REVIEW: The High Priestess / Tarot Explorations Card-by-Card

R E V I E W

The High Priestess (Tarot Explorations Card-by-Card)[Kindle Edition]
by Janet Boyer
Print Length: 14 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B008MC3L1I

TOP LINE (formerly Bottom Line)

Talk about "handy dandy"! This ebook contains "everything you ever wanted to know about The High Priestess, even if you didn't know what to ask." I'm talking about a treasure trove of clearly communicated facts and history, along with the kind of personal associations and attributions that only Janet Boyer can provide.

Boyer skillfully segues from Joan of Arc to Carly Simon to The Virgin Mary, weaving cultural, historical, mythological, and spiritual references into a cohesive High Priestess tapestry.  By the way, if you think the headdress worn by the HP is a reference to the Egyptian goddess Isis, be prepared to think again. Boyer isn't buying it. She does buy a connection to the idealized Triple Goddess.

If you're looking for an informative, comprehensive guide to Trump 2, I think you'll be quite pleased with this ebook. And don't forget to pick up The Fool and The Magician while you're at it.

THE PUBLISHER'S PRODUCT SUMMARY

"Learning the Tarot can be overwhelming, especially with 78 cards to master. That's why Tarot expert, author, blogger, reviewer and deck creator Janet Boyer has written the Tarot Explorations Card-by-Card series. Informative, accessible and entertaining, Janet takes you through the Major Arcana, Minor Arcana and Court cards--one at a time--sharing her teaching secrets and personal wisdom with you."

Janet Boyer

THE AUTHOR

Janet Boyer is a professional Tarot reader, teacher, expert, and deck creator as well as an author, reviewer, blogger and aspiring novelist. Visit her at her website -- http://JanetBoyer.com -- featuring over 900 pages of free content, including articles and reviews.

DETAILS / COMMENTS

The High Priestess is the third book in Boyer's Tarot Explorations Card-by-Card eBook Series. The series uses card illustrations from the Universal Waite Tarot Deck® (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) The Fool  and The Magician are also available.

The High Priestess book begins with:

• Phrases and Keywords
• People and Archetypes
• Characters, TV and Movies
• Places, Objects and Actions
• Quotes
• Songs

Next comes the Symbolism section, in which Boyer goes down the line symbol by symbol, explaining the how-where-when-and-who of each one. For example, under the heading "Yellow Crescent Moon," Boyer includes not only a thorough discussion of moon symbolism but the color yellow as well. In the past, I have relied on various sources, including that found at http://www.tarotpassages.com/old_moonstruck/oneill/ (based on original research by Robert V. O'Neill).

Boyer's material on symbols is a welcome addition to the Major Arcana notebook I've been maintaining for years. On her blog she notes: "Rather than regurgitate what other Tarot writers say on the subject (as many writers do), I've independently researched the symbolism." The following symbols are covered in the book:

• Number 2
• Black and White Pillars
• B and J
• Equal-Armed White Cross
• Yellow Crescent Moon
• Headdress
• Blue Robe
• Scroll
• TORA
• Water
• Veil
• Pomegranates
• Date Palm Tree

A section on Esoteric Correspondences offers Hebrew Letter, Planetary, Esoteric Title, Intelligence, and Path on the Qabalistic Tree of Life associations.

At this point, Boyer incorporates some extra-nice features such as the 7 Clue Tarot Method, Affirmations, Journaling Questions, and High Priestess Spread. These are followed by a segment on Light/Shadow Continuum and Reversals. Here we get a Best Case/Worst Case discussion and a brief summary of how this relates to Reversals, if you choose to use them. (Read my review of Boyer's book Tarot in Reverse HERE.)

Also included in the book are a link to a web page on which Boyer displays over 40 different High Priestess cards, a bio, and a Bibliography for Symbolism.

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In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, I hereby disclose that this product was provided by the publisher for free. Other than the occasional review copy, I receive no monetary or in-kind compensation for my reviews.  The substance of my reviews is not influenced by whether I do or do not receive a review copy.