It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Unlike the Hierophant who accumulates knowledge in order to preach to his acolytes, the High Priestess seeks wisdom and insight to apply to her own life. The Totem is a recognition of relationship - our connection to the world (including not only people but things and situations as well). Jane Hirshfield reminds us how the opposite of grasping, ignoring or pushing away can affect these relationships: "In non-attachment the river-life of emotion continues, only our relationship to it alters. The response to the passions isn’t driven by the small self’s benefit but turns instead toward all beings’ well-being." If the insights and wisdom I gather are used only to make me feel superior or smarter, then I am nothing more than a spiritual materialist content to stroke and listen to my ego purr. Spiritual growth only comes when I use what I've learned to help me become a better human and the world a better place.
