After all the brain contortions of bending gender and thinking about numbers and animas and animuses (animi?), let’s take a day to reset back to a more traditional image. Besides, the art of this deck is so very lovely, I’m always willing to look at it. (If you like this, you can see more here and here).

Like all the major arcana cards in this deck, this one has a Latin motto, which means: “Wisdom is not easily improvised; virtue cannot be invented.”

I’ve noticed that many Hierophant variations include the idea of time, which goes with tradition. Is wisdom gained over time exclusively? Is virtue measured by a single action or by cumulative actions over time?

At first I thought the animal at his feet was a fox, but the booklet says that it is a dog and that it is the synthesis of The Hierophant’s values, “a noble spirit, understanding, and respect for family traditions.”

While I do like this card, I confess that I’m a bit bothered by that sack he is holding. It bothers me to think that there might be money in there.

I included this deck just to try and make your brains explode. This is another compelling deck designed by my friend Riccardo Minetti. In this deck he plays with the idea of gender and how it influences our understanding of the cards.

In the Manga Tarot, all the cards that are traditionally male are depicted as female and vice versa. Arcana V becomes The Priestess, and looks very much like a traditional High Priestess card. Arcana II becomes The Priest. For ease of discussion, I’ve pictured them together here.

Many of us blend associations of the card’s number in with the name, image, symbolism, and other associations together to create a card’s meaning.

When a deck renames or renumbers cars, do you incorporate the alterations into your interpretations or stick with what you usually use?

How does renumbering The Hierophant from V to II affect its meaning? With traditional decks we speak of I, The Magician as being the active masculine principal or the anima and II, The High Priestess as the receptive feminine principal or the anima. Can Arcana II be portrayed by a male figure? Conversely, can tradition or teaching (Arcana V) ever be receptive and passive?

The creator, Joanna Powell Colbert, says that this card is the Humble Teacher, as in a Holy Fool or Crazy Saint. The emphasis here is (as it was in the Fey Tarot’s Hierophant) less about tradition or formal education and more about wisdom, teaching, and learning.

Taking The Hierophant in this direction raises questions about the importance of tradition (is it important?), about the role tradition should or shouldn’t play in teaching or education.

Is Arcana V still Arcana V as The Teacher versus The Hierophant? What does this card gain as The Teacher? What does it lose by not being The Hierophant?

In this deck, this card is called “The Wisest” (printed on the actual card), while in the book, it is called “The Wise One.”

The creator (who many of you know is Riccardo Minetti from Lo Scarabeo) says that this card is of a venerable and wise creature, the source of infinite, ancient, and wonderful memories, of experience and advice. He has learnt great things over time, and has fathomed the abyss of knowledge at length in order to learn.

He also says that in this deck, the Wise One is the consort to the Seer (the High Priestess) and that they are the spiritual mother and father. The Seer is a custodian of wisdom and the Wise one answers and guides.

To me, it sounds like some of these qualities and even the visuals (wise old man, hourglass) are things we often associate with The Hermit. Sometimes it is suggested that The Hermit is a teacher, the wise old man, the mentor. But I’ve often questioned that. The Hermit wants to be alone, not have students, at least not for any length of time. The Hierophant seems more like a teacher.

Would you be more apt to approach this version of The Hierophant for advice and guidance than you would a more traditional version? Why or why not?

You are so lucky today! Instead of just reading my babble about the Hierophant, you get a behind-the-scenes peek at the what goes into creating decks. The creator of The Pagan Tarot, Gina M. Pace, has very graciously shared her story behind this deck’s Hierophant. It’s a fascinating tale, and, Gina, I thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Tarot cards, particularly the major arcana, have layers of meanings and it can be difficult for a card to evoke all possible meanings. Sometimes a deck’s theme shapes what aspect of the card is being portrayed.

In general, I tend to shy away from the vilification of The Hierophant. However, sometimes it makes sense in the context of a deck. The Pagan Tarot’s overall concept and theme lends itself to looking at the less desirable aspects of The Hierophant. This image invites us to think about how we react in the face of the negative extreme of this card. What is role in upholding or changing suffocating tradition, destructive status quos, or stopping the rights of others from being trampled on in the name of “it’s how we’ve always done it!”

