In the Tarot deck, the High Priestess is the second Major Arcana card. This card is mystical, intriguing, spiritual, and feminine all in one.
Because the High Priestess is so mystical, the answers from this card can be shadowy and hard to understand. Hopefully, this post will give you insight that clearly applies to your reading.
The High Priestess:
There are so many different ways to read The High Priestess. To help you be more specific, I’ll go over the card and symbolism as well as the general meaning, then I’ll give interpretations of The High Priestess in specific situations.
If you want to read about The High Priestess in love, career, finances, as advice, as a person, as a yes/no answer, or reversed, feel free to scroll ahead to the appropriate section.
Visual Elements:
The visual elements listed here all describe the Rider-Waite High Priestess card, so you may need to adapt these descriptions based on the deck you’re using.
The visuals and symbolism will be different with every deck, which makes your reading totally unique.
The High Priestess sits between two columns, just in front of a veil decorated with pomegranates. This represents the conscious and subconscious realms, or the layer between our realm and the realm beyond.
One of the pillars is black with the letter B, while the other is white with the letter J, symbolizing duality through colors.
The High Priestess wears a blue robe. It has a cross on her chest, but on her head she wears a horned crown. In her lap sits a scroll with the word TORA on it.
A crescent moon sits at the feet of the High Priestess.
The High Priestess Keywords:
Here are some of the most common keywords for the King of Wands.
Upright:
- Intuition
- Dreams
- Symbols
- Wisdom
- Secrets
- The Divine Feminine
- Mystery
- Power
- Initiation
- Darkness
- Spirituality
- Introspection
- Inner Voice
- Higher Power
- The Subconscious/Unconscious
Reversed:
- Repressed Intuition
- Superficiality
- Confusion
- Cognitive Dissonance
- Withdrawal
- Repressed Feelings
- Silence
- Lack Of Insight
- Secrets
- Disconnection
- Hidden Motives
- Hyper-Sensitivity
- Fragile Psyche
- Foolishness
General High Priestess Meaning:
The High Priestess is the guardian of the subconscious and unconscious minds. She is the teacher of all hidden mysteries.
This card can represent mystery, spirituality, sexuality, and a higher power.
When the High Priestess appears in a reading, this indicates that you need to listen to your intuition rather than relying on your rational mind.
You need to slow down and look at the signs. What is the Universe telling you? Is there something that you know, deep down, to be true?
Don’t take action until you figure out what’s going on behind the scenes, especially if you’re facing a big choice. The answers are in your subconscious mind, but you have to access them.
The High Priestess tells you that it’s time to tap into your inner voice. You may need to practice doing this, but it will be worth it in the long run.
This card is also telling you to connect with your divine feminine, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. We all have a sacred feminine within us. She is strong and powerful, yet connected and intuitive. It’s time to reconnect with her in order to balance your masculine and feminine energy.
You need to feel your way through the current situation. Trust in the feminine energy within you, even if the masculine energy around you seems impossible to get through.
The High Priestess tells you to stop worrying about the outcome. Don’t think so rationally about the future. Instead, focus on what you feel about the options that you have right now. Live in the present.
Sometimes, the High Priestess appears when you aren’t sure what will happen. The future may be murky or unclear. Accept that this is part of life, and focus on what you do know right now.
The High Priestess encourages you to tap into the wealth of knowledge in your subconscious or unconscious mind. It may be time to reconnect with your spirit guides, your higher self, or other divine beings.
Remember that we all have a link to the shadow world. It’s right there, if you only you choose to see it.
The High Priestess appears in the archetypes of Persephone, Isis, Artemis, Lilith, the Virgin Mary, and more. It may be helpful to look into the archetype that most resonates with you.
Ultimately, the High Priestess indicates that you should always listen to your intuition.
The High Priestess In Love:
Although the High Priestess usually refers to yourself more than a relationship, this card sometimes shows up in a love position.
It can be a bit difficult to interpret the High Priestess in love readings, because she is all about the subconscious mind. However, this is actually pretty relevant.
Firstly, the High Priestess can indicate that you’re simply trying to hard. Whether you’re single or are in a relationship, you may be pushing for something and are coming up against a brick wall.
The lesson here is to step back and allow things to happen naturally. Whether the outcome is positive or negative, this is the only way you will find the truth. Focus on yourself for the time being and let your intuition guide you to your next step.
That isn’t to say that you should give up on your relationship. If you’re struggling to achieve intimacy, this simply means that you’re trying too hard to get it. You need to go back to your core values and figure out what intimacy truly means to you.
The High Priestess is sometimes a sign that you can’t force others to commit. If you’re struggling with a potential partner, it’s time to be patient. Work on yourself rather than trying to change others.
