Everything about The Hierophant totally explained
» For the album by Will Haven, see The Hierophant (album).
The Hierophant (V), in some decks named
The Pope, is the fifth
trump or
Major Arcana card in most traditional
Tarot decks. It is used in
game playing as well as in
divination.
Description and Symbolism
A. E. Waite was a key figure in the development of modern Tarot interpretations. However, not all interpretations follow his theology. Please remember that all Tarot decks used for
divination and oracular inquiry,
et cetera, are crafted and interpreted through personal experience: stated differently, they ford and furnish different faces or aspects of
Truth.
Some frequent keywords are:
- Education, knowledge, status quo, institution
- Conservatism, discipline, maturity, formality
- Deception, Power, Respect, Duality
- Social convention, belief system, group identification
- experience, tradition, naïve
In many modern packs, the
Hierophant is iconographically represented with right hand raised in what is known esoterically as the blessing or benediction, with two fingers pointing skyward and two pointing down, thus forming a bridge between
Heaven and
Earth reminiscent of that formed by the body of
The Hanged Man. The Hierophant is thus a true “pontiff”, in that he's the builder of the bridge between deity and humanity.
In most iconographic depictions, the Hierophant is seen seated on a throne between two pillars symbolizing
Law and
Liberty or obedience and disobedience, according to different interpretations. He wears a triple crown, and the keys to Heaven are at his feet.
History
Often referred to in older decks as "The
Pope", and occasionally as "
Jupiter". The papacy wasn't just a religious force, but was a political and military force as well. When the tarot was invented, the Pope controlled a large portion of central
Italy.
Renaissance culture didn't question the abstract ideal of the Pope as God's human representative on Earth. In Tarot of Marseilles, he wears a red cape and a blue robe, in contrast to The Papess, who wears a blue cape and blue robe.
The more commonly encountered modern name "Hierophant" is due to
Antoine Court de Gébelin, and was the title of a chief priest in the
Eleusinian mysteries (an ancient Greek priest who interpreted sacred mysteries), and is usually regarded as the spiritual counterpart of the temporal Emperor card.
Interpretation
The card stands for religion and orthodox theology, as well as representing traditional education, the “Man of high social standing”. These interpretations merely scratch the surface of the card, however. The Pope card also represents the Biblical story of God’s creation of man and woman. Likewise, he's frequently most associated with the Deceiver and Power over others.
Some interpretations also suggest a link between the card and the myth of Isis and Osiris—a claim made about many cards. Some say the card corresponds to the astrological sign of
Taurus; others
Sagittarius or
Leo. Yet another association is with the sign
Cancer. In many primitive cultures (Native American, Siberian) the Hierophant retains the role as spiritual guide, wearing here the mask of a shaman who is the teacher of holy things. The mythological association is with the Coyote or Trickster God, one who is a teacher, a benefactor for the spiritual student, but who is often playful or mischievous. Cancer has an astrological connection with the
Moon, night, and the
occult, and as a water sign Cancerians have the reputation of being emotional, empathic, compassionate which translates to caring nurturer, good parent and teacher.
The Hierophant is the card representing organized religion—any religion. Its positive aspects are about the positive aspects of the relevant religion. Its negative aspects are the over crystallization of rituals, formulas and mind strangling beliefs. For example—many religions state: no drugs. No treatment for cancer, no antibiotics for disease, no painkillers for an operation. This can be life denying.
“Hierophant” literally means “the one who teaches the holy things.” Ideally, the Hierophant prepares the Querant spiritually for the adventure of life. It also represents individuation; the point where the child starts to understand the boundaries between the self and the other; family and the community, me and thee. And the point where the individual starts constructing their own identity—consciously, unconsciously, or as shaped by exterior forces. Works of Sigmund Freud and Michel Foucault explores these forces.
The Hierophant is Key 5 of the Major Arcana. Five represents the essence of things as they are—consider the word “quintessence” from the Latin words for five and nature. It is also the number of the senses; sight, hearing, taste, feeling, smell. The Hierophant stands athwart the world of the senses and the world of meaning.
It is related through cross sums (the sum of the digits) with Key 14: Temperance. The Hierophant presents the lessons of heaven to earth; Temperance guides the soul from this world to the underworld.
Some authorities say that the Hierophant generally represents assistance, friendship, good advice, alliances (including marriages), and religious interests. Reversed; it often refers to bad advice, lies, and persecution.
Others say that it represents the first level of understanding. When it appears in a tarot spread, it's a warning to the Querant to reexamine his or her understanding of the meaning of things; of the structure of the world; of the powers that be. Watch out for hypocrisy.
The negative aspect of The Hierophant is well illustrated by the myth of
Procrustes. Procrustes was a man (or a monster) living in the mountains of Greece back in mythic times. He would invite weary travelers to come into his home, wash the dust off their feet, have a meal, and allow them to lie down on his bed. If they were too big for his bed, he’d cut them to size; if they were too small; he’d stretch them to fit. At last,
Theseus came through those mountains and accepted Procrustes’s seemingly kind offer. When Procrustes tried to cut him to fit, Theseus at last slew him, making the road safe.
In this way, the Hierophant is like Freud’s superconscious. It shapes us, sometimes brutally. Sometimes, this shaping is necessary for us to become who we are. Sometimes, it’s merely the replication of historic cruelties. Freud opined that the superconscious is the internalization of the parents. The Hierophant may represent the parents, living in the Querant.
The Rider-Waite-Smith deck explicitly connects the Hierophant with the Ten of Swords. The dead man lying face down on the beach, penetrated by ten swords, has his hand in the same position of blessing as the Hierophant, perhaps hinting that the artist believed that the path of the Hierophant leads to ultimately to death; a sanctified death, but death nonetheless.
Alternative decks
In the
Vikings Tarot the Hierophant is
Odin with his two ravens,
Hugin and
Munin, and his two wolves,
Geri and Freki.
In the
X/1999 Tarot version made by CLAMP, The Hierophant is Aoki Seiichirou.
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Hierophant'.
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