This is the second in a series of conversations between the Birth Card pairs and Jason C. Lotterhand, through “The Thursday Night Tarot”, (edited by Arisa Victor). The host for this series is the Fool, representing the individual taking the journey. The second Birth Card pair up are Justice and the High Priestess.
Fool: Welcome to the second episode in this series of conversations. Information discussed here is based on Jason C. Lotterhand’s work, as presented in “The Thursday Night Tarot”. Something to keep in mind before we enter into this conversation is the theme for the Justice/High Priestess duo: “Bringing life into a sense of balance – analyzing and synthesizing of ideas. Learning to trust in yourself, your intuition, and your psychic abilities.” To my left is Justice, to my right is the High Priestess, and to the High Priestess’s right we have Mr. Lotterhand. Thank you all for being here. Justice, you may begin.
Justice: I would like to thank Mr. Lotterhand and the High Priestess for being here, and the Fool for hosting this series. As we all know, Birth Cards work in pairs. However, we all carry our own identity. Through Mr. Lotterhand’s work, we hope to clarify who we are to those who carry our energy.
Mr. Lotterhand, you talk about my purpose as that of holding equilibrium, and that I am the exchange point through which the other Birth Cards transmit their energy. What exactly does this mean?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Justice (Key 11) deals with the concept of equilibrium as being of great importance. Spirit works through Justice to direct everything within ourselves, and within the physical world. Justice acts as our subconscious … it is always there for us, often to save us from ourselves. Work and Action are two of your keywords. The Sword of Severity is a tool given to us to define what we want in life.
Justice: How do we find out what it is that we really want in life?.
Jason C. Lotterhand: It is very simple – through the process of elimination. What we see as obstacles we eliminate. This is how we learn discrimination. Discrimination allows us to know what we want, and to define it in a very precise manner.
Justice: You state that when obstacles are in our way, we are not happy, and that when we are not happy, it is the same as being ill. How do we cultivate happiness – i.e. wellness?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Wellness underlies the total experience of the Tarot. Through Justice, we learn to nurture our health by being careful. This means eliminating anything in your life t hat run s counter to the laws of nature. You can, of course, ignore this, but there are consequences!
Justice: Do you have any last words for our audience?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Bringing balance into our lives means not cultivating any one aspect of yourself at the expense of other aspects. The key is to approach life as a gourmet, not a gormand!
Fool: Thank you, Justice, and you, Mr. Lotterhand. High Priestess, I am turning the podium over to you.
High Priestess: Thank you, Fool. I would like to thank Justice and Mr. Lotterhand for being here, and the Fool for acting as host. Mr. Lotterhand, you indicate that I represent the Divine Mother on the Tree of Life, and the feminine principle in the Cabala. (Note: This is the spelling from the book, “Thursday Night Tarot”.). How does my energy work in people’s lives?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Interesting question! Energy means very little if it is not applied. In the Cabalistic world, the universe is mind-centered, mind-constructed, and mind-supported. This is the nurturing principle – our minds are supported by the Great Mind. The power in Key 2 (the High Priestess) represents the subconscious, and the feminine element. This energy is meant to respond to the self-conscious, male oriented energy typical of Key 1 (the Magician). The relationship between these two archetypes is crucial.
Without an exchange between male and female principles, nothing happens in life. Nothing. The principles are equal to each other – one is not stronger, or above the other. The High Priestess protects us, and always reminds us that we are born of mind, and that we ARE mind.
High Priestess: Please explain to our audience how the element of water come to represent my energy.
Jason C. Lotterhand: Water represents the unconscious – as water flows, so does our unconscious. It is one of the main symbols for the High Priestess. Water contains everything in solution, and can precipitate anything out of itself. Mind does not change … it holds all things in potential. (This is the mystery of the High Priestess. My thought, not Mr. Lotterhand’s.) The mind is endlessly fruitful, but we have to learn how to use it.
High Priestess: Alchemists are among my favorite people. Could you talk about them for a moment, please?
Jason C. Lotterhand: There are two types of people. One type of person will find extraordinary things within themselves. The second type of person is referred to as an alchemist – they are interested in knowing the nature of Reality. This is, indeed, the spirit of science, and is at the heart of every scientist. Their wisdom comes from intuition. From the point of view of the Tarot, their wisdom comes from the High Priestess, the guardian of the mysteries. The key to connecting with the High Priestess is to still the mind … then information will flow from her to us.
High Priestess: My crown is representative of the phases of the moon. Please tell ou audience why this is important.
Jason C. Lotterhand: The phases of the moon represent cycles … in this case, the cycles of life. Within the High Priestess is the principle of duplication – necessary for any type of reproduction. Her law insures continuity of life.
High Priestess: Do you have any last words for our audience? Jason C. Lotterhand: We create the life around us. We are creating illusion. Through the use of meditation we can access the energy of the High Priestess. Through her, we see the whole picture of ourselves, who we are, where we came from, where we are, and where we are going. We come to an educated response to “What is it that I really want?”
Remember – the Divine Mother loves and guides us all!
Please note: These are, of course, imaginary conversations. The information has been taken from “The Thursday Night Tarot”, Jason C. Lotterhand, edited by Arisa Victor, Newcastle Publishing Co. Inc, 1989. Any errors in translation are mine, and mine alone.
Images are from the “Tarot Lovers Tarot”, by Karyn Easton (http://paranormality.com)
© September 2012 Bonnie Cehovet
Perspectives On Tarot 
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