In addition to the questions asked on Tuesday, let me know to what extent are your feelings about The Hierophant reflected in this particular card?

But before you decide, take a moment and read Gina Pace story:

When the mere mention of a book burning comes up, most of us feel a sense of outrage, a feeling that something wrong, something atrocious is being committed.  The very act of violation against books, those vessels of knowledge, symbols of the most precious of our freedoms, the freedom of expression, the freedom to be ourselves, is seen in a most negative sense.  However we feel personally about the concept of a book burning, however, changes when we are confronted with this very thing.

I have been witness to a real book burning in my life.  It was back when Madonna came out with that terrible coffee table book about Sex.  I say terrible, because as a book, it was truly mediocre.  A demonstration of great ego, disguised as art.  On its own merits as a publication, had no one ever objected to it, the book would have been relegated to the remaindered books piles in discount stores within a year of publication.  However, the zealots who proclaimed the book as “evil” and “filthy” made a great show out of it, and the book sales flew through the roof.

In a town not far from where I live, these same zealots staged a very public book burning in the very open Public Square.  Egged on by the fanatic who started the whole thing, masses of people caught up in the fervor of destroying something they saw as inherently bad went and bought every last copy of the book in stores all across the region, just so they could throw it on the fire.  Moreover, there was a record store located on the Public Square; this record store almost immediately was sold out of every Madonna cd and cassette they had in stock, as these also were destined for the flames.  While the crowd raged out of control, and the constable was called to come and contain it, the fanatic who got everyone riled up against the book disappeared into the background, never soiling his hands with an actual book; he let the angry mob do all the dirty work for him.

As an active and open pagan in my community, I was dismayed at the thought of what was going on, but at the same time I had to recognize that, while I could not, would not, participate in the activity, I should not voice my opposition either.  Time has proven, over and over, that an angry mob of riled up people who believe themselves to be in the right is a faction one can neither reason with, nor stop, except sadly, by force.  Like the witch in my Pagan Tarot Hierophant card, I could only cover my pentacle, and watch in horror from the sidelines.  Not my day to fight, I thought.  One other person was watching and doing nothing; he who had fanned the flames of insanity in the first place.

Book burnings like this went on across the country.  Madonna’s mediocre book sales went through the roof.  Her albums likewise experienced an upswing in sales.

I do not believe the Hierophant is about which side is right or wrong.  It is more about questioning your motives for being on the side you are on; questioning your actions, determining whether you are acting in your own interests, or for/against the interests of others; are you following the RE-actions of others, or going your own way?  It is critical to pick your battles, and a wise warrior knows when to step back and let a situation balance itself out.   This card asks you to probe deeply within yourself to see what it is you believe, and why.  Many who are brought up within a specific religion follow its tenets without ever knowing if they are a good fit for their lives.  Some are taught from a young age that they should expect to be a lawyer, because their parents are, or that they must attend a certain college, or that they have no artistic talents, when perhaps their own path lies in a very different direction.  Outright rebellion is just as poor a choice as complete submission.  The Hierophant challenges us to find our own middle ground, and in so doing, find our right and true path in life.

Gina M. Pace

Here is the image of the classic RWS Hierophant next to the image from the Tarot of the New Vision (a deck that shows the cards from behind the traditional image):

The High Priestess easily transitioned from the Popess to her current incarnation and is, consequently, one of the cards that most readers relate to. Death often gets changed to Transformation. And even when it doesn’t, many readers are quick to diminish the negative and potentially scary aspects of this card: “It really means change, not physical death!” When the 10 of Swords shows up, we try to shift our querent’s focus to the rising sun in the background.

But not so with the Hierophant. When I discuss this card with my colleagues, their reactions are generally strong and negative. It is understandable. Many of us come to tarot after having bad experiences in organized religion, and a card called The Hierophant and looking like the Pope cannot help but evoke those feelings.

This month, we’re going to discuss The Hierophant, reflect on our feelings about it, look at how our feelings may get in the way of broader concepts and appreciation, and consider if and, if so, how The Hierophant needs to evolve as a tarot archetype.

