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INTUITION

What does The High Priestess tarot card mean?

TAROT cards can be an exciting way to get a deeper insight into your life and its past, present, and future circumstances.

If you draw The High Priestess tarot card during a reading, here's what it means and what symbolism this card holds.

The original Ryder-Waite tarot card of The High Priestess
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The original Ryder-Waite tarot card of The High PriestessCredit: YouTube/Howcast

What does The High Priestess tarot card mean?

If you draw The High Priestess during a tarot reading, you should be encouraged to listen to your own intuition, rather than outside sources or your logical mind.

Ellen Goldberg of the says in a video on YouTube: "The High Priestess is the chief feminine elder."

"The High Priestess is the guardian of the subconscious," she continues.

"She is intuition and wisdom at the deepest source."

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The High Priestess card can represent you on a soul level.

She reminds you that your soul is a vast ocean and that you can access it at any time if you are able to tap into your own intuition.

In other words, if you are questioning a situation in your life, and you pull The High Priestess, it could be helpful to tap into yourself instead of seeking outside guidance.

The High Priestess also represents cycles.

This can include the cycles between the moon and the sun, the ebbs and flows of the tides, the changes in seasons, and the cycles within our own bodies.

The cycles in your body can include energy cycles, menstrual cycles, and the cycle of hormones throughout your body on a daily basis.

We've been conditioned as a society to work through these cycles, ignoring our intuition when it tells us to slow down and working through it instead.

Fantasy Creatures Tarot's version of The High Priestess
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Fantasy Creatures Tarot's version of The High Priestess

How do I tap into my own intuition?

Psychologists believe that the mind is divided into two: the conscious part and the unconscious part.

The conscious part is the part that's awake and alert and is reading these words right now.

The unconscious part deals with all the other background processes, like keeping our lungs filled with air and storing memories.

It's also largely responsible for our intuition.

The High Priestess represents both parts of the mind, and the need to find a balance between the two.

Dream journaling and then analyzing the meaning of your dreams is a great way to tap into your intuition.

If you find yourself too groggy to remember full dreams, don't worry, just jot down the pieces that you do remember and look for patterns.

Another interpretation of The High Priestess
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Another interpretation of The High Priestess

Another great way to tap into your intuition is to free write.

Free writing is when, ideally first thing in the morning, you write a pre-specified number of pages, or for a pre-specified amount of time.

You should write anything that comes to mind without worrying about grammar or spelling and without censoring yourself.

It's normal if you feel almost as if you are not physically present while free-writing.

This just means that you've likely tapped into your unconscious brain, and could help you unlock the deeper meaning of your dreams, thoughts, and even actions.

What symbols are found on The High Priestess card?

These symbols are all based on the original Ryder-Waite Tarot deck, but if you compare other cards from other decks, you'll likely notice some similar patterns.

The number two at the top of the card represents duality.

This concept can involve the elements of yin and yang, masculine and feminine, dark and light, the heart and the mind, intuition, and logic, or introversion and extroversion.

It expands much beyond those examples, but the point is that if something exists in your life and has an opposing state, then The High Priestess is calling for you to make peace between the two in your soul.

What are the Major Arcana cards in Tarot?

The High Priestess sits in front of a tapestry, which is symbolic because it connects the two pillars on either side of her.

The pillars, one dark, and one light, also represent duality.

The pomegranates on the tapestry represent fertility, life, and death.

The date trees on the tapestry represent a sense of renewal after a difficult time, and can also serve as a reminder that "...we can shift our reality by changing our perception," according to .

"Light and love are the elixirs of life that renew our soul.

"Their source is not outside of us; it is within us. As we remember who we really are, we step into space of the immortal soul."

The High Priestess wears a crown that at first may look like horns, which could represent the bull (male) energy needed to impregnate a woman.

However, many other interpretations compare it to a waxing, full, and waning moon.

This is also another reminder of the cycle of womanhood, with the waxing moon representing innocence, the full moon representing the reproductive years of a woman, and the waning moon representing the wisdom and light that a woman holds long after she is no longer fertile.

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Does The High Priestess card mean yes or no?

In a yes or no Tarot card reading, the High Priestess means a yes.

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However, it's important to remember what we've learned about The High Priestess and to incorporate our intuition to answer the question.

The High Priestess is a positive card with positive connotations, so if your gut feels as if the answer is yes, then you can likely count on it being so.

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