The High Priestess
The High Priestess represents intuition, mystery, and the depth of human emotion. She encourages seekers to look deeper and ask meaningful questions. This card embodies calmness and wisdom while also being a guide for those seeking clarity and authenticity. In contrast, when inverted, the card suggests superficiality and manipulation, serving as a warning against shallow interactions and deceit.
Keywords
Introduction
I am knowing.
Understanding the High Priestess
I had a student ask, “What’s the difference between all of these ladies?” She was referring to the High Priestess, the queens of the minor arcana, the Empress, and Justice. Seated so similarly, this is not helpful when you’re learning the tarot. So we look to the card: the High Priestess is looking straight ahead. We don’t get her profile; we get to look right in her eyes. We have to be brave. When I give a reading outdoors with sunglasses on, my clients see themselves in my lenses. That can be a little jarring. When someone is reading for you and telling you your story, looking at yourself can be uncomfortable, but the best way to get to the answers is to ask the hard questions, and that’s not always comfy either. Think of what you do when you’re made physically uncomfortable. You shift your weight. You change your position. When you’re made emotionally or spiritually uncomfortable, you do the same thing with your life and your thought processes.
Symbolism of the Moon
The crescent moon is at her feet. The moon is on her crown. The moon, in tarot, is intuition. She has it in spades. There is a great sea in the background of this card. Water is emotion, and when it is the entire sea instead of the trickle of water we see with some of the court cards, this card holds in it the whole of human emotion. The curtain is drawn, and only the High Priestess stands between you and the curtain. I get a very strong feeling that she’d slap you one if you tried to peek without permission.
Keeper of Secrets
She is the keeper of secrets. She decides who sees behind the veil. She’s a deeply mysterious card and represents calm, patience, and hard work. When this card surfaces in a reading, she is warm and welcoming, stern and judging, kind and compassionate. She encourages you to be authentic and whole. She wants you to look harder, ask questions, and dig deep. This card frustrates and fascinates me. When I see it in a reading, I tell the client to look deeper, ask questions, trust their intuition, and mind their manners. There is a proper etiquette to asking the universe questions. You have to do your homework. You have to show respect. Or she just might close the curtains and send you on your way. She isn’t really a Mother archetype but more of a visionary. This is the card for tarot readers and wise women (or men). When you think of High Priestess, think of the attendants of the Delphic Oracle or the keepers of the temples of goddesses throughout various cultures.
Access to Emotion
Look behind the curtain—the vast sea. Every card that contains water has to do with emotion. In this card, the High Priestess is the only person who has access to that water. She’s the translator, the soothsayer, and the agent for change. This isn’t an easy card, but it tells you that the hard work will pay off.
The High Priestess Inverted
When this card is inverted, it can mean that someone is being superficial or shady. It doesn’t invite depth and doesn’t feel very reliable. Inverted, our High Priestess is manipulative and tricksy. I had a classmate in grade school who said she’d be my friend if I shared my snack with her. Yikes. A gossipy person who twists reality to make it suit her agendas. Inverted, the High Priestess doesn’t want you to look deeper, doesn’t want you to see her, because she feels she is flimsy and shoddy. It’s actually quite sad. Personally, I often flip it. Feels like a right-side-up card to me.
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