What do you truly need and want out of love? The High Priestess is an indicator that you need to learn more about your own values.
The High Priestess can also mean that you need to trust yourself and your instincts. If you feel like something is wrong, you’re probably right.
As always with the High Priestess, the answers are all within you. Do some inner work or meditation to figure out what the truth is. You have a link to the divine unconscious mind, where all the answers lie.
Sometimes, the High Priestess appears when someone is keeping a secret from you. This card is a sign that all secrets will be revealed in time. However, you should trust your intuition. If you suspected something before this reading, then you’re on the right track.
In any relationship-related question, the High Priestess indicates that you have to use your intuition and watch for symbols to get the answers you seek.
The High Priestess card may come up in regards to past relationships. This indicates that there are psychic cords holding you together. Do a quick cord cutting spell or meditation to cut these cords if the relationship no longer serves you.
Remember that the truth always comes out. The High Priestess is an indication that the Tarot cads can’t give you the answers right now, but you will find what you seek over time. You simply need to dig deeper.
In a relationship, honesty is absolutely essential when you pull the High Priestess. You need to learn how to express your feelings and communicate clearly with your partner.
Lastly, the High Priestess meaning in love is often that you need to embrace your divine feminine. You have a lot of feminine power within you, but it needs to be claimed. Look into the archetypes of the dark goddesses for inspiration.
The High Priestess As Feelings:
Generally, the meaning of the High Priestess is all about mystery. This is no exception when you pull the High Priestess as feelings.
Your feelings may be a complete mystery, or they’re fluid and hard to pin down. You might find that your emotions often change.
If you find that you’re riding the highs and lows, don’t fear. Everything will soon be revealed to you. In fact, you’ll figure out exactly how you feel with enough time.
The High Priestess card as feelings can also indicate a soul connection with someone. It is deep, karmic, and emotionally secure.
The High Priestess Career:
The High Priestess in a career reading urges you to follow your intuition. After all, that’s almost always the meaning of the High Priestess in any reading!
In your career, there may be some hidden factors at play. Is there anything going on behind the scenes that you aren’t seeing? Are you trusting someone who isn’t loyal to you?
Sometimes, the High Priestess is a warning that you’re not seeing the full picture. You’ll know that this is true if you already felt a sense of anxiety before this reading. The cards always line up with your own intuition.
If you want to change careers or are unsure of your next move, it’s time to look within. What do you truly desire? Where do your passions lie? Your next move should feel right.
The High Priestess can be an indication that you would do well in a spiritual, psychic, or psychological field. Is there some way that you can use your intuition to advance in your career?
In fact, the High Priestess can also be a sign to integrate your intuition with your career. See them as a part of who you are, not as separate hobbies like being able to get paid to take surveys or even jobs.
The High Priestess signifies academia work, history, libraries, and psychism. She also represents education or universities. You may want to consider one of these paths if you’re job hunting. If none of these fields appeal to you, then you ultimately need to follow your instincts.
If you’re already settled in your career but are struggling creatively, the High Priestess says that you need to look within and wait for the inspiration to flow to you. It may happen more slowly than you like, but everything you need is inside.
In your career, things are happening with you realizing. The High Priestess is a card that denotes action behind the scenes. It may seem like things are standing still, but the world is always in motion.
Ultimately, the High Priestess in career readings can signify that you’re not yet meant to know the outcome. Try to go with the flow and look for signs along the way, but don’t get hung up on how things will turn out. Everything that happens is meant to be – there are no accidents in the Universe.
The High Priestess Money:
The High Priestess isn’t typically a money card, but as always, the recommendation is to follow your intuition.
When you pull this card, it’s a sign to be wary of discussing your finances with others. In fact, it’s probably best to keep your financial situation hidden.
You may soon have a financial choice to make. Take some time to listen to your intuition; make sure that your gut feels good about it. Remember that if you have a good feeling, it will stay with you over time and won’t dissipate. This is how you know that it’s real.
If you’re looking for new ventures to earn money, the High Priestess meaning suggests that you can do something intuitive.
The High Priestess Health:
If you pull the High Priestess in a health reading, you might feel like something is “off” physically. Do you have any intuitive hunches about it? Your gut is probably right.
The High Priestess symbolizes all things feminine, including hormones, fertility, and pregnancy. If you’re dealing with undiagnosed issues, look into your reproductive system or hormones.
This card can also indicate that you’re getting signs, in real life or in dreams, and are ignoring them. For example, you may have encountered multiple people who told you not to eat a certain food. This card is a sign to listen to the messages of the Universe.
