TAROTThe High Priestess
Upright
Intuition, the subconscious mind, and connection to the higher realms of consciousness
Your inner intuition can be trusted. Dig deep in yourself; the truth is already there.
Your inner self sees through other people’s secrets and hidden agendas.
Intuition
The High Priestess’s three heads look down three roads simultaneously; the past, present and future. This represents a Tarot reader’s intuition in being able to see life in all three directions.
The High Priestess is the Holder of the Torch; the key to higher consciousness and immortality.
Reversed
Confusion, indecision, or being out of touch with your own emotions.
Self-delusion, self-deceit, or hypocrisy. Sometimes we don’t see things as they are, but as we are.
Lack of trust in one's instincts
An overemphasis on rational thinking without listening to your inner voice; does this ‘feel right’?
Astrologia
Emotion, nurturing, intuition and dreams. Relationships based on strong emotional support and understanding. Focus on the home and close relationships. Open to delusion, causing emotional outbursts.
The High Priestess
The High Priestess represents the inner voice of the unconscious. This is not merely esoteric; it is the voice that speaks to you whenever the facts seem to point to a conclusion that does not 'feel right'.
The High Priestess is the opposite of the rational, outward-looking Magician. Everyone is a combination of both. If not, we become unbalanced.
Her power lies in the ability to perceive without over-rationalizing. This is called a 'gut feeling'. She is less concerned with facts, and more on whether we are being honest with ourselves. This intuition is just as valuable as logic.
The Snake Goddess
The archetype for the High Priestess is drawn from one of our earliest deities.
Early pre-farming cultures revered the animals around them. Hunted and predatory animals became early archetypes: the Wolf, the Auroch, the Feline. But there was another class of creature: those who shed their skin or hibernated by retreating into the ground (the home of the dead). These animals, including the scorpion and the snake, became associated with death, rebirth, and the afterlife.
An early example is found at Göbekli Tepe (one of the earliest known megalith structures and a candidate for the 'first temple') via the Snake Woman. She appears more powerful than the 'Auroch God' (the Magician in Torch-Tarot), who is depicted bowing to her.
The Snake Goddess governed the path to the afterlife and fertility, both central to the cycle of life and death. Later goddesses (and folk characters like Shahmaran) evolved from this root form.
For Torch-Tarot, the closest representation is Hecate. Hecate was an adopted deity originating from Asia Minor (Anatolia), the same region as Göbekli Tepe.
Hecate is a liminal deity whose domain includes thresholds, doorways, and normally unpassable boundaries. As with many ancient deities, Hecate seems to be the goddess of many random things, but they are actually aspects of the same one thing; liminality. Her domains include:
- Witchcraft and Prayer: Spells involve moving something from one time and space to another by crossing a liminal boundary. In ancient times, a prayer was said to Hecate before any other deity. Her permission was needed for the prayer to reach the heavens, as the path between mortals and the divine is itself a liminal space.
- The Underworld: She governs the liminal space between the living and the dead. The 'keys' that allow crossing this boundary are the keys to immortality. One such key is Hecate’s Torch.
- Crossroads: In her three-headed guise, she stands at a three-forked crossroad, looking down the past, present, and future. A Tarot reading is akin to standing at Hecate’s crossroad, looking in all three directions at once.
- Pillars: Placing pillars on either side of a door is an ancient ward, signifying the entrance is under Hecate's protection. No entity from the 'other-world' may cross without permission (a concept surviving in folklore, such as the vampire requiring an invitation). The pillars on this card are not those of Solomon's Temple, but these older, liminal wards.
- Mind and Body: She rules the liminal space between the physical and the psychological: the Unconscious, where intuition resides. This is why Hecate (rather than Persephone) is the High Priestess. Persephone rules the dead, but Hecate rules the link to the Unconscious mind. Persephone appears elsewhere in the deck as the Queen of Pentacles.
The Torch symbol that represents this deck is Hecate’s Torch. She holds torches of this form in ancient pottery depicting the myth of Demeter and Persephone. Similar torches were used in the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Description and Symbology
Hecate floats above a dark surface. A small splash reveals this surface to be water, representing the deep Unconscious. Above the water rise two eyeless snakes formed from the liquid itself. Hecate wears tribal makeup resembling slitted snake eyes. The snakes have no eyes because Hecate sees for them; she can see the dead and the world below.
A leaping frog below her feet nods to the Egyptian fertility goddess, Heqet. Some suggest Heqet is an earlier form of Hecate, implying the archetype traveled from Anatolia to Greece via Egypt. This connection matches fertility's ancient association with the cycle of life and death.
Hecate wears dark furs over a black robe, while a white mist flows from the Moon. The black and white swirl but never mix. The border between them represents Hecate’s kingdom: the liminal spaces separating opposite domains.
Within the mist, we see two wolves. The white wolf represents higher spirituality; the black represents the deep Unconscious. Both are aspects of the intuitive mind. In myth, the howling of dogs or wolves at night signaled that Hecate was near.
