The Hierophant was the name of the High Priest of the Greek Elusian mysteries. The Hierophant also has connections to occult initiations. Occult simply means ’secret’. There is nothing untoward or evil about the word. Anything you want to keep hidden from other people could be considered occult.
Historically, the Hierophant represented the leadership of the Church, it’s spiritual heads and traditions. I invite you to take a more contemporary view of the Hierophant and see him as the ‘High Priest’ - counterpart to the High Priestess.
In her classic Tarot book, 78 Degress of Wisdom, Rachel Pollack says:
To really discover God inside yurself, you must undergo some uncomfortable confrontations with your own psyche. Similarly, to decide for yourself what is the moral thing to do in all situations might require an agony of choice. Nevertheless, many people today simply cannot accept either society or a Church bearing the ultimate responsibility for their lives.
The Hierophant is a guide or teacher on your spiritual path. he could be an external figure like the Dalai Lama or the Pope, or your own local church minister or your Wiccan High Priest. He is someone who follows a recognised and traditional path who you can turn to for advice and guidance about spirituality.
Like all the Tarot cards, the Hierophant could also be an aspect of yourself or an archetype. He could represent your Higher Self or your conditioned responses to religion and tradition.
In a divinatory sense, the Hierophant indicates education and spritual development. In the early days of Christianity even the wealthiest and most powerful people were likely to be illerate. The Church offered education and literacy as a way of gaining social and political power as well as converts to their new religion.
As the High Priest, he offers occult and esoteric knowledge through books and formal learning as well as through the expereinces of every day life. He performs rites of passage and can provide counsel to seer the seeker through a dark night of the soul.
As I have already said, The Hierophant is a teacher, but this Heirphant can only teach those who are ready and willing to learn. The students submits his will to his teacher, a higher authority or Higher Power in order to benefit from their wisdom.
As well as words written in books and established doctrines, the Hierophant teaches lessons of self-control, focus and discipline - qualities needed by those who aspire to spiritual development and growth.
In a reading, the Hierophant would indicate taking the road that is tested and true. it’s not the time to strike out on a path that is new and untried. You may also be need to exercise your moral judgement about what is right and what is wrong. (Even if no one can see you do it, it doesn’t make it ok!)
In a relationship reading, this presence of this card could be indicating marriage - a traditional institution by any stretch of the imagination.
Reversed:
Like all the cards, the Hierophant also has his shadow side. He can represent being too rigid, judgemental or locked into a fundamentalist religious worldview. Think outside the square and examine your beliefs to see if they are still valid. Are you clinging to beliefs that don’t fit you any more through fear or habit? A crisis of faith could also be indicated by a reversed or negatively aspected Hierophant.
Intolerance of religious differences
Over-identification with a group
Blind faith without thought or commonsense
Using faith as a justification for punishment
Corruption
Lack of conscience or guiding principles
Anti-social or dangerous values.
Symbols appearing in the Hierophant’s card.
Roses and Lilies: These refer to the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of The Valley from the biblical ‘Song of Songs’. The red roses represent the occult way and the white lilies the mystic way.
Pairs or couples: A number of cards in the Tarot depict two figures defore a higher power (The Devil, The Lovers, for example). This imagery indicates that there is something emerging from the sub-conscious into the conscious. You could also look at images of other pairs in the tarot, such as a pair of colums or a pair of sphinxes. The pair of aclytes at the Hierophant’s feet could represent theology and mysticism, your inner spiritual experiences balanced against what you have been taught by others.
Colours: The alchemic meaning of red and white shown together is a conjucntion or sublimation of opposites.
St Andrews Cross: Represents a cross roads as well as the union of he higher and lower worlds, or consciouness. The crossed keys also indicate this.
Qabalah
The Hebrew letter that is associated with The Hierophant is ‘Vau’. Vau means ‘hook’ or ‘nail’. It is something that is used to join or link things together, to mend or repair. It is also used as the conjunction ‘and’, a word that links two things together. A hook or nail pierces or penetrates an object in order to be of use - it facilitates a union.
Astrology
The astrological sign attributed to The Hierophant is Taurus.This sign is associated with luxury, stubbornness and affluence. It is the 2nd sign of the Zodiac and rules the dates of April 21 to May 21. It’s Element is feminine Eath, and it is ruled by the planet Venus. In a reading, all correspondences give you extra information about the card. Let them wash around in your subconscious and you will find they will pop up on their own accord. For example, the dates ruled by Taurus could be significant for the eperson you are reading for, or they could have an issue with a Taurean, or even need to develop their inner Taurean. Additionally, Venus is not just a planet, she is also the Goddess of Love. Venus loves beauty and luxury but is also jealous and angry. These is all information that may prove handy during a reading. T hat’s why it’s so important not to get locked into a rigid idea of what each cards means - they have many facets and depending on the way the cards a turned, different facets will shine.
The horns of Taurus the Bull are masculine weaponry, but many early myths refer to horns as a symbol of the Moon Goddess. Horns are also a sign of wisdom.
