High Priestess Rev

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 31 Dec 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Alice23	31 Dec 2004
Hi everyone, just recently have been getting the High Priestess reversed, not in a reading as such but has kept flying out of the pack at me, does anybody have an interpretation of what the meaning is reversed? Also have trouble interpreting it upright too, comes across as a bit of a mysterious card, any help would be gratefully recieved! Thanks again, Alice xx

Arnnaria	31 Dec 2004
For me, the High Priestess is the guardian of our subconcious and the protector of the "truth" and the "light" behind the veil. She knows when we are ready to take take a peek behind the veil and tells us when we have had enough. When meditating and you experience an enlightened thought, that is the High Priestess allowing you to view the light. For me (and I'm using RWS), if the High Priestess is reversed the veil falls open and she is no longer in a position to guard life's mysteries. But be warned - while the veil is no longer there, the view we have of whatever lies beyond it is also reversed. So while we might get a brief glimpse of something enlightening, it might not be what the High Priestess would show us through time and meditation.

Thirteen	31 Dec 2004
Upright, the HPS is that person or information which can help you cross that desert of darkness--moonlight to light your path in the night. She's intuition which clues you to go right intead of left and/or esoteric/secret information that can help lift the veil--let you understand a mystery that's been puzzling you for a while. She'd not an "ephiphany" per se, not a sudden, bright, "ah-ha!" moment--but rather an idea that softly illuminates, that gets you to a level of deeper understanding. Things are revealed step by step. She's also indicative of a person--a lone woman, nun or librarian. Or tarot reader for that matter--male or female. If you're feeling like doing solitary reading or study, especially in the realm of the esoteric, the myterious, night-time spirituality, than you could get the HPS as signifying yourself. And if you feel like you can't penetrate the mystery, if you feel muddled and confused and in the dark, then you might be the HPS reversed. HPS reversed can also indicate the HPS at her worst, which is moody, cold, deliberately misleading. Remember, one of her symbols is the "camel" and if she's reversed than the camel is not moving and you're stuck in the middle of the desert. You don't know which step to take or where to do, intiution isn't working, and some lady in your life (maybe you), is being cold, snappish, and unreasonable.

SunChariot	31 Dec 2004
For me I always take a reversed card as meaning that the energy of the card is there, but something is blocking it from expressing itself. This can mean a delay before it manifests itself, or a problem you need to recognise and work on fixing. As this is the High Priestess, to me this means that something is stopping you, blocking you from trusting your instincts, from understanding what is in your unconscious. Perhaps you are not feeling and trusting and using your instincts enough in your readings. Likely if you are having trouble interpreting it upright too this is the case. Maybe, you are overthinking, reading has to do with "feeling" the meaning from inside of you much more than thinking about the meanings. It is about looking at the image and feeling what it is telling you, the messages there, the image and all it's parts. There could be a bird in an image, does it feel like freedom, or a pet bird you had as a child? Green grass=healthy and vibrant, or does the green remind you of jealousy. Only you can feel this, and what you feel from a card can be very different from time to time and of course is related to the question asked as well as to your mood.... Not thinking what it could mean, but FEELING what if means. You have to turn off your thoughts somewhat, just like a kind of mediation. Don't worry if it feels like you are making the answers up. I read in a book that it is a common experience to feel as though you are making the asnwers up when you do this. But you are not. You are listening to your unconscious, which talks to us in this way, through feeligns that we did not know we felt. Try it for a while, write down the answers and see if this helps at all. I think your answers will be accurate. Here is just a suggestion, what I would do. I would ask the cards, what it is that is blocking you from recognizing, knowing and trusting your instincts. And what you can do to learn to trust them more. Then I would do it. :-) Just my advice, only trying to help and I hope some of this is helpful.:-) Bar

Alectra	02 Jan 2005
What does it mean when the High P is the outcome on a reading for yourself ? I was doing a celetic Cross reading ... Any ideas ?

SunChariot	02 Jan 2005
That would depend a lot on your question. Bar

miss_apples	03 Jan 2005
Usually when I get the HP reversed I inturpret it as the awnser to my question is right in front of my nose but I am not letting myself see the awnser. You know, the HP upright usually means secrets and mysteries and what not. So reversed to me means that the things you think are secrets and mysteries actually are not, its just you seeing them that way.

magpie9	03 Jan 2005
I don't read reversed much, but I have seen the High Preistess reversed mean that you are not listening to your intuition. If she were popping up out of the deck left and right for me, that would be the first thing I would consider.

Alectra	03 Jan 2005
Thanks for the replies.. that is pretty much the same scenario I kinda thought .. I really wanted it to answer me .. but I did kinda of feel like it was telling me I already knew the answer.. I just wanted some sort of outcome

Eco74	03 Jan 2005
This might feel like a repetition but; Are you perhaps looking for answers you already know, and just avoiding taking in the realisation of it? Looking for alternatives but specifying your question as a general one? Try accepting the knowledge you already have of the situation and ask "what aside from this can I do" or "what can I do to make this easier, because this way just seems to difficult". Or... "What keeps me from looking within"?

Umbrae	03 Jan 2005
The High Priestess Rx (in her darkest hour) tells us that our uncontrolled passions often drive our motives…things that we do ‘out of the goodness of our hearts’ often have a much darker motive (there are things which we hide from ourselves)…or the darker side of sexuality…

Alice23	03 Jan 2005
Hi all,thanks for all your replies!Very interesting to see what everyone thinks, lo and behold lately its started coming up not reversed, so has been interesting to see what it means as an upright card....especially in respect of secrets and illusions.....very interesting! Thanks again, Alice x

SunChariot	03 Jan 2005
Good for you Alice 23! If it has started coming up upright now, that means that you have successfully fixed the problem that was stopping you from seeing things as you should. removed whatever was blocking you from seeing clearly. Happy to hear it:-) Bar

The High Priestess Rev thread was originally posted on 31 Dec 2004 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.