High Priestess Interpretations

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Nov 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Karenwhe	20 Nov 2002
I am starting to have problems with this card. I search for a whole day all the threads and read as much as I could find on this card. I find though that people talk about the symbols, which I am fully aware of, but not of the different meanings that this card may illustrate. Of course I started getting her in readings quite often, and I am starting to get lost in creative ideas for interpretations. I would like to hear your thoughts on the interpretations of this wonderful but yet so complex card. Creative ideas and maybe examples of interpretations. Any comments will be much appreciated.

Thirteen	21 Nov 2002
Think of the High Priestess as a cross between the Magician, the Hierophant and the Hermit. She's a female version of all three. Full of magic and knowledge and secrets like the Magician, but with a book instead of a wand; a teacher who makes mysteries clear like the Hierophant, she sits upon a throne like his, and a solitary investagator like the Hermit, she lets the moon serve as her lantern. Ultimately, you can interpet the card one of three ways: 1) As a person 2) As yourself 3) As a message to you *So what if it means a person? Well, likely that person is female--not a mother but an aunt or cousin. She's a loner (doesn't mean she doesn't have family, just means that, for now, she's living on her own). She's spiritual, perhaps magical, with some psychic abilities. In old interpetations, she was usually identified as a "Nun." But she could just as easily be a teacher, a councilor, a tarot reader, or just someone incredibly knowledgable about obscure subjects. Think of her as an amazing librarian who knows where all the best and most incredible books can be found, a very religious sibling--or a great aunt who knows all the family history and secrets. Mind, on the negative side, this woman can also be sharp and cold. Moody and unfriendly. *What if the card means "You"? It could be indicating a time of study and investagation, a time of inner spiritual journies, or of discovering mysteries...like tarot cards ;) *What about just meaning? Think of the High Priestess this way: The Magician is "1"--he is the first way to go, the path of light, sunshine, of Mercury--meaning talk, discussion. The Magician lays out everything on the table for all to see. His tricks are slight of hand. The High Preistess is "2"--she's the dark to his light, the yin to his yang. What is NOT said. What is hidden, veiled, secret, only seen by the light of the moon. So when you ask a question and get her, the answer is not going to be out on the table, right there in front of your eyes. No. It's hiding. You're going to have to dig, search the most obscure books, get people to tell you their darkest secrets. That's where the answer lies. Also, in your own subconscious--back in the deep, dark parts of your mind. Your instincts, your psychic abilities know, but you're going to have to get them to tell you. The High Priestess says, "you cannot cross the desert during the day, in the sunlight. It's too harsh and hot. You can only cross at night, in the dark." That might be frightening, but you will gain all kinds of knowledge on your way. The darkest, scariest parts of your mind, your soul, your family, your life, is where some of the most amazing treasures and wisdom can be found. Does that help?

Mystica	21 Nov 2002
Thirteen, what can I say? I didn't even have a question about the High Priestess, but as always, your insights are a joy to read...Thank you. (Vianne- doing her best Wayne's World "I'm not worthy!!")

MystiqueMoonlight	21 Nov 2002
I'm sorry Thirteen (and I just know you're going to reply *smile* }) ) but I tend not to agree that the High Priestess is most likely a woman. As a matter of fact I'd like to say that none of the cards are actually gender specific. I know you will agree that one should never really place gender to the cards or don't you or have I just stood in some poo poo? :)

SlyR	21 Nov 2002
In short: Intuition, Memory, Subconscious, Inert Potential, Hidden or Secret Ideas and Truths, Quiet Observance, Passivity, Contemplation, Differentiation for the purpose of reference, the establishment of a pattern.

