The High Priestess as Advice: Listen Before You Act

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The High Priestess as advice asks for quiet rather than action. Here is what to listen for, and what the reversal is pointing at.

If you want the short answer, the High Priestess as advice says: be quiet and listen. Something is not yet visible, and your own instinct knows more than you have admitted. Do not act until you have heard it.

What the High Priestess advises upright

Tina Gong's the High Priestess guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with intuition, mystery, the subconscious and hidden knowledge. In an advice position I read those meanings as an instruction: the attitude or action the card is asking of you, rather than a description of what will happen. The Major Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the High Priestess advises stillness: sit with the question, notice what you already sense, keep your own counsel. Gather information quietly. Let the situation show you more before you move.

What the High Priestess is not asking you to do

The High Priestess is not asking you to do nothing forever, or to ignore facts in favour of feelings. She asks you to listen to both, and to wait until they agree.

The High Priestess reversed as advice

Reversed, the High Priestess as advice says you are not hearing yourself. Anxiety, other people's opinions or repeated asking are drowning out your instinct. Step away from the noise. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The High Priestess as advice in love

In love, the High Priestess advises you to trust what you sense about the person and to stop asking others what they think. Your instinct has noticed something; give it room.

The High Priestess as advice for work and money

For work and money, she advises waiting for the full information before deciding: read the contract, wait for the figures, notice what is not being said. Advice from a card is reflection. For decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take it to someone qualified as well.

One step to take this week

Spend ten minutes this week writing down what you already sense about the situation, without editing. Read it back the next day.

For comparison, the Magician as advice and the Moon as advice ask different things of you. The the High Priestess card meaning page covers the card in full, and the High Priestess as a yes or no, the High Priestess as feelings and the High Priestess as timing cover the other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for yourself with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.