Archer Tarot | Let’s Hear it for the Hierophant!

Let’s Hear it for the Hierophant!

Hierophant - Morgan Greer (US Games)

 I forget what I was doing, but the other day I came across a 2006 poll on Aeclectic Tarot which asked "What's your favourite major arcana card?" As you might suspect, the Star came out on top (where else could a Star go?) But can you guess who came last? Of course you can - you've read the title of this post.

Out of 167 votes, the Star got 26 and the High Priestess, the second most popular card, got 19. But the poor old Hierophant only got one. That's 0.6%. Not even 1 in 100 people would say the Hierophant was their favourite major. Consider that for a moment: more people have warm and fuzzy feelings towards the Devil, Death, even the Tower. So why is the Hierophant so unpopular? And is it deserved?

I've always been quite fond of the Hierophant (although I probably wouldn't go so far as to say he's my favourite). But I have to admit it depends on the deck. In many decks, the Hierophant is made to look a bit stuffy and poe-faced, which doesn't do much for his appeal. Yet there are many decks - the Morgan Greer springs to mind - where the Hierophant seems friendly and quite welcoming. In that deck, he looks like someone I could talk to - someone who would listen and maybe tell me a story that at first seems to have nothing to do with my situation but then, aah, at the end it all makes sense and I'm left feeling that, yes, there is good to be found in every situation and, yes, I can make the world a better place and, yes, I do feel better Mr Hierophant, thank you. Seen in that light, doesn't the Hierophant seem brilliant? Kind of a best friend/spiritual advisor rolled into one.

The Hierophant can give us a sense of belonging and a sense of meaning and purpose. He asks us to consider what we believe and how we act on a daily basis -  by what moral and spiritual principles do we live our lives? As a representative of orthodox (conventional) religion, he can provide comfort and reassurance in times of confusion. Or, if we choose to follow a different path, he can remind us of the need to ground our beliefs in meaningful action and he encourages us to find others like ourselves. Either way, he has an important role to play. Yet most of the time the Hierophant seems to get dismissed as a religious authority figure who is only there to tell us what to do and reprimand us when we do wrong. 

In the Rider Waite Smith and its many imitators, there's the image of two people kneeling at the Hierophant's feet, which I'm guessing doesn't go down well with a lot of people because it depicts subservience, something we're really not comfortable with in our modern age. But what if we look at it metaphorically instead of literally? Then, instead of subservience and hierarchy, we might see a picture of teaching and learning. When we go to school and university, or we're in any kind of learning environment (other than one-on-one tutoring), it's usual for the one with the knowledge to stand at the top of the class, in front of the students. The hierarchy is always subtly there, and it's not a bad thing. It’s just practical.

Of course, "teacher" is one interpretation of the Hierophant. In the Haindl Tarot Reader's Handbook, Rachel Pollack explains that 'Hierophant' is a Greek word meaning 'he who shows'. A good teacher inspires. They open our eyes and encourage us to ask questions. A bad teacher attempts to blinker us - leading us down one path without even acknowledging there may be others worth considering. The Hierophant can of course be both kinds and in readings it would depend on context and the surrounding cards. But in general, the Hierophant represents the massive network of knowledge that exists in the world - knowledge that is found in books, libraries, and encyclopaedias, in classrooms and lecture halls, even on the internet. Which means the Hierophant should be your first pick for the pub quiz team, even if he isn't the first person you'd think of inviting to a picnic.

In fact, there is so much the Hierophant can do for us if we're only willing to give him a chance. Take him out of the church if you want to - he will still help you explore what you believe. Take him out of the classroom if that's too formal a setting - you will still find him a fascinating and entertaining source of knowledge. In social settings he helps to bring people together, by finding common threads (we live in the same neighbourhood, we support the same football team, we're all Australian), and he encourages us to celebrate our similarities, differences, beliefs and cultures through traditions, rituals and customs. (On a related note, I have a toddler who likes CBeebies - a children's TV channel that has recently started showing a programme called "Let's Celebrate". The show explores celebrations such as Easter, Chinese New Year and Diwali. It has Hierophant written all over it.) 

And there's the irony: the Hierophant represents familiar customs such as blowing out candles on a birthday cake but he's not popular enough to be invited to the party. Maybe it's time we let the doddery old fool have some fun...

See more of Lynda's writing at:

http://archertarot.wordpress.com/
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