Pythia, the high priestess

Symbolism and mythology in the tarot, Petra Stam, 21 x 23 cm, 128 pages, fc, 1st edition 2012, 2nd edition 2021, ISBN 978 94 91557 01 9

The ancient symbol system of the tarot provides insight into processes, qualities and developments. The cards help you become aware of what is unconscious and this leads to self-knowledge. Knowledge of the symbols is therefore essential to understand the message of the tarot.

In this book Petra Stam describes the symbolism of the details, the colours and the coherence of the symbols on the 22 Major Arcana cards in great detail. This way you can understand each card on a micro level and interpret it generally. Through the (parts of) myths that she gives with each card, you also gain insight into the big picture or the meaning on a macro level.

Myths indicate universal life processes, just as the path of development and the levels of consciousness of the Major Arcana do. This mythological approach offers a whole new way to absorb the meaning of the cards, to understand and translate the archetypal images on a broader level. As above, so below!

Pythia was the oracle priestess of Delphi, who passed on advice from the gods in a trance. In the tarot, the High Priestess is the messenger of intuition and the unconscious. As a card interpreter, you are in a sense, just like Pythia and the High Priestess, a conduit, because you translate the symbolic language that you see before you and the inspirations that you can have with it. With this book you will increase your knowledge of symbols and myths and you will be able to fulfill your role as Pythia or high priestess even better.