Lessons From the High Priestess

The High Priestess Tarot card perfectly embodies and balances both the light and dark aspects of her being.

To give us more insight on the power, history, and iconography of the High Priestess card, we asked Jade Taylor, beauty director at House of Intuition and tarot card reader extraordinaire, to break down the High Priestess’ many complex layers for us.

Welcome, Jade!

It’s interesting that House of Intuition’s motto is “your intuition led you here,” because I can’t help but relate it directly to pulling the High Priestess card. Whenever she shows up for me in a reading, the intuitive sirens inside of me start to blare, signaling a time for me to really listen and connect with my inner self and inner voice.

Ruled by the Moon, the High Priestess sits in a celestial throne with her Triple Goddess crown, a crescent Moon near her feet, a flowy blue dress symbolizing water, and pomegranates and date palm trees scattered behind her, which are there to represent menstruation, fertility, and the womb.

In most decks like Rider-Waite, Motherpeace, Holly Simple Tarot, Wanderer’s Tarot, and Mystic Mondays, the High Priestess is almost always depicted sitting down. She has an aura of mystery that surrounds her, because all of the answers we are searching for are buried, like treasure, deep within her.

It is our duty, as treasure hunters when this card is pulled, to reconnect with our intuitive compass to look inside, reflect, and trust our gut to uncover these sacred answers.

In my opinion, she is sitting because she must sit to keep the balance for all women. Sometimes I like to think she’s sitting peacefully, and other times I like to think she’s sitting like Marina Abramović did at the MoMA—beautifully, in pain and in protest, as a saintly sacrifice for the exchange of being the roots in which we all grow from. The High Priestess sits so all women can rise and stand. It’s kind of like the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer when all the potentials are ignited with the O.G. Slayer energy.

All women have the High Priestess virtue inside of them, but it’s up to us to activate it. The High Priestess is the embodiment of what girl power really means.

Since the High Priestess is immersed in such voltaic feminine energy, I encourage anyone reading this to meditate from within and reconnect with your inner High Priestess whenever you feel lost.

And by the way, you do not have to identify as female to understand the High Priestess—you can be non-binary, gender nonconforming, or male-identifying and still tap into and learn from her boundless wisdom.

Big thanks to Jade Taylor for sharing this wisdom.

For more information directly relating to Tarot or anything else that falls under the metaphysical umbrella, be sure to check out videos on House of Intuition’s newest platform which is a member-supported, independent, and ad-free app which you can stream for free on the HOI.TV app. It’s kind of like spiritual Netflix, so you can binge-watch videos on astrology, crystal therapy, meditation, and so much more—let your intuition lead you.

For messages from the High Priestess and others check out our amazing Tarot Collection.

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