Karenwhe	21 Nov 2002
Thirteen, that was wonderful. Good insight and a lot of help. But lets complicate the issue just one bit. In two occasions last week I clearly remembered not being able to interpret her at all. In both cases the querent was a man (both these people are in the friends and family group). -------------------------- In the first case - it was a business spread, for an idea/venture (this spread was for a friend that is a part-time academic). * The first position was "will the business be successful", the card on that position was the Heirophant. So far so good, the guy wanted a business doing academic teaching of some sort, but then I remember, I put next to the Heirophant a clarification card and here she came "The High Priestess". I kind of got lost and ignored her (sorry, but sometimes you must admit nothing comes to mind). She didn't fit in the whole spread. ** Second Case - A different person, male (family), with another business/job/contract problem. In the position of "what do they want from you at this time", came Seven of Cups, the seven of cups kind of made sense in the spread in general but not totally, so I put a clarification card, and oops, comes the High Preiestess" again. I have many more examples. But these two cases, I just couldn't understand, the rest I managed. Sorry Thirteen, but its neither me nor any woman here, which makes it worse, as I love to get the High Priestess in my spreads, I relate to her, but not when she comes for other people. So, if you don't mind, anyone, continuing your thoughts with these examples in mind, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Umbrae	21 Nov 2002
Ahhhhhh the High Priestess. She knows all the answers… However, she will never tell you...any of them. You must guess. (Or outwit her). Some will say that she represents the fourth face of a woman (virgin – mother – crone -?) What is the fourth face? Some educated folks state that the fourth face of womanhood is the loose-woman (or the slut). She is manipulative and uses sex as a weapon/tool. I will not argue this – it has already been immortalized in print – go to your library. Overall, the High Priestess uses her sex – and her secrets – and tells little. In addition, she can be very dangerous. ...or not... I love he High Priestess in spreads...

Karenwhe	21 Nov 2002
Man oh man, you said so much, but then so little, just like the High Priestess. Ok, you proved your point :-)

divinerguy	21 Nov 2002
Like Thirteen, I see one of the aspects of the High Preistess as being an analogue to the Hierophant. As a cleric, she is embodied with certain minsterial duties and obligations. She is respected, but can abuse that respect. She can teach, or she can injure with her teachings. In her you can trust, and at times, she can violate that trust. In short, she is a delightfully complex person, and a great card to study. Because her personality is very strong, she tends to alter the character of the cards surrounding her to a greater degree than they modify her.

Silverlotus	21 Nov 2002
I thought that I would add my 2 cents to this. But be warned, it's 2 cents Canadian, so it may not be worth much. ;) The High Priestess is one of my favourite cards. Of all the Majors, she is the one that seems to have the most to say to me, especially in my Pagan themed decks. And I actually happened to make some notes on her a couple of days ago. I totally agree with Thirteen’s idea that she is the opposite of the Magician. He is in the sun, she is under the moon. He is loud, she speaks in whispers. The Magician shows you the tools you have to use, but the High Priestess shows you how to unlock your knowledge, through the use of hidden writings (her scroll) and teachings. As for her more practical meaning, I think she means you need to discover the knowledge that you need for you goal/project. She can also mean a need to retreat to learn the “hidden”, undiscovered knowledge to continue. She can also represent someone to learn this knowledge from, without being female, but perhaps a feminine man? I think maybe with the Hierophant, she could mean the knowledge to expand on or improve old ideas. And in the reading with the Seven of Cups, she could represent the search for the knowledge to fulfill the unreasonable requests or foolish dreams others are pushing on him. In both these cases I’d say the knowledge they need isn’t right out there to see, it’s hidden. Some work would have to be done for them to find it. Of course this is all my own idea. :) I hope I was at least a little bit helpful.