Lastly, there may be something that you’re unsure about. The High Priestess indicates that you don’t need to worry, because the problem will soon come to light. All things will be revealed with time.
The High Priestess As Spirituality:
Ultimately, the High Priestess is a spiritual card. I definitely have a lot to say in this section!
The High Priestess is able to seamlessly travel between realms. This card reveals that the world is not what it seems and that the “beyond” is all around us.
She also guards secret information that may be deep in the mind or in the world.
When the High Priestess appears in your spiritual reading, it’s an indication that the veil between worlds is thin. If you’re interested in other worlds, whether this literally means spirit realms or your unconscious mind, then now is the time to act. Learn to tune into these realms through trance, meditation, or astral travel.
If you’re seeking spiritual answers, you can find them within. The High Priestess can symbolize a spirit guide who will help you access your wisdom.
You need to actively look for ways to enhance your psychic abilities, hear your inner voice, and manifest the life you want. After all, our world is solely created out of energy. You can easily change your world if you only learn the skills you need to do so.
To me, the High Priestess represents the Third Eye Chakra. She is all about psychism and divination, so this may be the time to hone your psychic or mediumship abilities.
Ultimately, the High Priestess meaning is that you don’t need anything fancy to reach the spirit realm. You must simply focus and let go of your preconceived notions.
The High Priestess As A Person:
Sometimes, the High Priestess represents a person. She is often a woman in your life, such as a friend, mother, sister, wife, girlfriend, boss, colleague, or neighbor.
On the negative side, this can be a person who you feel nervous around. You might need to walk on eggshells because they play the victim or get upset at the smallest things.
Sometimes, the High Priestess can even represent someone with a mental illness, someone who believes they’re seeing into a realm that doesn’t exist.
On a more positive note, the High Priestess can represent someone extremely spiritual, wise, or self-contained. This is certainly a person you can learn from! This person is wise and maybe even a bit secretive.
Sometimes, the High Priestess is instead your own subconscious mind. She can also be a psychic link or connection between people.
The High Priestess Yes Or No:
Because the High Priestess is a murky card, there isn’t a clear answer to the question of “yes or no.”
Typically, the answer to the High Priestess yes or no question is a yes if it benefits the greater good. This answer should feel right and make logical sense. Make sure you have positive intentions behind your actions.
However, the High Priestess can also mean that there are hidden factors involved in a situation. The answer is most likely yes, but you need to wait until everything comes to light before making a definitive decision.
Ultimately, you should take time to reflect before making any decisions. If this doesn’t help, then the cards are telling you that you can’t know the answer right now.
The High Priestess reversed is a no for now. However, you should again wait for all of the facts to come to light.
The High Priestess Advice:
As advice, the High Priestess means that the answers you seek come from within. You need to unlock the voice inside of you and figure out the truth.
You may need to do some meditation, visualization, or spiritual work in order to figure out what you next step should be.
The High Priestess tends to be a card of non-action. You should either do nothing or consider withdrawing your involvement altogether. If you aren’t sure, then wait. It may be time to retreat and reflect.
Don’t look to other people for answers as you won’t get accurate information. The answers you need are within, not without.
Be careful that you don’t let your logical mind take over completely. Things should feel right and seem right logically.
The High Priestess as advice also says that you should look for signs and symbols in everyday life. Treat everything as important and don’t dismiss things that seem small or insignificant.
The High Priestess As A Negative Or Obstacle Placement:
In a negative placement, the High Priestess indicates that secrets are being kept. Other people may be deceiving you, or you are keeping secrets from others.
Alternatively, there is information locked in your unconscious mind that you’re not admitting to yourself.
The High Priestess meaning as an obstacle card can also be that things are moving too fast. You’re spending too much time in the outer world and you need to slow down to go within.
Symbolism In The High Priestess:
In every Tarot card, there is a whole myriad of symbols. In some readings, the symbolism will be extremely important, so I’m including the main symbols on the High Priestess card here.
Keep in mind that symbolism will vary based on the deck you’re using. I recommend looking closely at the pictures on your cards if you’re not using the Rider-Waite deck. The symbolism of the card you actually pulled is much more important than the general meaning! This is one of the reasons why I love using varied decks.
The High Priestess has a lot of symbolism on the card. The High Priestess is represented by the number II. This is a water element card (with the sign of Cancer) and is related to the moon.
The Pillars:
The High Priestess sits between two pillars. One is black, with the letter B on it, and the other is white with the letter J on the front.
These two pillars depict the duality of all things in the natural world. They represent good and evil, negative and positive, black and white, and masculine and feminine.
Because the High Priestess sits between the two pillars, the symbolism implies that you must have knowledge of duality in order to enter this other realm.
