LexTalk

What if the answer you’ve been searching for isn’t hiding somewhere in the universe… but quietly sitting inside you?

Welcome to LexTalk Tarot, a new little corner of my blog where we’re learning tarot together — one card at a time.

Tarot is something I genuinely love, but I also know how intimidating it can look from the outside.

There are 78 cards. Every card can be read upright or reversed. There are symbols everywhere. Meanings can change depending on the question, the cards surrounding it, and even what catches your attention when you look at the artwork.

Basically, you pick up a tarot deck for the first time and suddenly feel like you need to study for an exam you didn’t know you signed up for.

That’s exactly what I don’t want this series to feel like.

With LexTalk Tarot, I want to slow everything down. Each post will focus on one card: what it traditionally represents, the symbolism hiding within the artwork, what it can mean in different areas of life, and a question we can use for a little self-reflection.

No pressure to be psychic.

No pretending a piece of cardboard can tell you exactly what will happen next Tuesday at 2:47 PM.

Just learning the cards, exploring our intuition, and finding a little bit of magic along the way.

And honestly? I couldn’t think of a better card to begin with than The High Priestess.

Meet The High Priestess

The High Priestess is Major Arcana II (2) in a traditional tarot deck.

At her core, she represents:

Intuition. Inner wisdom. Mystery. The subconscious. Stillness. Hidden knowledge.

She’s the quiet voice underneath all the noise.

You know that feeling when something inside you says, Hmm… something about this doesn’t feel right?

Or when you’ve technically made a decision, but deep down you already know it isn’t the decision you actually want to make?

That’s High Priestess territory.

She isn’t necessarily asking you to do anything.

In fact, sometimes she’s asking you to do the opposite.

Stop.

Observe.

Listen.

And maybe stop asking 14 different people what they think when you already know what you think.

The Symbolism of The High Priestess

One of my favorite things about learning tarot is realizing just how intentional the artwork can be.

If you’re using the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith imagery, there is A LOT happening on The High Priestess card.

She sits between two pillars — one black and one white — marked B and J. They’re commonly associated with Boaz and Jachin, the pillars traditionally described at Solomon’s Temple.

The contrast between the pillars can also make us think about duality:

Light and darkness.

Known and unknown.

Conscious and subconscious.

Things we understand…and things we simply feel.

Behind her is a veil decorated with pomegranates, creating another boundary between what we can see and whatever might be hidden beyond it.

At her feet rests a crescent moon, one of the clearest visual connections to intuition, cycles, and the subconscious.

And in her hands is a scroll marked TORA, reinforcing the card’s association with knowledge and wisdom.

She’s basically sitting there surrounded by clues saying:

Not everything is meant to be revealed immediately.

And as someone who would personally like ALL information available to me immediately so I can analyze it approximately 47 times… rude.

But also? Fair.

The High Priestess Upright Meaning

When The High Priestess appears upright, one of her biggest messages is:

Trust yourself.

You may already know more than you’re giving yourself credit for.

This doesn’t mean abandoning logic or making major life decisions because you got a “vibe.”

Instead, think about intuition as another piece of information.

What are you noticing?

What keeps bothering you?

What keeps pulling at your attention?

Is there something you’ve been trying to convince yourself isn’t important?

The High Priestess can also appear when something isn’t completely known yet.

Maybe you don’t have all the information.

Maybe the situation is still developing.

Maybe the answer isn’t ready to reveal itself.

And maybe — the hardest possibility for impatient people like me — you simply need to wait.

You don’t always have to force an answer.

Sometimes clarity arrives when we finally get quiet enough to hear it.

The High Priestess Reversed Meaning

When The High Priestess appears reversed, I like to think of her message as the volume on your intuition being turned wayyyyy down.

Not necessarily because your intuition disappeared.

You may just not be listening to it.

You could be second-guessing yourself, ignoring your instincts, or allowing so many outside opinions into your head that you can’t figure out which thoughts are actually yours anymore.

It can also point toward confusion, unclear information, or something that hasn’t been fully revealed.

And here’s an important beginner tarot lesson:

The High Priestess reversed does NOT automatically mean someone is keeping a terrible secret from you.

