II The Priestess
Interpretation
Michelangelo’s Lybian Sybil is seated at the border of this world and the next. She reaches for an open book containing both past and present. Behind her are the mysterious cliffs of Eleusis, a temple dedicated to the free passage between the physical and non-physical realms. The priestess’ unsurpassed powers, draped in gold she is dressed in and the pronounced muscles of her back, are said to be so potent that even the goats who graze on her grave can be used to divine the future. Above her head floats a Roman egg, the symbol of life and renewal, and a portal to physical existence. The Priestess is symbolic of intuition—to know without evidence. She highlights the importance of tuning in to our physical senses as well as those we cannot name. Take time to notice what others don’t. There is an unseen reality beyond this physical world and much wisdom hidden within it. Silence is a portal back to ourselves and our individual truths. Learn to trust the knowing inside you and nurture it as a mother would. Watch as your inner guidance is proven correct and your grand ideas come to life.
Background
The composition for this one was simple. Float one of my favorite figurative renderings by Michelangelo over the cliffs of Eleusis. Borrowed from the Sistine Chapel, the Lybian Sybil (based on Phemonoe) has always felt like a beautiful tarot influenced figure. She is associated with Orpheus, Alexander the Great, and Zeus. Strong and silent she seems to reach one more time for her books containing knowledge of all that has happened and all that will happen. Above her hangs a symbolic roman egg representing the source of all knowledge and truth.
Phemonoe predicted a time when all that is hidden will be revealed, a pulling back the veil of reality, and this is why she hangs over the temple of Eleusis… for now she is the way, but in the future we will all have access to her knowledge and wisdom.
All inspiration and knowledge is trafficked between this world and the next. The value of silence is immense.
