light

• Foot on land and in water – Balance between physical and spiritual realms

• Stillness – A pause, a breath, a return to centre

The Star doesn’t shout. It glows.

It doesn’t rush. It waits.

And it doesn’t demand faith — it simply reminds you where to look when you’re ready.

When The Star Appears…

✨ You are healing — even if you’re still aching
✨ You are being guided — even if the way is unclear
✨ You are held — even when you feel alone

It’s a promise that light returns.
Not always as fireworks — but as a single, steady glow. Enough to keep going.

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x

Discovering the sacred language that only your soul speaks

So far in this series, we’ve explored symbols that show up in tarot, oracle decks, runes, rituals, and spiritual traditions around the world. But some of the most powerful symbols you’ll ever encounter?
They won’t come from a book or a guide.
They’ll come from you.

Your personal symbology — the intuitive signs, images, and motifs that speak directly to your heart — is one of the most powerful tools you can weave into your divination practice.

Because when you begin to notice the patterns that arise in your life, dreams, visions, and readings, you start to build your own inner language. And that language?
It’s your soul’s way of saying: This matters. Pay attention.

🔮 What Are Personal Symbols?

Personal symbols are images, objects, creatures, shapes, or even words that carry unique meaning for you — based on your experiences, memories, dreams, or spiritual connection.

They might include:

• Animals you always dream of or see in readings

• A specific flower or tree you feel deeply drawn to

• Repeating numbers, colours, or geometric shapes

• Symbols that appear in visions or meditations

• Images that evoke a strong emotional or intuitive response — even if you don’t know why

These symbols often bypass logic and land straight in the heart.

🌙 How to Discover Your Personal Symbols

✨ Keep a symbol journal
Write down recurring images that show up in your dreams, readings, synchronicities, or creative work.

✨ Notice emotional responses
If something in a card, image, or moment makes you pause — follow that thread. Ask: What does this mean to me, not just traditionally?

✨ Use meditation or journeywork
Ask your guides, higher self, or subconscious: What symbol do I need to work with right now? See what appears.

✨ Pay attention to what’s always been with you
Sometimes personal symbols are inherited — family heirlooms, tattoos, childhood obsessions, ancestral images. Nothing is random.

🔁 Integrating Personal Symbols Into Your Practice

Once you’ve begun to identify personal symbols, you can begin weaving them into your divination work. Try:

• Creating your own oracle or sigil deck using personal imagery

• Designing a custom spread around a meaningful symbol (e.g., “The Butterfly Spread” for a transformation cycle)

• Placing symbolic objects on your altar or in your reading space

• Using your symbol as a question prompt: What is this fox trying to tell me right now?

The beauty of personal symbols is that they make your spiritual work deeply yours. They honour your lived experience and create a bridge between intuition and imagery.

You Already Know the Language

You don’t need to “learn” your personal symbols — you just need to remember them.

They’ve been speaking to you through goosebumps, dreams, patterns, and pulls of the heart all along.

So next time you pull a card or light a candle, ask:

✨ What symbol is rising for me right now?
✨ What meaning does it hold — just for me?
✨ And what wisdom is it ready to reveal?

Because the universe is always speaking.
And sometimes, it speaks in your own sacred dialect.

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x