The high priestess tarot card is the first traditionally female character encountered among the major arcana in the tarot. As such, this energy will be found in most readings involving this particular card. Many of the characteristics usually linked with the female gender in tradition can be found in their cooler, softer aspects in this arcanum.
Keywords associated with the High Priestess Tarot Card
Astrologically, the High Priestess is associated with the Moon.
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Upright High Priestess Meaning
The main character in the High Priestess card is a woman, usually sitting down on a throne. There are several elements that can be found in most past and modern representations of this major arcana. The Moon will usually be present in some way or another, whether as a symbol found on the priestess’s clothes, or more traditionally either at her feet or on her crown, or both. Her throne can usually be found between a black and a white pillar, representing the twin pillars of the temple of Solomon. Finally, she often holds a book or a scroll in her hands.
In direct opposition with the conscious willpower and drive found in the previous card, the Magician, the meaning of the High Priestess card refers to the unconscious mind and the most spiritual part of your psyche. This is a card that deals with intuition, and generally introspective patterns of behavior.
To understand major arcana meanings derived from this card, you need to be open to understand and welcome a more spiritual, almost magical side of yourself. This is a connection that comes from within but finds its echoes without. It can often underline a strong desire for something that goes beyond purely material things, some urge to find some balance between your rational mind and the sweet, silent whispers of the stars.
This card can also refer to secrets and hidden knowledge, arcane knowledge received about the future, but always in a positive way. This is a source of wisdom, not confusion.
It should also be noted that in some readings, especially among initiatory orders, the High Priestess card could represent the Querent (the person who receives the tarot reading) if that person is female.
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In a Question about Love and Relationship
The number 02 card of the Major Arcana, the High Priestess, represents knowledge gained from difficult experiences. This card breaks through repeating patterns in a relationship. It is the moment you decide to stop dating narcissists. You realize you have been trying to fix a broken childhood relationship through your partner.
If you are single, this card asks you to understand the lessons being single teaches. Reflect on clarity and intuition gained from dating experiences. Consider the High Priestess energy you and others carry. Integrating this energy helps you see each other honestly.
If you are in a relationship, this card encourages you to look at key moments revealing something profound about you or your partner. Peel away one veil and find another, revealing layers based on your experiences and growth. The High Priestess can also represent mystery in a partnership, adding sensuality and intrigue. You may not want all the veils removed.
In a Question about Career and Work
Career encompasses school and education, necessary work that is not a career path, and your actual career path. Regardless of your current stage, the High Priestess represents the moment when you realize your purpose, find meaningful work, or deeply understand your career path.
If you are a student and this is your card, assess what you are “really” learning in school. This may or may not relate to your subject of study and the classes you complete. The High Priestess represents the edges of your experience where you learn social values, emotional growth, and diversity of thought and opinion.
If you are working but not doing something you consider a career, this card encourages you to wonder about the “point of it all.” Do you know the deep or rich history of your work? Does something mundane have an extraordinary beginning, or is it the reverse? What has your work taught you that is not readily obvious?
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If you are in a career path, this card reveals the need to assess whether you feel fulfilled by your work and long-term goals. Are you doing something profound? A career is a journey that builds over time, expands and contracts, and offers a potential legacy for persistent and significant effort. What was the mystery of the work or subject that put you on this long path? What have you discovered so far as an intentional contributor to civilization?
The High Priestess tarot card, when reversed, can represent the wild urges of passion, a drive that comes from within for no particular reason, and that is particularly difficult to resist or ignore. It could also represent the downside to any kind of occult or sacred knowledge, the conviction of holding some universal truth that leads you to ignore any argument that would put it into question when spirituality turns into blind faith and dogma and makes you withdrawn instead of open to new ideas and to the outside world.
In a Question about Love and Relationship
Your current relationship has a spiritually damaging aspect, and you need to be on guard emotionally. You may already be experiencing negativity in the relationship. This card urges you to get out or get help. You cannot overcome the danger or difficulty on your own or by staying in the relationship and “trying to fix it from the inside.”
Acknowledge your failings or the failings of your partner as something you cannot fix together. Being together may be exacerbating or causing problems.
In a Question about Career and Work
When this card appears reversed in a question about work or career, be on your guard. Pay more attention to the behavior of your boss and co-workers and the company’s status. A difficult situation may be looming or already here. There could be a downturn in the economy affecting your company or a reshuffling of job responsibilities. A new, difficult employee might join your group.
Ensure your resume is up-to-date. Have a contingency plan if you lose your job or take a salary cut. Even upright, this card can indicate a difficult experience designed to teach a spiritual lesson. Reversed, this is doubly true.
The Fool meets the High Priestess at the same time as he meets the Magician on his spiritual quest, like two sides of the same coin, highlighting the main duality that can be found in the world, male and female, night and day, black and white, etc. The High Priestess connects the Fool to his unconscious mind, where she plants the seeds of sacred wisdom that will grow alongside him on his way.
As such, the high priestess tarot card can be read as a key to unlock the hidden potential found deep within anyone’s mind, a promise to let this deeper connection to the universe grow if it is nurtured instead of ignored.
The traditional interpretation of this major arcana card has evolved over the last century. In Medieval times, people often considered the High Priestess the “negative” side of the Magician. They saw her as a bad influence, a slight on pure reason. This was likely due to the traditional role of women in Medieval times, especially seen through the eyes of men. Men were the vast majority of scholars studying tarot and the occult sciences.
Since the end of the nineteenth century, with the wider inclusion of women in initiatory societies and tarot studies, people unveiled and recognized the neutral and positive aspects of this major arcana card.
Feminine, wise, spiritual, and deep, the High Priestess major arcana card offers a lot to any Querent willing to make the effort. Many people fear the secrets hidden in the deepest reaches of their minds. But for those ready and willing to face them head-on, the High Priestess offers much.
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Meditating with the High Priestess
The High Priestess tarot card emphasizes introspection and listening to your inner voice. It is likely the best choice for tarot-related meditation. The feminine energies of wisdom and spirituality help you reach an altered state of consciousness. You will be in sync with your inner self, better understanding and listening to the messages your subconscious sends you.
In a stark contrast to some of the more “quiet” kinds of meditation, when you focus your mind on the high priestess tarot card it is not to let go or clear your mind of every thought, but rather to reconnect to your inner self and discover the wealth of wisdom and advice that can be found deep within.
