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Hierophant
Key Words:
Taurus; spiritual master, teacher, advisor, initiate, inner guide, spiritual father; highest transformation.
Drive
Mastery of the will over nature, a sense for law and order, plan and structure
Alchemical attributes
Symbology
This card is ruled by Taurus. The throne of the initiate is a bull surrounded by two elephants, whose nature is the same as that of the bull. The four cherubim, guardians of the altar, are found in the four corners of the picture: bull, lion, eagle, person; representing the different aspects of being. Taurus, the bull, is symbolic of Earth, matter, the physical. Leo, the lion, represents the element Fire, the capacity for intuition, willpower, and dynamism. The person represents the element Air (Aquarius), the mental-spiritual plane. The eagle represents the highest transformation, and is connected with the element Water (Scor- pio), the realm of emotions.
The Hierophant has united all these elements in himself and has brought them to full expression. He is the Awakened One, the Fulfilled, the Enlightened. He is a true spiritual master, who acts as the intermediary between the human and the divine. He is the spirit made flesh (bull), or the final stage of human development in which the human is united with the godly.
The woman who stands before him holding the crescent moon and a sword is Venus, ruler of Taurus. She holds the symbols for wisdom and emotion, a sign that these are in balance. The Hierophant has united the female and male within himself, and evolved each fully.
When the male and female are united, the child Horus is born. He is naked, unprotected, vulnerable, full of openness and trust in Existence. He represents true wisdom, expressed in the natural innocence of a child. Anyone who spends time in the presence of the Hierophant is touched by this quality. All defense mechanisms must be dropped in order to come fully into contact with his Being.
His head is surrounded by five white rose petals, symbolic of love in its purest, most perfect form. This is the love which can see the other, and give what is really needed at that moment. It may not always be something the other wants or wishes. A true master does not fulfill the disciples’ wishes. Truth is a provocation which can shake us out of the heavy sweet sleep of unconsciousness. Only those who are free of self-seeking motivation can wield the truth in this way, like Jesus whipping the money-lenders out of the temple.
Tarot Cards
The Major Arcana ( Trump )
- 0. Fool
- 1. Magus
- 2. High Priestess
- 3. Empress
- 4. Emperor
- 5. Hierophant
- 6. Lovers
- 7. Chariot
- 8. Adjustment
- 9. Hermit
- 10. Wheel of Fortune
- 11. Lust
- 12. Hanged Man
- 13. Death
- 14. Art
- 15. Devil
- 16. Tower
- 17. Star
- 18. Moon
- 19. Sun
- 20. Aeon
- 21. Universe