The High Priestess herself symbolizes a third pillar, between the other two. Both the numbers 2 and 3 are sacred here.
The Scroll:
The High Priestess is holding a scroll with the word TORA on it. This is a reference to Jewish scripture, though it can also apply to the Tarot itself.
However, the scroll is partially covered. This implies that knowledge is both obvious and hidden. You must stay in the material realm and live in our 3D world, but you need to also look beyond, when you’re ready.
The Crown & Robe:
Both the High Priestess’ crown and her blue robe show her spiritual knowledge.
The crown in particular is the crown of Isis, meaning that the High Priestess is a practitioner of magic.
Just behind the crown you can see the three stages of the moon. This represents the archetype of the Triple Goddess, or the maiden, the mother, and the crone.
The Cross:
A cross sits on the High Priestess’ robe. This represents the four directions, the four elements, the four seasons and the four parts of the self (body, heart, mind, and spirit). This shows that the High Priestess has a connection to all parts of herself and the earth.
The Moon:
The High Priestess has a crescent moon at her feet. Because it is low, it symbolizes the subconscious or unconscious mind. The High Priestess is in-tune with her feminine side and well as her subconscious.
Though she doesn’t show everyone what’s going on inside, she never forgets. She is illuminated through the reflection of the moon.
The moon is also a feminine symbol. The High Priestess is in touch with the cycles of the moon in both a feminine way and a magical sense.
Lastly, the symbol of the moon is also seen in drawings of the Virgin Mary, indicating that this is one of the archetypes present in the card.
The Veil:
Behind the High Priestess is a veil decorated with pomegranates. They symbolize fertility, the divine feminine, and spiritual abundance.
Pomegranates also represent Persephone’s archetype. Not only is she a great example of the divine feminine, but she is also able to move between two worlds.
The Number II:
The number two is extremely important in this card. It is not only the number of the card itself, but is represented through symbolize.
Ultimately, the number two is balance. The High Priestess brings opposites together. She exists in our world, yet she travels to spiritual realms too. She is both intuitive and rational, hidden and revealed.
Two is polarity but is also unity. Male cannot exist without female, nor life without death.
The High Priestess Reversed:
The High Priestess reversed is a warning that you’re going to fast. You aren’t connecting with your inner voice and may not be following your intuition.
This card is a sign that you need to go inward instead of looking outward. You may have had opportunities to follow your gut, but you ignored the feelings within.
Be careful that you follow your own advice instead of what others tell you. After all, they can’t truly know what’s right for you. Stand firm in your beliefs, even if this earns you the disapproval of others.
The High Priestess reversed can also mean that you’re ignoring your own feelings. If you have repressed emotions, they will bubble up sooner rather than later. It would be much better to deal with your emotions now, before they come out sideways.
You need to get in touch with your own emotions so that you can more accurately sense if someone is deceiving you.
It’s time to withdraw from the world and go within. You need to build confidence within yourself instead of expecting it to come from others.
Sometimes, the High Priestess reversed can indicate blocked psychic abilities. You may feel like the answers just aren’t inside of you. You may even feel like your life is out of control and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
At the most extreme, the High Priestess reversed can signal madness or mental disorders. You truly can’t get in touch with your truth.
You need to take time and figure out what is real. There are ways to prove when intuition is real and when it’s all in your head; the difference is apparent, once you know what to look for.
Your intuition feels sharp and clear. There is nothing fearful or anxiety-drive about your gut instinct. In addition, a true intuitive feeling remains steady over time. If you find that your feelings fade, then you can be sure that they weren’t real.
The High Priestess reversed is an indicator that you should question things in order to figure out the truth. Blind faith won’t help you.
As a person, the High Priestess reversed can represent someone who is extremely unpredictable or moody, or even someone with a mental disorder. This card may be a sign to take space from this person and create emotional boundaries.
In love, the High Priestess reversed is an indicator that you must trust your intuition. Up until now, you have relied on your mind in some ways and ignored your gut feelings, but this is not serving you well.
Deep down, you know the truth, even if it takes you time to discover it.
Make sure that you follow what feels true for you rather than what your partner wants you to do or so. It’s time to reclaim the divine feminine within.
This can also be a sign that someone is deceiving you. The High Priestess reversed can alternatively indicate that you’re decieving yourself. Sometimes, it’s a combination of both.
In career, this card can indicate that you don’t have all of the information you need. You may feel that you’ve been kept the dark or are alone. Someone may even have a hidden intention.
Be careful about moving forward without more information, especially in career or financial situations. You don’t have all of the information yet.
In general, you may be facing some backlash because you didn’t follow your intuition in the past. There is no way forward but through, however, you can learn from your mistakes for the future.