This month will be all Hierophant all the time. Stick with me. It’s going to be really interesting. I promise.

Each Tuesday and Thursday, I’ll post different images of The Hierophant also known as Key V. Some images will be more traditional and some will be variations, with different names and images. For each one, we’ll consider how it is similar or different from traditional images, whether or not it “works,” and how it might change our interpretation if it came up in a reading.

I know all my readers will play nice. Because people react so strongly, let’s all be mindful of the feelings and opinions of others. Our goal here is to share, further our understanding of ourselves, others, and this card, and to grow.

Here are some questions to get the discussion started:

What is your initial response when The Hierophant turns up?

How do you interpret it in a reading for yourself?

How do you interpret it in a reading for someone else?

Does your feeling or interpretation change if using a deck that depicts The Hierophant as something other than a pope or renames the card?

How does your primary reading deck or current favorite deck portray or name this card?

More recently, I read in the Pictorial Key to the Tarot that the Ace of Pentacles was the most fortuitous card in the whole deck. I generally don’t put much stock in Arthur E. Waite (mostly because I cannot understand what he is trying to say), but I grabbed a hold of this meaning and have used it ever since. The suit of Pentacles is my favorite, after all, and the Ace is filled with so much promise and opportunity. I was happy to associate such a great meaning with that card. Whenever it comes up, I, again, get all excited, and act like someone just gave me a gold lamp with a genie in it.

Do you have any quaint or unusual meanings for cards or card combinations that you use just because it pleases you to do so?

(the 9 of Cups from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot)

“The Moon fae’s illumination is enchanting and beguiling for those who keep their wits about them. It can be deceptive and dangerous for those who are less careful. Surrounded by daisies, she appears as simple and clear as sunlight. While she can seem either troublesome or charming, she is really neither or both—her effect is based entirely on our perception of her.

“Her wolf companion shows how our animal nature is attracted to and stirred up by her presence. In fact, just as wolves are compelled ot react to the moon in the night sky, so too does a part of the human psyche. We act more intuitively, we dream more vividly, we feel more deeply.

“She sits on a stone carved with crayfish, an unlikely symbol for a Moon fae. But remember, things are not as they seem. A crayfish has long represented a creature that has crawled out of the water—our subconscious—and it is something that we fear.

“In the magical light of the Moon, wild wolves and monstrous crayfish can appear beautiful, and simple daisies can seem threatening. And that is the danger—not seeing what really is. The Moon fae gives neither dream nor nightmares. She light the world, and we see whatever we choose to see.”

For now, our parade of Moons is done. Which were your favorites? What are some of your favorites that weren’t shown here, and why?

Next month, I’ve selected another card to explore and I expect some interesting conversations!

Can you believe I did not keep my notes or the final list of words? Ugh. I do regret tossing those.

But I do remember the process. I gathered all my books and all my decks (the internet was around back then but not used very much) around me. I went through the cards one by one, writing down everything from every book. Then I would read and re-read all my notes, study the card, and journal about the card. After letting all of that information simmer in my mind, I wrote an essay for each card, both upright and reversed. Then I wrote a synopsis of the essay. Then I wrote a single sentence. From that, I selected a key word.

As you can imagine, it was time-consuming. But at that point in my life, my readings were quite good. Any card could fall and I had instant access in my brain to all the meanings I’d ever read and accepted for that card.

That was a very long time ago and I’ve read so much more and probably forgotten even more than I remember. The thought of doing that again, just imagining the sheer quantity of information for each card that I have available to me, well, it’s daunting. I cannot imagine ever doing that again.

Is there such a thing as too much knowledge?

Have you ever written out your collection of card meanings? What was your process? Do you still use that information?

The Moon, benign really, minds its own business in the night sky. It cannot help that it must merely reflect. The Moon can give you nothing more or less than your self, with a few shadows thrown in just to keep things interesting.

It is interesting that the sun is still visible, setting on the horizon. That is something we do not usually see in Moon cards. Perhaps it serves as a visual reminder that the Sun (representing our ego) plays a big role in what the Moon creates, so to speak.

The girl with her white orbs, what is she up to? Performing a ritual? Offering gifts? Trying to connect with the Moon’s power? Just goofing around?