The Meaning of the High Priestess in Tarot: Priestess, Faith, and Lunar Femininity

Reading: 

Key Interpretations of the Upright Card

Personal Growth	Love & Relationships	Career & Finances
awareness, intuitive insight, femininity, Anima	closure, intimacy, patience, spiritual connection, hidden true self	mentor’s role, lack of information, keeping knowledge private

Key Interpretations of the Reversed Card or in a Blocked Position

Personal Growth	Love & Relationships	Career & Finances
Difficulty interacting with others, cognitive dissonance	Ignoring one's intuition, confusion, superficiality, pretending, disconnection	Work-related uncertainty, stagnation, hypocrisy

The Popess/High Priestess in Jodorowsky's Marseille Tarot and the Rider-Waite Deck

The Meaning of the High Priestess in Tarot

The High Priestess is a complex card with many layers of meaning. She is the first female figure we encounter in the deck and represents one of the two aspects of femininity, complementing the Empress. While the Empress embodies the solar, creative, and passionate side of femininity, the High Priestess represents a more mysterious, hidden, virginal aspect, closely linked to the Moon, lunar cycles, inner wisdom, and receptivity.

Even the history behind this Arcana is enigmatic, starting with the very concept of a "Popess."

Originally, this card had a different name: it was called "Faith." It's important to remember that Tarot emerged during the Late Middle Ages/Renaissance in Italy and was created with a pedagogical purpose. The cards blended various elements of knowledge and culture from the time, including Greek deities, Christian virtues, human and celestial figures, forming a complete compendium of wisdom.

The figure representing "Faith" was not a conventional one. Various sources, including Filesi, identify her as Maifreda da Pirovano, an Italian mystic and relative of the Visconti family. Maifreda was elected as the Popess of a small Lombard sect called the Guglielmites and was sentenced to the stake in the autumn of 1300.

Her depiction as the Popess appears in the Visconti Tarot, marking a semantic shift from the theological virtue of Faith to that of the Popess, a priestess figure associated with the feminine.

In the Rider-Waite deck and its derivatives, many Christian references were removed, and the Popess was renamed The High Priestess, just as the Pope became the Hierophant.

In Rider-Waite symbolism, this card merges some reinterpreted Christian references with elements of ancient Egyptian religion. The High Priestess is illustrated in colors traditionally used to depict Mary, yet she is abstracted into the "Great Mother" archetype. At the same time, she carries attributes of Astarte, the North-Semitic equivalent of Ishtar (a Semitic-Eastern goddess).

Numerology and Symbolism

Numerologically, two is the number of passivity, receptivity, accumulation, gestation, purification, and, above all, duality. This card is connected to the Hanged Man and Strength (Justice in Rider-Waite), as well as the Twos in the Minor Arcana.

Symbols

Duality emerges in every detail of the card. However, this is not just an oppositional duality—it is, above all, complementary, like yin and yang.

• The veil, present in both versions, symbolizes the boundary between conscious and unconscious, spirit and matter.

• The crown signifies her status and the importance of her role in the spiritual realm.

Now, let’s explore the symbolism behind the two main Tarot decks, both of which are quite different from each other.

In the Marseille Tarot:

• In some versions of the Marseille deck, we see an egg, a symbol of gestation, waiting, and preparation.

• Positioned between spirit and matter, she carries symbols from both worlds. Her colors reflect this duality: blue for mystical knowledge and pink for human wisdom. The tiara is linked to the material world.

• The book (or scroll) she holds is the Book of Wisdom. In the Marseille deck, we cannot read its title, it remains a secret.

  
  

Main Colors in the Marseille Tarot:

• Light Blue: Symbolizes her spirituality, representing the realm of the soul, meditation, and inner purity.

• White: Represents innocence and purity, suggesting a connection to the divine and inner light.

• Blue: Symbolizes wisdom, a deep understanding of hidden truths, and the ability to perceive beyond the visible.

• Green: Represents nature’s strength and eternity, associated with regeneration, growth, and vitality, reflecting her connection to the natural world.

• Red: Represents action, life, and passion—vital energy and the drive toward new actions and initiatives. Though she appears still, the High Priestess is far from passive.

  
  

In the Rider-Waite Tarot:

• In the Rider-Waite deck, the veil is decorated with pomegranates, symbols of abundance, fertility, and a bridge between two worlds (see Persephone).

• The scroll in her hands is openly titled "Tora," meaning "The Greater Law."

• The references to the Moon, Isis, and lunar cycles are evident.

• The High Priestess is the guardian of Solomon’s temple. She sits before its entrance, marked by the initials B and J (Boaz and Jachin).

• Duality is even more pronounced, visible in the pillars and contrasting colors.

Main Colors in the Rider-Waite Tarot:

• Light Blue: Represents her spirituality—the realm of the soul, meditation, and inner purity.

• White: Stands for innocence and purity, symbolizing her connection to the divine and inner light.

• Black: Represents mystery, introspection, and her profound inner world. Placed next to white, it highlights the theme of duality.

  
  

Positive and Negative Qualities:

Positive: Inner wisdom, seeking knowledge, spirituality, patience, intimacy, meditation, discipline, study, preparation, purity, intuition, reflection, mystery, sacred femininity, introspection, inner peace, balance, protection.

Negative: Secrets, isolation, repressed emotions, coldness, stagnation, silence, frigidity, reluctance, indecision, emotional overwhelm, denial of reality.

Prompts:

• What knowledge are you seeking? What do you need to remember or “uncover”? What are you hiding? Is it the right thing to do?

• How can you best use your intuitive or dream-related abilities right now?

• Who is seeking your advice, or whose guidance are you looking for?

• Are you communicating effectively with others? What are you showing them?

Advice:

Listen to your instincts and trust your intuition, but wait before taking action, some aspects remain unclear or undeveloped. The number two, linked to this card, encourages patience and waiting.

So, what does it mean?

The High Priestess/Popess card in the Visconti-Sforza Tarot

The High Priestess stands as an emblematic figure in Tarot, representing not only the first distinctly feminine card but also the guardian of feminine mysteries and inner wisdom. Her reflective and introverted energy invites us to explore the unconscious and spirituality, encouraging deep introspection.

This is not a card of action but of meditation, urging us to measure with the mind and turn inward with the soul. Her receptive and intuitive nature, infused with lunar energy, pushes us to look beyond appearances and consider the past as we move toward the future.

Ultimately, the meaning of the High Priestess in the Tarot is to remind us of the importance of connecting with our deepest, most intuitive self, offering valuable guidance on our path to growth and awareness.