Hecate stands in a T-pose. This shape is how our earliest ancestors represented the human form (as seen at Göbekli Tepe). It also mimics a two-way signpost, honoring her role as Goddess of the Crossroads.
At her fingertips float two torches. These allow her to pass between liminal spaces. They symbolize the higher knowledge needed to cross such barriers, and the ultimate boon of that crossing: immortality.
Hecate’s three heads look to the past, present, and future simultaneously. This power can be tapped through Tarot, intuition, and dreams. When dreaming, intuition is no longer blocked by the waking intellect. The Unconscious never sleeps.
Hecate wears a symbol that mirrors this trinity, showing the three phases of the moon. In the earliest Neolithic symbology, they no longer represent the more modern 'three ages of life' (maiden, woman, crone) but were often depicted as animals (egg, chick, bird, which ties in with the belief of the universe beginning from a primordial egg).
Strange, round pots fall toward the water. These are ancient ceramic pomegranates, patterned with dots to signify the seeds inside. Often found in graves, their symbology is profound:
- The Many: The multitude of seeds represents both the 'Many' of the living and the 'Many' of the dead.
- The Liminal Link: A fallen pomegranate moves from the realm of the living to the dead. To take a pomegranate from the dead forms a permanent link, drawing you to them. (Hence the ancient warning: never eat food offered in the Underworld).
- The Anchor: This attraction could be used as an anchor. If the living exchanged pomegranates before a dangerous journey, or left a pottery pomegranate in a grave, the seeds would pull the giver and receiver back to each other in the after-world.
Finally, we see two pillars behind Hecate. These reference the ancient tradition of liminal wards. Pillars consecrate a passage to Hecate, meaning no evil may cross unless you invite it in. Psychologically, this means your higher mind is protected from corruption unless you specifically allow entry.
The High Priestess Symbol
The High Priestess is represented by the three-moon symbol. This is often associated with the Triple Goddess, but it should be noted that this concept is much more recent than Hecate. In this deck, the three moons represent three aspects of Hecate and not a combination with other deities.
Deep, dark water
At the bottom of the card, we see dark, still water. The water surface represents the border with the subconscious, with the deeper water below being the inner mind.
Hecate’s snakes
The snakes are made of the water, symbolizing their affinity with the subconscious and as dream symbols. They have no eyes. The High Priestess’s tribal eye make-up is part of a spell that gives her their eyes and vision, enabling her to see the worlds of the living and the dead, and perhaps inhabit the Liminal world of dream.
Heqet’s frog
The jumping frog represents another facet of the High Priestess and comes from the Egyptian Goddess Heqet, who may have been a precursor of Hecate. Fertility and death are often part of the same life-death cycle.
Moon, water and intuition
The mist enclosing Hecate comes from the moon, suggesting that this is where part of her power resides. Hecate’s dark cloak seems to be part of the water, suggesting part of her power also comes from there, or that they are two facets of the same thing.
Pomegranate
Pomegranates were associated with the concept of 'many' because of their high number of seeds. This includes the many of the living but also the many of the dead. The High Priestess is the link that binds both, as she controls the liminal space between them.
Three heads
Hecate as the High Priestess has three heads, symbolizing her standing at a three fork crossroads, with her heads looking down the three roads simultaneously. The roads are the past, present, and future. This is a visual representation of how Tarot works; by tapping into intuition, all three roads appear to you, allowing you to see the past, present, and future.
Waxing, full and waning moon
This is a symbolic alternative representation of the three heads; the waning, full and waning moon represents the past, present, and future.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
You have a heightened sense of empathy and understanding to the needs of others.
Now is a time to better understand others, their motivations, and needs. Trust your intuition and where it leads, as it is probably right.
Be wary of secrets or hidden agendas being used against you, as you are susceptible to them.
Be careful of arguments and problems that draw you in, as you will become over emotional or too invested in them.
Your gut feelings in decision-making and what is right for you are correct, so go with them.
Expect good relationships with co-workers through understanding their aims and goals.
Now is a time to reflect on what you want out of career, as you are perfectly attuned to your own real aims in life.
Carefully consider important decisions, as you are prone to making wrong assumptions by becoming too emotionally invested in a project or course of action. Time to step back and be a little more rational, keeping emotions in check!
You may be feeling out of place; something is going on, and you can’t get to the bottom of it, or you suspect deception within the workplace but are unable to put a finger on it. Patience and waiting are key here.
A healthy, self-aware mind makes for a healthy body; look after your body and your mind will follow.
Gut feelings on potential illnesses should be checked, as your intuition is high.
Your mind is affecting your health. Be wary of worries impacting the body; headaches, stomach upsets, lack of sleep, nightmares, and similar issues.
If it all seems to be getting too much, you have no choice but to get away for a while; a holiday or space to reflect may be the best option.
Inner knowledge and intuition is heightened. You may be better off trusting your feelings rather than group congregations or organized religion.
Now is the time to consider your future direction or change of lifestyle, as you are perfectly attuned to what you really want in life.
