This post covers the Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning in the traditional tarot deck. Featured card is from the Tarot Apokalypsis Deck
Planet: Jupiter
Astrology: Taurus
Element: Earth – sensation, materiality, strength, growth, reliability, practicality, accumulation, dependability, caution, sensuousness, stubbornness, possessiveness, productivity
Hermetic Kabbalah Element: 16 – Vav
Themes:
- Doing the right thing.
- Spirituality
- Dogma
- Divine wisdom and teachings.
- Stability / sold foundation.
- Sharing structured traditions and teachings.
Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning In a reading:
- It may be time to stand up for your own beliefs.
- All human societies are built on shared traditions, rules and teachings, such as the law, religion, customs, traditional celebrations. The Hierophant can mean living by the rules or according to the traditions.
- Hierophant can also mean the need or want to study and/or teach. Are you the student or the teacher?
- A teacher is coming into the querent’s life or there is a teachable moment. Possibly going back to school
- A calling for work of the soul -what we came here to do – our unique blueprint. Universe bank account vs personal account. This is spiritual work – not work for money.
- Mastery of the self to aid and guide others.
- Card about future legacy – what kind of ancestor will you be? Including consideration of ethics.
- Balance belief and faith vs. questioning the teacher.
- The situation may require faith or hope (in the face or no evidence) or questioning and not believing blindly.
Symbolism in card:
- The Fool leaves home and is exposed to culture, belief systems, and education. He becomes a part of a group and conforms.
- 3-tiered crown = 3 worlds the Hierophant rules (conscious, subconscious, and superconscious)
- Temple = sacred knowledge and mysteries
- Keys = Balance between conscious and subconscious
- Papal cross = religious status
- Fingers = blessings from heaven and earth
- Followers – Group identity
- Hands in mudra posture = a gesture to draw in power
- Staff = authority and teachings
- The number “5” = represents a challenge in the tarot – healing is generally painful.
- This is the first tarot card where we see more than one person featured. (Crowd, animals, gathered around the leader)
- This is also the first card with hierarchy represented
- Last cards of worldly concerns.
High expression:
- Understanding what the message / teaching is through this circumstance.
- Yoda, Dali Lama.
- Being the student.
- The hierophant is the intermediary between divine and the masses – interpreting the mysteries of the universe and guiding others.
Shadow side:
- Evils / dark side of organized religion.
- Tension between work for money and soul’s work.
- Wanting others to solve problems for you
- Mindless worship.
- Not willing to deprogram or a stubbornness to see different points of view or change.
Magical uses:
- Use the Hierophant when trying to get into college / university or new educational program (make a copy of the card and put into spell bag or put in altar)
- Calling in a mentor or teacher
- Make a list of teachers in your life (personal, podcasts, situations) – how are you honoring the teachings in your life?
- The Hierophant is great for ancestral work
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