Tarot: 5 The Hierophant
Twin pillars, staff, throne, hand raised in blessing, two acolytes.
Like most cards of the Tarot, this card has more than one meaning. On the surface, this card appeals to the masses. Who wouldn’t trust a man of the cloth? The Hierophant sits upon his throne, with two acolytes kneeling before him receiving a blessing. He carries a staff in one hand, the symbol of his office, and dispenses wisdom to those who would hear it.
Unless, of course, you don’t want to listen to him. That is when you see another side of the Hierophant, noticing that his throne is just as ornate as the Emperor’s, and his staff is made of gold. If you have a chance to see his “spartan” living quarters, you’ll see that it is as plush and comfortable as possible, full of art, gold, and symbols of his own power.
This is the second card which matches up to an astrological sign. Appropriately, this sign is Taurus, the Bull. Even with its obvious spiritual front, this card deals greatly with the joys and pleasures of the earthly realm.
I suppose that you’re saying that I’m being blasphemous… and wondering why I associate myself with this card. Well, go ask Buddha if abstinence and hunger brought him enlightenment. It helped, but it wasn’t with an empty stomach that Siddhartha gained enlightenment. Ask Jesus if depriving the body was the way to heaven… He had a feast before he died.
If you look a third time, though, you’ll see a man wearing a hat that is just a bit too large for his head. He is blessing his acolytes, so that they will go out and do the work that he can no longer do, due to his responsibilities. His staff is gold, because it paid for the craftsman’s business, so that he could support a family… yet it is still too heavy for the Hierophant. The Hierophant’s cupboards are full, but going unused waiting for guests to come, so that he could treat them to a feast. The Hierophant sought enlightenment, knowing full well the responsibility of sharing what he learned with those who would listen… and now, he can not leave that responsibility, nor would he want to, because it is his responsibility to bear alone, so that others won’t have to. He’s stubborn, successful, and trapped… yet it is the cage that he built with his own hands, so despite having the keys, he will not leave. He stands between heaven and earth, not to bar the way, but to translate the spiritual into the worldly.
At the point of the story, with the fool having been dazzled by the magician, enlightened by the high priestess, given birth to his project as the empress, and managed the project as the emperor, the fool now feels fear, that perhaps he will lose everything he has worked to build… The Hierophant explains in simple terms that the worst thing he could do is to fear… His choices are to either get rid of everything that he can lose, so that he need not fear, or to honestly accept what he may lose, and recognize that he can never lose it all, for experience can not burn down, nor can it be stolen, and with that experience, he can rebuild everything, even better, if he ever needed to.
If you meet a Hierophant, do a double-take, then look at him again, until you can see the person behind the robes. Some may have their hearts set on personal gain for the point of gaining power, but others will have their hearts set on gain so that they can redistribute, and keep the worldly cycles flowing just as they see the cycles of heaven flowing… By the time a person is in the role of a Hierophant, he is polarized along the lines of fear or love, so by looking at his works, it is easy to tell what his intentions are.
Take a look at me and my works, and please, consider the donation cup on your way out, only if you can, and only if you find me worthy.
Oh yeah, Hierophants have a sense of humor too. 
p.s. I’m putting the tarot thread on hold for a little bit, as I’m in the middle of a project. I’ll write the next batch of them as soon as possible.
Thank you for explaining the hierophant. I get this card quite frequently when I do a reading. I don’t know much about Tarot so I have to rely upon whatever my book says to interpret each card. Yours is the first intrepretatation that seems to fit me today. This is my first visit to your website. I look forward to reading more.
You’re very welcome, Patricia. I’m glad that I was able to help, although I have to admit that I haven’t posted any more interpretations of tarot cards since these first six. I’ll have to get another batch up soon, now that I’m starting to get more time to write once again.