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.
In some respects, this card is “the highest and holiest” of the Greater Arcana. She is paired 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
The card depicts 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, meaning “the Greater Law, the Secret Law.” The scroll is partly covered by her mantle, showing “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 the mantle suggests “a shimmering radiance.”
Modern guides add their own readings of these details. The pillars are named Boaz and Jachin, and their black and white colors represent duality, such as darkness and light. The veil represents the line between the seen and the unseen, and the pomegranates represent abundance, fertility and the divine feminine. Her place between the pillars is that of a mediator, “the path between.”
Upright meaning
The upright card’s divinatory meanings are secrets, mystery, silence, tenacity, wisdom and science, along with “the future as yet unrevealed.” She represents occult Science at the threshold of the sanctuary, and her highest sense is the Shekinah, the indwelling glory.
The upright High Priestess represents inner knowledge and is a sign that it is time to listen to intuition rather than relying only on the intellect. The card is also linked to meditation, prayer and new spiritual work, and her nighttime scene is a call to search within for answers.
The card represents spiritual insight, inner wisdom and a deep, intuitive understanding of what lies beneath the surface. The card also represents a time to be still, with the answers coming from within, and a call to honor the divine feminine qualities of intuition, compassion and empathy, whatever a person’s gender.
Reversed meaning
The reversed High Priestess represents passion, moral or physical ardor, conceit and surface knowledge.
The reversed card represents difficulty listening to intuition, with a gut feeling being ignored and a sense of confusion around a situation. The card is 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.
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, the upright High Priestess represents quiet changes in emotion, where a calm surface may hide strong feelings. The card is a call for patience, trust in intuition and honesty, and in an existing relationship represents growing intimacy and openness.
Reversed, the card represents trouble that grows when intuition is ignored in favor of the conscious mind alone. The card is also a reminder to be truly honest and not to say things only to please a partner.
The High Priestess in career
For work, the upright High Priestess represents a period of education or higher learning, or new inspiration for those in creative fields. The card also represents trusting gut instinct in big choices, and sometimes a mentor or guide.
Reversed, the card represents not having all the information at work, which can leave a person feeling alone or out of touch with coworkers. The card also represents a gut feeling being ignored, and sometimes a colleague with hidden agendas.
The High Priestess and money
The upright card in money questions represents a theme of privacy, keeping one’s situation to oneself, and is a prompt to notice what intuition says about any choice on the table.
Reversed, the card represents not yet having all the facts needed for a well-informed decision. The reversed card is a reason to find someone trustworthy who can supply the missing details.
The High Priestess as feelings
As feelings, the upright High Priestess represents a deep, intuitive pull: someone is drawn to another person’s air of mystery, but is cautious, wanting to understand more before committing. The card also represents a time for one’s own self-reflection about uncertain feelings.
Reversed, the card represents confusion and uncertainty, with feelings clouded by secrets or misunderstandings. The reversed card also represents 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?