Liliana	21 Nov 2002
Is someone calling me? hehe The High Priestess is the keeper of the mysteries of life. Many of the mysteries she knows you wouldn't want to, you may think you do but in the long run its best if you don't. "What you don't know can't hurt you", she keeps those secrets until you are ready to deal with them. She is the one who sits silently in the back of the room at a party, observing what's going on, smiling slightly and trying not to giggle when we show our foolish natures. Stil if you are deemed worthy she will teach you a thing or two, usually in the form of a metaphor or other sign you have to think about to understand. What she knows rosses all races and religions, she would never be foolish enough to say one is above another. In a reading she usually represents a person like I described, or a time for deep contemplation on the subject. Sometimes she can mean that what you are asking isnt meant to be known at this time. :THP

Thirteen	21 Nov 2002
MOONLIGHT: --yes, you're quite right that the HPS isn't gender specific. And I guess I wasn't all that clear: I said that the card can be "a person," or "YOU." That "YOU" means, to me, the QUERENT. So if the Querent is male, the HPS could easily represent them--and I think it did in Karen's two spreads. HOWEVER, I think that if the card is there to represent ANOTHER person, other than the QUERENT, it's should be read as being a woman. Why? Because the tarot could just as easily turn up a different, similar card to indicate an actual MALE person. Like the Hermit or Hierophant. If, for example, I got the High Priestess in a position of "Who is your friend" in a spread, I'd tell the querent (let's assume they're a student) that their best friend in this situation was a teacher, female, solitary, whose very, very knowledgable. I wouldn't say, "A man or woman" because I'd trust that IF the friend were a man, I'd get the Hermit. At which point I'd say, "Your friend is a teacher, male, solitary, and very, very knowledgable." Why, afterall, should the Tarot make a reading difficult by obscuring the gender of some other person in the querent's life? Unless 77 out of the 78 cards have been used up, it's real easy for the deck to find a "male" card to represent a male. Why use the HPS and confuse the matter? My assumption here--and experience--is that the tarot really does try to make readings easy on the reader when it can. KAREN: Quote: Originally posted by Karenwhe * The first position was "will the business be successful", the card on that position was the Heirophant. So far so good, the guy wanted a business doing academic teaching of some sort, but then I remember, I put next to the Heirophant a clarification card and here she came "The High Priestess". I kind of got lost and ignored her (sorry, but sometimes you must admit nothing comes to mind). She didn't fit in the whole spread. Sometimes, when you ask for clarification, the cards say that same thing over again. But since they've already used the most perfect card, they use the next perfect card. The Hierophant clearly indicated that your guy is going to be on top of his academic teaching--in charge with all those students kneeling at his feet, asking him for guidance. But you didn't take the hint. Instead, you asked for "Clarification." Your poor deck scratched it's metaphysical head; "Darn," it said, "I thought I was crystal clear there. Let's see, what other way can I say the same thing...." And there's the next best card, the High Priestess, fount of knowledge and wisdom, another teacher, enthroned, doling out knowledge. The deck repeated itself. Quote: ** Second Case - A different person, male (family), with another business/job/contract problem. In the position of "what do they want from you at this time", came Seven of Cups, the seven of cups kind of made sense in the spread in general but not totally, so I put a clarification card, and oops, comes the High Preiestess" again. In this case, the High Priestess is meaning and the Querent, not another person. What "They" wanted from this guy (your querent) is SECRETS, in depth knowledge, stuff they thought HE alone knew. The Seven of Cups supports this--they wanted to know which road to take, which magic cup to drink from. They thought your querent knew. Likely, he didn't, but they presumed that he was the High Priestess with all this inner knowledge and secrets. Does that work?

