Celebrating International Women’s Day in Brighton & The High Priestess
The High Priestess, the representation of female authority in the tarot deck, exists as her autonomous self, navigating her own journey and in many deck depictions sits between two pillars, guarding the entrance to hidden knowledge.
But what I find most alluring is the swirling water imagery. In some versions, her feet touch the water, the edge of her deep blue robe in the Rider Waite card seems almost to flow into it, as though the fabric itself were part of the tide. She is quietly, completely connected to this element
Standing in the sea at Kemptown Beach evokes a similar feeling. The mind is still soft from sleep, the body alert in the cold water, and for a moment the world feels stripped back to something elemental. It is a very High Priestess state of being.
In the Magical Hours tarot deck, that I use in my readings, The High Priestess represents that threshold moment where creativity and intuition meet. She embodies the early morning hours, a time of heightened intuition and subtle insight, a space where ideas gestate before they manifest in the world.
Which is a similar feeling I experience during my morning ritual swim; a suspension of conscious rationality, moving into the expanse of the ocean - something in me surrenders to a divine feminine principle, to the watery Anima depths of wisdom and receptivity.
Honouring the High Priestess on International Women’s Day
Here in Brighton, sea swimming has become a way many women gather to mark International Women’s Day. Now in its fourth year, this remarkable event brings together around 1,000 women for the UK’s largest sea swim, raising funds for the environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage. It feels like a fitting tribute to both women and the waters themselves a collective moment of courage, community, and care for the sea, I plan to join the swimmers next Saturday to celebrate this year’s Big Swim. I have washed my beach towel in anticipation, a small but encouraging step.
Whilst we are still moving through Pisces season, with the ruling card for this month being The Moon, tomorrow on March 8, 2026, the Moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase, the ebbing tide following the intensity of the Full Moon. This phase invites us to pause, process lessons, and release what no longer serves us. It aligns beautifully with the High Priestess archetype: cultivating detachment, reflection, and examination of the shadow realms. There is a certain grace in self-containment.
As I write this, I am tucked into my book nook, what once was my making cupboard is now my writing cave, asking myself how I intend to honour the High Priestess this month?
How will I embody the High Priestess this month?
Enter a state of suspension, where one is open to receiving wisdom from the depths.
The High Priestess waits in the quiet spaces of our own depths.
Reflections for the journal:
This is a card of subtlety — notice what is unspoken.
Are you inhabiting the two worlds of dream and reality?
Attend to the quiet signals in dreams and subconscious thoughts.
Cultivate creative inner work — intuition leads.
Tarot’s High Priestess inspired later divinatory arts like Lenormand, translating mystical insight into applied intuition. Whether quietly cultivating your inner seeds or navigating public rituals, this is a time for observation, reflection, and mindful action.
Watching the Channel 4 documentary Dirty Business reminded me how crucial it is to protect our oceans. Lies and deception persist when profits are placed above the Earth’s basic rights. There is much work to be done to safeguard water for future generations, quiet activism, mindful living, and personal rituals all count.
Final Reflection, Quiet Power
As the High Priestess stands with her robe flowing into water, we are invited to step into our own quiet power. Whether alone in the early morning sea or alongside thousands of women in celebration, we honor intuition, reflection, and care for the world around us.
If you’re near the water this week, pause, notice, and consider how you can support the oceans, or take a quiet moment to observe the subtle impressions of your own intuition.
Fi x
