The High Priestess in brief
In the Rider-Waite tradition, The High Priestess stands for intuition, mystery and knowledge that is not yet spoken aloud. Modern readers often take it as a call to listen inward before acting, while the reversed card points to secrets, confusion or an inner voice that is being ignored.
Waite wrote that in some respects this card is “the highest and holiest” of the Greater Arcana. Biddy Tarot pairs her with The Magician: he guards the conscious mind and the tangible world, and she guards the subconscious mind and hidden mysteries.
The card’s picture
Waite described a seated woman with the lunar crescent at her feet, a horned diadem on her head with a globe at its center, and a large solar cross on her breast. In her hands is a scroll inscribed with the word Tora, which Waite read as “the Greater Law, the Secret Law.” The scroll is partly covered by her mantle, which Waite wrote shows “that some things are implied and some spoken.”
She sits between a white pillar and a black pillar, marked J. and B., and behind her hangs the veil of the Temple, embroidered with palms and pomegranates. Her robes are flowing and gauzy, and Waite wrote that the mantle suggests “a shimmering radiance.”
Modern guides add their own readings of these details. Biddy Tarot names the pillars Boaz and Jachin and reads their black and white colors as duality, such as darkness and light. Biddy Tarot reads the veil as the line between the seen and the unseen, and the pomegranates as abundance, fertility and the divine feminine. Labyrinthos reads her place between the pillars as that of a mediator, “the path between.”
Upright meaning
Waite’s divinatory list for the upright card is secrets, mystery, silence, tenacity, wisdom and science, along with what he called “the future as yet unrevealed.” Waite wrote that she has been called occult Science at the threshold of the sanctuary, and he named her highest sense as the Shekinah, the indwelling glory.
Labyrinthos reads the upright High Priestess as inner knowledge, and as a sign that it is time to listen to intuition rather than relying only on the intellect. Labyrinthos also links the card to meditation, prayer and new spiritual work, and reads her night-time scene as a call to search within for answers.
Biddy Tarot reads the card as spiritual insight, inner wisdom and a deep, intuitive understanding of what lies beneath the surface. Biddy Tarot also reads it as a time to be still, with the answers coming from within, and as a call to honor the divine feminine qualities of intuition, compassion and empathy, whatever a person’s gender.
Reversed meaning
Waite listed the reversed High Priestess as passion, moral or physical ardor, conceit and surface knowledge.
Labyrinthos reads the reversed card as difficulty listening to intuition, with a gut feeling being ignored and a sense of confusion around a situation. Biddy Tarot reads it as a call to withdraw from other people’s opinions and drama, and to ask whether self-doubt is keeping a person from trusting their own inner guidance.
Biddy Tarot adds that the secretive side of the card can point to gossip and hidden agendas, and suggests an open and honest conversation rather than assumptions.
The High Priestess in love
In love, Labyrinthos reads the upright High Priestess as quiet changes in emotion, where a calm surface may hide strong feelings. Labyrinthos reads the card as a call for patience, trust in intuition and honesty, and in an existing relationship as growing intimacy and openness.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card as trouble that grows when intuition is ignored in favor of the conscious mind alone. Labyrinthos also reads it as a reminder to be truly honest and not to say things only to please a partner.
The High Priestess in career
For work, Labyrinthos reads the upright High Priestess as a period of education or higher learning, or new inspiration for those in creative fields. Labyrinthos also reads it as a card for trusting gut instinct in big choices, and sometimes as a mentor or guide.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card as not having all the information at work, which can leave a person feeling alone or out of touch with coworkers. Labyrinthos also reads it as a gut feeling being ignored, and sometimes as a colleague with hidden agendas.
The High Priestess and money
Labyrinthos reads the upright card in money questions as a theme of privacy, keeping one’s situation to oneself, and as a prompt to notice what intuition says about any choice on the table.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card as not yet having all the facts needed for a well-informed decision. Labyrinthos frames the reversed card as a reason to find someone trustworthy who can supply the missing details.
The High Priestess as feelings
As feelings, Labyrinthos reads the upright High Priestess as a deep, intuitive pull: someone drawn to another person’s air of mystery, but cautious, wanting to understand more before committing. Labyrinthos also reads it as a time for one’s own self-reflection about uncertain feelings.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads confusion and uncertainty, with feelings clouded by secrets or misunderstandings. Labyrinthos also reads the reversed card as one’s own self-doubt and difficulty trusting one’s instincts.
Questions to reflect on
- What does a quiet inner voice say about the situation at hand?
- Is there something not yet known that would change the picture?
- Where would stillness help more than more thinking?
- Is anything being kept hidden that would be better spoken?