dangerdork	21 Nov 2002
Wow, lots of great posts here. Here's one of my lines of thinking on the HP that I haven't seen explicitly here: As far as the male / female ying and yang of the Magician and the HP, look at courtship behavior / gender roles in many animals (including primitive humans)... The male is the hunter, the warrior, the guardian, the provider... his role is to go out and manipulate his environment, to make things happen, to build and to destroy, to act as an agent of change. Sounds like the Magician to me. The female role, however, is the nest builder, the nurturer, the dispenser of advice and comeraderie, the teacher, the caretaker of the hearth and home... the Muse who INSPIRES the male to do all that stuff he's doing. Al little fuzzier and more complex, definitely the HP. Now look at courtship rituals. Think of peacock for instance, or choose any one of a zillion favorite animals. The males all strut their stuff, sing or fight or puff up their plumage, all trying to impress their potential mate. This sounds like all that pointing and incanting and spreading out his implements that the Magician is doing. But the holder of the REAL power is the female. She is the one who makes the choice - she will choose the Magician if she finds him suitable. She doesn't HAVE to manipulate the world, because in due course all things come to HER. Her celibacy, and yes, her virginity, are the power she has over the male, and her choices about her sexual behavior are the secret around which the mating rituals revolve. The Magician and High Priestess, then, are the younger, uncoupled male and female whereas the Empress and Emperor are the male and female aspects AFTER completing the ritual, pairing off, having children: Their fertility is realized, not just being determined in ritual behaviors... Just some musings to supplement the excellent stuff already here.

MystiqueMoonlight	21 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Thirteen MOONLIGHT: --yes, you're quite right that the HPS isn't gender specific. And I guess I wasn't all that clear: I said that the card can be "a person," or "YOU." That "YOU" means, to me, the QUERENT. So if the Querent is male, the HPS could easily represent them--and I think it did in Karen's two spreads. I know it Thirteen, was just teasing a little :) Hope you don't take offense. I knew exactly what you were saying, but wanted to extrapulate a little on it. However you have done it quite nicely hear. :)

Karenwhe	21 Nov 2002
Thirteen, you are quite right. It clarified it all and very nicely the puzzle fell into place. In the first instance, I was probably looking for clarification as I wasn't aware that the guys venture wanted to be in the academic world. I found out only after the reading. I know he was in that world, I thought he wanted to venture out, as he told me he wanted an independent business venture. Right after the reading I found that his venture would to be in the same world he is in at the moment.... and yes, I just overlooked that one. In the second case, I can still remember all the card in the spread clearly, and thinking about it, they did want that from him, the knowledge that they thought only he knew. Which quite right he didn't. In the spread I remember seeing a character that can't make his mind up and wants others to make decisions for him. So, it all makes now perfect sense, it is now as clear as crystal. Thanks a million, it did help, it solved the puzzle. Your a genius :-)

juice	22 Nov 2002
If were me I would say someone of an efeminate nature. I personally see each of the 78 cards as having a slightly different personality. I see each card having a leaning to a set of meanings that others may only come close to. In that respect, I wouldn't deny that set of characteristics being available to a person of sex other than the one on a card.

dangerdork	22 Nov 2002
Since this particular card came up, I just wanted to share with y'all the latest draft of the High Priestess character I've come up with for my deck-in-progress: http://www.geocities.com/dangerdorx/index.htm (she's on the bottom left, click her) Thanks Umbrae for the suggestion of where to put my images! I also agree that all of us have masculine and feminine aspects to our personalities... my other post was about the energies of the card, the querent or anyone could be manifesting those energies...

lupo138	25 Nov 2002
Whenever an interpretation of Thirteen is done, there is nothing left for me to say. So I was going to keep my mouth shut, but I have decided on the contrary, because I want to point out one thing: Interpreting the High Priestess as "a cross between magician, high priest and hermit" is probably the best I have ever heard. It is so simpel and obvious on the one hand and despite this I would never have been able to explain it that way. I (rather subconcously) always read the High Priestess as a combination of the magician and the pope, so forming something higher. Anyway I do not really get the sense out of the hermit- I would rather understand the Empress, but the Hermit ? I will have to think about that for some time :)

Kazz	25 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Liliana In a reading she usually represents a person like I described, or a time for deep contemplation on the subject. Sometimes she can mean that what you are asking isnt meant to be known at this time. :THP I agree with Liliana, she indicates to the querent that they should keep things to him/herself at this time, like intentions and ideas, don't share any confidence yet. I like the combination of wisdom and innocence (Like being naive with street smarts) Cheers Kazz :TQC

The High Priestess Interpretations thread was originally posted on 20 Nov 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.