The High Priestess card is Hecate, who is associated with the afterlife and magic. Perhaps now is a time to reflect on those departed. What would they advise? You may not have the liminal-barrier crossing power to ask, but intuition and dreams may tell you.
You are prone to self-deception. Check your beliefs and whether they are based on what you would like over what is. Emotions may be clouding this!
Be wary of veiled truths and heresy. Others may believe otherwise to you, but now is not the time to argue against their beliefs.
Trust your gut feelings on anything that feels right and concentrate on the fine print on anything that doesn’t; your intuition in all things is raised.
In the same way, trust your impressions of people you deal with, and act accordingly.
Be wary of failure to see hidden risks, as you are currently very open to deception.
In particular, do not trust anything that comes out of the blue or looks too good to be true; falling for scams and exaggerated claims is a possibility right now!
Yes, through intuition, inner knowledge.
No, through self-delusion, lack of trust in own instincts
Reading the card
The High Priestess is one of the most symbolic cards in the Tarot. In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, it is heavily tied to Kabbalah and the Temple of Solomon (as the first Masonic Lodge). This deck takes the view that Tarot today is rarely used in reference to Kabbalistic and Masonic beliefs, although those aspects hold historic interest.
Instead, older symbology is used for this card. This is based on accessible animal archetypes and commonly known mythology.
For example, the High Priestess shares a bond with both the Empress (Demeter) and the Queen of Pentacles (Persephone). The combination of the High Priestess with either of these cards supercharges relationships, nurturing, and progression. It asks you to trust your intuition and bring out your inner Goddess. These combinations hold true in a standard Tarot deck, but Torch-Tarot makes the connections explicit through mythology.
There is also an affinity with other liminal archetypes, such as The Hanged Man (Dionysus). Together, these two cards form a powerful grouping for introspection. They reveal hidden knowledge, provide the intuition to make decisions, and offer the strength to accept the outcome. Most importantly, this pair merges intuition and self-contemplation. This puts your inner mind into overdrive, representing a time to answer your deepest questions.
The Upright Card
The upright card represents strong intuition and inner foresight. Trust your instincts; they are probably right. Decision making based on intuition and gut feeling is more successful than that based on reasoning alone.
Trust your instincts; they are probably right.
It may also indicate balance or harmony. You will work well with others on the same path, especially in areas involving spiritual development and deepening connections. Creative activities (particularly those involving collaboration or lateral thinking) will go well through intuition.
The High Priestess suggests the will to succeed via inner strength and inclusion rather than competition. Arguments may be better won by understanding rather than competing.
Secrets are a special area of the High Priestess. If you are holding secrets, use your intuition to decide whether they should be kept to yourself or told. If secrets or hidden agendas are keeping you from moving forward, the upright High Priestess may help unblock them. Trust your feelings, and rely on your abilities for understanding and tact.
More than most cards, the High Priestess asks that you do not go searching for answers. They are already known to you. Time may be an issue, however. Her waters run deep, and things move slowly. Patience is a virtue, especially if the timing does not feel right.
Just as the Magician tells us we have the external resources we need, the High Priestess confirms we have the inner strength required to make the right decisions, even with incomplete information. She loves mystery and is not afraid of moving forward in the dark.
The Reversal
The Reversed High Priestess represents lack of intuition, deceptions, and hidden agendas held against you.
You may be partly responsible for this through avoidance, personal stagnation, a retreat from the real world, or outright lying. Your lack of intuition may cause you to reach wrong conclusions. Balance is required: consider the rational facts as well as your gut feeling.
The Reversal suggests a lack of confidence in intuition, caused by a lack of self-trust, overthinking, or self-deception. The waters of intuition are deep, but sometimes a little dry land is necessary.
An overemphasis on soft skills and 'keeping everyone happy' may be making a situation worse. Someone is taking advantage of your passivity, and the problem is escalating. Collecting hard facts and making strong decisions is required; stop treading lightly or people-pleasing.
In extreme cases, a difficult situation may replace your intuition with a base 'fight-or-flight' response. Your intuition no longer provides the right answer; it simply provides the quickest route to immediate survival. The Ego may tell you that you can solve this alone but that is deceptive; spirituality and intuition will not help. You need the help of others.
Finally, the Reversed card suggests hidden issues will surface. A secret part of your life may be exposed.
Card Design Process
The initial design for Hecate involved visualizing the border between opposites to represent liminal space. After some trial and error, white paint and black ink were dropped into a tank of water and photographed from the side. This formed the basis of Hecate’s dark cloak and the white mist flowing from the moon. They swirl against each other, but there are no greys; they never mix.
The photos were then overlaid with digital assets. If you look closely, you can still see parts of the original ink and paint photography in the final card.
Final Words
The High Priestess holds significant symbolism for the mysteries of the unconscious mind. She gives us intuition and trusting instinct over logic. In this deck, she is represented by the Goddess Hecate. Those involved with liminal magic will already be very familiar with her.
