Card II, Major ArcanaThe High Priestess tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedThe High Priestess in shortIn short
The High Priestess knows and doesn't say. She sits between a black pillar and a white one, a half-hidden scroll in her lap, the moon at her feet. Be quiet, listen inward, and let the answer come.
- Secrets
- Intuition
- Silence
Piece oneThe veil
A veil of green palms and red pomegranates hangs behind her on a dark, spotted ground. Waite calls it the veil of the Temple. It hangs between you and the room behind her, and the card never shows you that room.
"...the veil of the Temple is behind her: it is embroidered with palms and pomegranates."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe veil is the reason she's there. She guards what lies behind it, and the card never lifts it. Pomegranates and palms promise life back there, full of seed. The two pillars hold it like a doorframe, and the scroll on her lap tells you some of the teaching stays covered.
Piece twoThe pillars
She sits between two pillars, black with a B, white with a J. Waite says they're the pillars of the mystic Temple. Dark on one side, light on the other, and she keeps the space between.
"She is seated between the white and black pillars... of the mystic Temple"Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe pillars mark a threshold. Dark B and light J stand for every pair of opposites, and she sits between them without leaning either way. Together with the veil they make a door. The scroll on her lap says she knows what lies past it.
Piece threeThe priestess
She sits still in a pale blue robe and white mantle, two horns and a white globe on her head, a white cross on her breast. A scroll in her lap reads TORA, the Law, half covered by her mantle. Waite says some things get spoken and some only hinted at.
"It is partly covered by her mantle, to show that some things are implied and some spoken."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereShe is the keeper of what the veil hides. The horned crown with its white globe ties her to the crescent at her feet. The scroll marked TORA sits half under her mantle, so she holds the teaching and lets you see only part of it.
Piece fourThe crescent
A gold crescent moon lies at her feet in the folds of her robe. The moon only reflects the sun. Waite calls her the Queen of the borrowed light, and says it lights everyone.
"She is, in fine, the Queen of the borrowed light, but this is the light of all."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe moon at her feet explains her light. She shines by reflection, the way the moon borrows from the sun, and Waite says that light still reaches everyone. The crescent answers the horned crown on her head. Her blue robe pours down into it like water.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
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The veil
Deep red pomegranates and olive palms on black and gold: growth kept behind a curtain. The Empress wears the same pomegranates printed all over her dress, out in an open garden. In Justice a purple curtain hangs between two pillars, behind a crowned judge. The Priestess hides that life. The Empress wears it.
Also in -
The pillars
One pillar near black, one pale stone: opposites, with her calm in the middle. The Hierophant sits between two grey pillars, which frame his throne. Justice holds her scales between two cream columns. In The Chariot the pair returns as two sphinxes, one black, one white, pulling a single car.
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The priestess
Pale sky blue and white: water, quiet, and the shimmer Waite sees in her mantle. Her robe spills down like a stream toward the crescent. In the Two of Swords another woman sits still in a pale robe, sea and crescent moon behind her, eyes covered. The Priestess keeps her eyes open.
Also in -
The crescent
Soft gold on pale blue: sunlight carried into night and water. Crescents come back across the deck. The Chariot's driver wears one on each shoulder, gold on armour. In the Eight of Cups a crescent with a face watches a man leave at night. Here it rests under her, held in the folds of her robe.
Also in
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
The High PriestessUpright
You're in a time of secrets and quiet knowing. Something is moving under the surface and you sense it before you can explain it. Waite's words: secrets, mystery, the future as yet unrevealed, silence, tenacity, wisdom, science.
The card asks you to wait and listen. Notice dreams, hunches, small signs. You don't have to say everything out loud yet. Trust your inner voice, keep your own counsel, and let hidden things surface when they're ready.
The High PriestessReversed
The silence breaks the wrong way. Waite gives passion, moral or physical ardor, conceit and surface knowledge. You might act on strong feelings instead of insight, or think you get it after one glance.
Slow down and go deeper. Notice when you react instead of listen. Real knowing needs quiet and time, and a quick answer usually stays on the surface.
Yes or noNot yet.
She keeps her secrets. The answer exists and isn't ready to show itself. Wait, watch, and trust what you already sense.
The High Priestess in your lifeIn your life
Love
Feelings nobody has said out loud, or someone holding something back. Be patient and trust what you sense.
Work
Keep your plans quiet for now. Information is missing. Listen more than you talk.
Money
You don't have all the facts. Wait on big decisions, and read between the lines.
Health
Listen to your body and your sleep. A card can't diagnose you; if something feels wrong, see a doctor.
Spirituality
One of the strongest cards for inner work, meditation, dreams and study. Look inside.
Advice
Be still. Listen for the answer instead of forcing it.
As a person
Quiet, wise, private, intuitive. Knows more than they say.
Past, present, future
Past: a secret, or a quiet time of learning. Present: something hidden you can sense. Future: a truth that comes out when it's ready.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Number
- II
- Hebrew letter
- Gimel
- Astrology
- The Moon
- Element
- Water
- Upright
- Secrets
- Reversed
- Passion
QuestionsCommon questions
Yes. It stands for wisdom, intuition and hidden knowledge, and Waite calls it in some ways the highest and holiest of the major cards. It asks for patience.
Deep feelings nobody has said yet, attraction with some mystery, or a secret. Give it time and trust your gut.
Not yet. The answer is still hidden. Wait and listen.
Waite calls them the white and black pillars of the mystic Temple. She sits between them, keeping dark and light in balance.
The Moon, in the Golden Dawn system, with the element Water. Its Hebrew letter is Gimel.
Waite calls her the Secret Church and the Queen of the borrowed light. She gives the Divine meaning of the Law to the just man who reads it, and he ranks her among the highest of the cards.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911Card meanings and quotes: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911. Hebrew letter, sign and element: the Golden Dawn's Book T. Colours, life situations, yes or no and questions: written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
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