The High Priestess, the Pope Joan, or Female Pontiff; early expositors have sought to term this card the Mother, or Pope's Wife, which is opposed to the symbolism. It is sometimes held to represent the Divine Law and the Gnosis, in which case the Priestess corresponds to the idea of the Shekinah. She is the Secret Tradition and the higher sense of the instituted Mysteries.
2
Major Arcana
The Virgin/The Maiden
The High Priestess
You feel the pull of something unseen, a whisper in the silence. Secrets unfold in stillness—trust what your intuition already knows.
Standard: Listening to your feelings and intuitions. Exploring unconventional spirituality. Keeping secrets. Being receptive. Reflecting instead of acting. Observing others. Preserving purity.
Reversed: Being aloof. Obsessing on secrets and conspiracies. Rejecting guidance from spirit or intuition. Revealing all. Ignoring gut feelings. Refusing to become involved, even when involvement is appropriate.
Keywords
Intuition
Reflection
Purity
Initiation
Questions to Ask
- What might a rebel against tradition do?
- What isn't being said or revealed?
- What could be achieved by observing and reflecting?
A. E. Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot