The High Priestess tarot card from the 1909 deck by Pamela Colman Smith

The High Priestess tarot card meaning

The High Priestess upright asks you to trust what you sense beneath the surface and to wait quietly until the full picture becomes clear.

intuition
inner knowing
mystery
patience
the unspoken

Draw a card Ask yes or no

Arcana	Major
Number	II (2)
Astrology (Golden Dawn)	Moon
Yes or no	Maybe upright, no reversed

Written by Orbitarot · Sources: our own meanings; card art by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909; A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1910 · Updated October 7, 2026

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What the card shows

A calm woman in blue robes sits between two pillars, a black one marked B and a white one marked J, with a veil of palms and pomegranates hanging behind her. She wears a horned crown holding a full moon, a cross on her chest and a crescent moon at her feet, and she holds a partly hidden scroll marked TORA. The pillars are read as opposites in balance, the veil as knowledge not yet revealed, and the scroll as wisdom kept close rather than shouted.

The High Priestess upright

The High Priestess does not push or explain. She sits still and knows. When she appears, the card usually suggests that the answer you want will not come from more research or more opinions, but from listening inward. Dreams, hunches and the feeling in your stomach when a name is mentioned all count as information here.

This is also a card of timing. The scroll in her lap is only half shown, and the veil behind her hides what lies beyond. Some things are not ready to be known yet, and forcing them can lead you to the wrong conclusion. Upright, she invites you to gather impressions, keep your counsel and let the situation reveal itself. If you are dealing with someone who seems guarded, she may also point to feelings or facts not yet spoken. Quiet time, journaling or a walk alone can help you hear what you already know.

The High Priestess reversed

ignored instincts
secrets
confusion
disconnection
surface thinking

Reversed, the High Priestess often shows a gap between what you feel and what you are doing. You may be talking yourself out of a clear instinct because it is inconvenient, or filling every quiet moment so you do not have to listen.

It can also point to secrets, gossip or information being kept from you. Rather than guessing or assuming the worst, ask direct questions and notice how people answer. Make space for stillness again, even ten minutes a day away from screens and other voices, and your sense of what is true is likely to return.

The High Priestess in love

Upright: For singles, the High Priestess suggests an attraction that grows slowly or a person who is hard to read at first. In a relationship, it points to a deep, unspoken bond and a need for patience while feelings settle.

Reversed, it can show hidden feelings, mixed signals or a partner keeping something back. It may also suggest you are ignoring your own doubts about the connection.

The High Priestess for career and work

Upright, the card advises gathering information quietly before you act and trusting your read on people. Study, research and behind-the-scenes work are favored.

Reversed, it warns of missing information or office politics you have not fully seen. Hold off on big decisions until things are clearer.

The High Priestess as feelings

They feel a quiet, strong pull toward you but are keeping it to themselves for now.

The High Priestess as advice

Be still, listen to your instincts and wait for clarity before you act.

The High Priestess in a tarot reading

The same card reads differently depending on where it lands. These are the readings our spreads use when The High Priestess appears in each position. Try it in a three card reading, Celtic cross.

Upright

As the past	A quiet knowing sits at the root of this. A hunch, a dream or a gut feeling, trusted or set aside, planted the seed of what is unfolding now.
As the present	The answer you want is unlikely to come from more research or more opinions. At this moment it sits inside you, waiting for enough stillness to be heard.
As the future or outcome	Patience will be rewarded in the time ahead, as more is revealed slowly. Hidden information may surface, and your intuition is likely to guide you well.
As the obstacle	Waiting for perfect certainty may be what holds you back. Some things cannot be fully explained in advance, and insisting on proof can drown out what you already sense.
As advice	Get quiet and listen inward before you act. Notice your dreams, your hunches and the feeling in your body when this subject comes up, and give them real weight.

Reversed

As the past	A gut feeling you talked yourself out of, or a secret that stayed buried, sits at the root of this. Overriding that inner signal helped bring about what you face now.
As the present	There is a gap between what you feel and what you are doing. Constant noise or busyness may be keeping you from hearing an instinct that is already clear.
As the future or outcome	If you keep ignoring that quiet voice, confusion may deepen. Making room to listen, or bringing hidden information into the open, can turn this toward clarity.
As the obstacle	Secrets, gossip or your own surface thinking are clouding the picture. What is not being said matters here, and pretending not to notice it keeps you stuck.
As advice	Turn down the noise and trust the instinct you keep dismissing. Where facts are missing, ask plainly instead of guessing, and be wary of rumors.

What A. E. Waite wrote about The High Priestess in 1910

Waite designed this deck with Pamela Colman Smith and published its meanings in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910, public domain). His words, as printed:

Divinatory meaning:

Secrets, mystery, the future as yet unrevealed; the woman who interests the Querent, if male; the Querent herself, if female; silence, tenacity; mystery, wisdom, science.

Reversed:

Passion, moral or physical ardour, conceit, surface knowledge.

Secrets, mystery and silent wisdom tie both readings. Waite also used her as a significator, the woman who interests a male Querent or the Querent herself, and reversed her into passion, conceit and surface knowledge rather than an ignored gut feeling.

Is The High Priestess a yes or no card?

Upright: Maybe The veil behind the High Priestess hides what is not yet known, so upright the answer is maybe until more is revealed.

Reversed: No Reversed, instincts are being ignored and facts are hidden, so the card leans no for now.

Ask your own question with the yes or no tarot. No cards at hand? The yes or no oracle answers with a pendulum.

Learn more: how to read reversed cards, how to read this card with others, whether The High Priestess is one of your birth cards, its astrology correspondence.

Questions

What does The High Priestess mean in tarot?

The High Priestess upright asks you to trust what you sense beneath the surface and to wait quietly until the full picture becomes clear. Reversed, the High Priestess suggests you are overriding your gut feeling, or that hidden information is clouding a situation that needs honest attention. Yes or no: Maybe upright, no reversed.

What does The High Priestess reversed mean?

Reversed, the High Priestess suggests you are overriding your gut feeling, or that hidden information is clouding a situation that needs honest attention.

Is The High Priestess a yes or no card?

Maybe when upright. The veil behind the High Priestess hides what is not yet known, so upright the answer is maybe until more is revealed. When reversed, it leans no. Reversed, instincts are being ignored and facts are hidden, so the card leans no for now.

What does The High Priestess mean as feelings?

They feel a quiet, strong pull toward you but are keeping it to themselves for now.