The High Priestess Keywords: Intuition, Unconscious Mind, Premonition, Sacred Knowledge, Mystery, Silence, Meditation

The High Priestess Tarot Card Description

The High Priestess is a card about our inner wisdom, our unconscious minds and our links to the Collective Unconscious. It’s a card rich in symbolism. Notice how her beautiful blue gown gathers in a pool at her feet and flows seamlessly into the blue body of water behind her. This body of water is the pool of unconsciousness. It’s also visible on Temperance, The Moon, The Star and XX Judgement. It represents our connection with our own unconscious minds and our ability to tap into the Collective Unconscious. The High Priestess moves easily through all states of consciousness. She’s holding a scroll with the word Tora written on it, which is slightly concealed by her mantle. This is symbolic of higher knowledge of the physical and spiritual universe, which is available to us, while at the same time being hidden from us. It’s knowledge that we don’t yet understand. The pillars, one black and one white, on either side of her represent opposite forces and duality. The white letter ‘B’ on the black pillar stands for Boaz and the black ‘J’ on the white pillar is Joaz. Rachel Pollack likens this to the black and white dots the Tao yin-yang symbol. They remind us that opposites always contain some of their contradictory force.

The veil between the two pillars is decorated with pomegranates and palm trees. Pomegranates represent fertility, but also wisdom and knowledge. Tradition states that they have 613 seeds representing the 613 commandments of the Torah. Palm trees are also fertility symbols, the trunk being obviously phallic. The veil obscures our view, but not completely. We can see that behind it lies the pool of unconsciousness. So, while we need to look carefully to see it, the veil isn’t an insurmountable barrier. In fact, we just need to lift it to see and move beyond it. The High Priestess is influenced by The Moon and Water energy. We see a crescent Moon wrapped in the folds of her gown at her feet and, also, the three phases of The Moon on her diadem. The Moon tells us that there are hidden forces at play.

What The High Priestess Means in a Tarot Reading

The High Priestess is a card of intuition, mystery and delving deep into your psyche. This is a time to reflect and meditate. The answer to your question lies within and you will use your intuition to gain clarity and guidance. It’s a time to delve deep into your unconscious and to trust in your inner wisdom. The High Priestess can also represent an intuitive woman who will guide you. Early memories, that are embedded in your unconscious, may also be influencing you at the present time, even if you’re not consciously aware of it. Reflection and introspection will provide you with clarity.

The High Priestess is the guardian of secret knowledge. You may have information or secrets that you’re concealing from others. Now isn’t the time to reveal your secrets, but you should reflect on your hidden, internal knowledge and be aware its importance in your current situation. There’s also a duality to the situation you’re reading about. The key number 2 and the black and white pillars remind us of this. Whatever the situation you’re reading about, you should be aware of opposite forces, the known and unknown, the influence of your conscious and unconscious mind.  

The High Priestess Love and Relationships Tarot Meaning

Your aura of mystery will be intriguing to your partner, or you may have personal secrets that you’re withholding from them. Allow your intuition to guide you in your relationship. Trust your gut and you’ll know instinctively how to act. Remember that this card is governed by Water, which is the element of emotions, feelings and intuition. If you’re a man, or reading for a man, then The High Priestess may represent a sexually alluring, mysterious woman. This card often represents opposites attracting.

The High Priestess Career Tarot Meaning

In order to be successful, you need to tap into your intuition. You have hidden resources, talents and knowledge, which you can use to your advantage. There may be an emphasis on the written word and your career may be academically inclined. You may also be involved in research, psychological work, science, or any career that focuses on knowledge and exploration of hidden truths.  

The High Priestess Reversed Tarot Card Meanings

The High Priestess Reversed Keywords: Deceit, Secrets, Superficiality, Duplicity

What The High Priestess Reversed Means in a Tarot Reading

You should proceed with caution when you see The High Priestess Reversed in a reading. Someone who may not have your best interests at heart is hiding something from you. Or perhaps you’re burdened with a secret, and you know that the truth could harm you or someone else. Deceit and duplicity surround the question you’ve asked about. Nothing is clear at the moment. There’s a possibility that you might stumble into a situation that you won’t want to be a part of. This is a time when you need to be particularly alert to what’s happening around you.

You may find that you’re having difficulty reading your gut feelings and accessing your intuition. There may be a disconnect between your external world and your subconscious and spiritual world. This will be disconcerting for you, and you may feel lost for a while. The High Priestess Reversed is drawing your attention to this so that you might be able to refocus, take stock of your situation, and work on reconnecting with yourself, and with your inner wisdom and knowledge.

Perhaps your inner wisdom and inner voice are trying to tell you something, but you’re not listening. Life and being busy might be getting in the way. Or maybe you don’t want to listen to what your intuition is telling you. In either case, The High Priestess Reversed indicates that it’s time to slow down a little, to refocus, and to listen. What you know deep within yourself is often what you most need to hear.

The High Priestess Reversed Love and Relationships Tarot Meanings

Try to be as honest as you can. Lies, deceit, and deception are likely at this time and will damage your relationship. Perhaps everything isn’t as it seems between you and your partner. Be aware and be truthful.

You might not be listening to your intuition. When The High Priestess Reversed appears, it’s a sign that you don’t trust your instincts. If your gut is telling you something good, or bad, about someone, then you should take some time to consider this.

The High Priestess Reversed Career Tarot Meanings

Are you being kept in the dark about something at work? Or maybe you’re the one keeping a secret? This isn’t a good situation for you to be in. Secrets in the workplace are likely to cause trouble for you at this time. If you see The High Priestess Reversed in a career reading, be extra vigilant and try to keep yourself out of deceptive, secretive situations at work.

Are you looking for a job? Be sure to listen to your intuition as The High Priestess Reversed indicates that you might not be. It can be very difficult at a time like this to know what we feel and what feels intuitively right because we usually feel significant stress when we’re job hunting or thinking about moving in a new direction in our career. If this is the case for you, then you’ll probably be feeling confused and indecisive, which can make you unsure of what your gut is trying to tell you. There’s no simple solution here, but if The High Priestess Reversed appears, then it will be helpful if you can take some time out, meditate, or maybe spend some time alone in nature, journal – whatever it is that helps you to dig deep and consider your situation from all angles. With a little time, you should be able to find in your heart what it is you truly want to do. Then, instead of turning your back on this intuitive information, you can work on taking steps (however small) towards your goal.

The High Priestess Correspondences & Attributions