Exploring Tarot: The High Priestess

The High Priestess sits on a stone bench between two pillars, one black and one white in front of a barely seen body of water. Boaz and Jachin, the pillars of Solomon guard the entrance to the subconscious realm and the polarity of light versus dark within. A tapestry depicting pomegranates in the shape of the Tree of Life from the Kabbalah is draped behind her. The High Priestess wears a crown depicting the Maiden/Mother/Crone phases of the Full Moon while she holds a Torah on her lap, her foot resting on a slivered Moon.

Card 2 from the Major Arcana, the High Priestess follows The Magician who creates physical reality on an elemental level while The High Priestess invokes the subconscious or higher awareness. She represents inner stillness, one’s intuition, divine wisdom, and the Divine Feminine within.

Reversed, The High Priestess suggests interactions with others that can take on a social justice stance.