Tarot meanings aren’t quite that black and white.

Context matters.

Instead of immediately thinking, OMG WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?!, you might ask:

What am I not seeing clearly right now?

That question gives you somewhere productive to go with the card.

The High Priestess in Love & Relationships

In a love or relationship reading, The High Priestess encourages us to look beneath the surface.

How does the relationship actually feel?

Are you comfortable?

Do you feel emotionally safe?

Is something bothering you that you’ve been dismissing?

Are you making assumptions instead of communicating?

Upright, she can encourage emotional awareness, patience, and trusting what you’re noticing within the relationship.

Reversed, she might suggest that you’re ignoring your own feelings, second-guessing yourself, or struggling to separate intuition from fear or insecurity.

And that’s an important distinction.

Not every anxious thought is intuition.

Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is slow down, look at the facts, acknowledge your feelings, and communicate.

Tarot can give us something to reflect on.

It shouldn’t replace an actual conversation.

The High Priestess in Career & Money

When it comes to work or finances, The High Priestess isn’t exactly screaming:

QUIT YOUR JOB! BUY THE THING! INVEST EVERYTHING!

Thank goodness.

She’s much quieter than that.

Her message is more along the lines of:

Gather information before you move.

Pay attention to what’s happening around you.

If you’re considering a new opportunity, you don’t necessarily have to jump at the first offer.

If something about a situation feels off, investigate why.

If you’re making a financial decision, combine your instincts with actual facts and numbers.

Upright, The High Priestess can suggest patience, observation, discretion, and trusting your judgment.

Reversed, she can be a reminder to check whether anxiety, pressure, or someone else’s opinion is interfering with your ability to think clearly.

Intuition is useful.

Intuition plus information is even better.

So… Is The High Priestess Predicting Something?

This is something I really want to talk about throughout LexTalk Tarot.

Personally, I don’t think every tarot card needs to be treated as:

THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU.

That can make tarot unnecessarily scary — especially for beginners.

Instead, I love using tarot as a tool for reflection.

A card can give us a theme.

A question.

A different perspective.

Sometimes it puts words to something we’ve already been feeling.

That’s exactly how I’d approach The High Priestess.

Rather than asking:

“What is this card predicting?”

Try asking:

“What is this card asking me to notice?”

Suddenly tarot becomes less about waiting for your future to happen and more about understanding yourself in the present.

And I think that’s where some of the real magic lives.

Today’s LexTalk Tarot Question

If you’re following along with me, grab a journal — or just sit with this question for a minute:

Where in my life do I already know the answer, but keep looking outside myself for confirmation?

Oof.

I know.

The High Priestess came in strong for Day 1.

Maybe you’ve asked three friends.

Then your husband.

Then Google.

Then Reddit.

Then your tarot deck.

Then you somehow ended up watching a TikTok from a woman you’ve never met who is now apparently responsible for deciding your future.

Meanwhile, somewhere underneath all of that noise…

you already knew.

That doesn’t mean we’re always right.

It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek advice.

And it definitely doesn’t mean we should ignore facts.

But maybe today’s card is simply a reminder that your own voice deserves a seat at the table, too.

Welcome to LexTalk Tarot

And there we have it.

Card #1: The High Priestess.

If you’re brand new to tarot, I hope this made the card feel a little less intimidating.

And if you’ve been reading tarot for years, maybe it gave you another way to look at an old favorite.

We’re going to keep doing this one card at a time — learning the traditional meanings, looking at the symbolism, exploring upright and reversed interpretations, and figuring out how these strange, beautiful little cards can encourage us to think more deeply about our own lives.

Seventy-eight cards suddenly doesn’t sound quite so overwhelming when we’re only learning one today.

So pour some coffee.

Light a candle if that’s your thing.

Grab your deck.

And meet me back here for the next card.

We’ve got 77 more pieces of tarot magic to explore.

Until then, keep a little room for mystery — and maybe listen to that tiny voice inside you before asking everyone else what they think.

— Lex

Tarot is used here as a tool for personal reflection and entertainment. Tarot interpretations are subjective and should not replace professional medical, legal, mental health, or financial advice.