The Priestess is card II of the Major Arcana in the Thoth Tarot. In a reading it speaks of intuition, mystery, purity and waiting. In the Golden Dawn system it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Gimel, path 13 of the Tree of Life between Kether and Tiphareth, the element Spirit and Moon in astrology.
intuition · mystery · purity · waiting · inner knowledge
What does The Priestess mean?
The answer is not yet manifest: trust your intuition and let things ripen. Something important is moving beneath the surface.
Everyday meaning
Hidden knowledge, intuition, developments still in gestation. It advises waiting, observing and listening before you act.
Psychological meaning
The inner voice that speaks in images, dreams and premonitions: the receptive, autonomous side of the psyche, which will not be possessed or forced.
Initiatic meaning
Path 13 from Kether to Tiphareth, the letter Gimel (the camel, 3) and the Moon: the path that crosses the desert of the Abyss and joins the Crown to the Self. The Light veils itself so that it can be contemplated.
The shadow side
Ill-dignified, it becomes passivity, coldness, sterile secrecy, or fantasy mistaken for intuition.
The Priestess reversed
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading:
Intuition is ignored or confused with fear; isolation, secrets that weigh, a refusal to see what deep down you already know.
The Priestess in love, work and spirit
In love
A deep but reserved bond, feelings left unspoken; patience and respect for the other person's timing are needed.
At work and career
A phase of study and observation; confidential information, or information not yet available. Better not to force matters.
In spiritual practice
Meditation, dream work, guarding the purity of your own aspiration.
Kabbalah, astrology and the Hebrew letter of The Priestess
Gimel ג (3) · path 13: Kether – Tiphareth · Spirit · Moon
Crowley on The Priestess
Crowley depicts her as Isis and as Artemis, with the bow across her knees and a veil of light that is at once revelation and concealment: her virginity is the intangibility of the spirit.
Frequently asked questions
What does The Priestess mean in the Thoth Tarot?
The answer is not yet manifest: trust your intuition and let things ripen. Something important is moving beneath the surface.
What does The Priestess mean in love?
A deep but reserved bond, feelings left unspoken; patience and respect for the other person's timing are needed.
What does The Priestess mean for work and career?
A phase of study and observation; confidential information, or information not yet available. Better not to force matters.
What does The Priestess mean reversed?
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading: Intuition is ignored or confused with fear; isolation, secrets that weigh, a refusal to see what deep down you already know.
What are the Kabbalah and astrology correspondences of The Priestess?
In the Golden Dawn system The Priestess corresponds to the Hebrew letter Gimel, path 13 of the Tree of Life between Kether and Tiphareth, the element Spirit and Moon in astrology.
