Tarot Card Meaning: The High Priestess

Welcome back to Tarot Tuesday, where we explore the ancient wisdom of the tarot and we can harness that wisdom to our lives.

In previous posts, we’ve explored the meanings of The Fool and The Magician in the Major Arcana. The Major Arcana is best understood as our journey from The Fool—setting off on a journey, perhaps a bit naïve but also a bit bold—and learning lessons along the way.

The Magician is all about discovering our sense of independence and personal sovereignty. The High Priestess represents the need for introspection and turning inward.

Today, we enter a misty wood filled with tall ancient trees. Silvery green moss drips from twisting tree limbs.

Beside a clear crystalline pool sits the High Priestess.

THE HIGH PRIESTESS AND THE HIGHER WISDOM OF SPIRIT & INTUITION

The High Priestess

• Key Messages:

  • Let your intuition be your guide.

  • You have within you all the knowledge and wisdom needed to walk the path ahead.

• Quotes to Invoke the High Priestess’s Power:

  • “We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.”—Jane Austen

  • “If you let it, the noise of the world will drown out the voice of God, which is your intuition.” – Oprah Winfrey

  • “To me, a witch is a woman that is capable of letting her intuition take hold of her actions, that communes with her environment, that isn’t afraid of facing challenges.” – Paulo Coelho

• To Connect with Your Inner High Priestess:

  • Find a quiet space where you can ground yourself. Step into the wild, sacred forest of your soul, where the High Priestess awaits. She is within you. She is you. Gaze into the crystalline pool in the wild wood. What do you see?

I understand the tarot as a journey both within and without. When we encounter the High Priestess, she asks us to turn inward, to listen to our intuition, to connect with our subconscious. She is the voice of spirit within, that place from which creativity, wisdom, and magick are born.

I most often interpret the High Priestess—numbered 2, but actually the third card in the Major Arcana—as a part of ourselves. Whatever our gender identity, the High Priestess is a part of ourselves that can access deep wisdom.

The High Priestess asks us to turn inward in our search for answers. What question did you ask the tarot? What dilemma do you face? What are you hoping to learn?

The High Priestess suggests that within ourselves, we hold the answers, the wisdom, and the possibilities we seek.

Unlike the Magician, who often indicates how we move about the world, the High Priestess represents the search within. Magick is born from the depths of the soul.

The Crystalline Pool within the Wild Wood

Gaze into the crystalline pool. Strip away the vestiges of the earthly realm and step within the cool waters, letting them transport you into the realm of spirit. Let the wisdom of the subconscious, of the deep soul, wash over you. Wash away the words of others, the words of your inner critic. Step into the quiet of the wild, ancient wood. The High Priestess’s gaze pierces you, challenging you to listen to your own intuition.

When you encounter the High Priestess, be still. Look within. Let your own spirit be your guide.