V – the Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning

acquiring wisdom & knowledge

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Tarot Alley uses the Rider Waite type of deck for our meanings, symbols, interpretations, etc.

It wouldn’t surprise me if, outside the Tarot, you’d never heard the word Hierophant before. I hadn’t. But once you understand the title, it’s often easier to understand the card.

A Hierophant is often defined as, “an interpreter of sacred mysteries and arcane principles.”

This can be interpreted in many ways. The Hierophant card could be viewed as religious, spiritual, historical, and/or ancestral. What do all of those things have in common? A passing of wisdom and knowledge from one generation to the next.

Therefore, the Hierophant represents the wisdom and knowledge that we can acquire from the past. This wisdom and knowledge often comes from the major institutions in our lives: school, church, government, social structures, etc.,

It may or may not be a positive force. The Hierophant often provides tradition, values, and guidance. On the other hand, they can be stubborn, inflexible, and judgemental.

Take a look at the Rider-Waite Hierophant displayed to the left (or above).

What is your first impression?

Who is this person? What are they doing? Where are they? Who are the observers? What does the imagery say to you?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, just your interpretation.

Astrology: Taurus
Element: Earth
Numerology: 5 (resistance, confrontation, instability)

Common Symbols

• a Teacher to represent sharing knowledge and wisdom
• a Key to represent unlocking knowledge and wisdom

Keywords & Concepts

the Hierophant for Personal Growth

Your values will dictate your personal behavior, so work to define what you truly believe in. Don’t shy away from the big questions, but be wary of gurus bearing quick answers.

Ask Yourself:

• Where do you find your personal center?
• What role might tradition or religion play in this situation?
• Who authored the rules? Who enforces them? Why?
• How might an experienced guide impact this decision?
• Which might your situation call for: your head or your humanity?
• If you were in a respected position of power, what changes would you make?
• What urges or inclinations are you being called upon to control?
• Are there any outdated beliefs you’d do well to abandon?
• How is your own faith (or lack thereof) reflected in this situation?

Interpreting the Hierophant

When the Hierophant appears it represents a time of stability, tradition, or conformity.

Now is not the time to make waves, rock the boat, or do something different. Now is the time to embrace knowledge.

You are likely to become involved in a new mentee/mentor relationship. Which role will you play?

The Reversed Hierophant

How you read reversals is a personal choice. You can ignore reversals and read them as if the card is upright (this is what I often choose to do) or you can interpret reversals as variations of what they would mean upright. There are 3 common ways to read reversals: as a negative interpretation, as an opposite interpretation, or as a block on the upright interpretation. Check out How to Read Reversals for more information.

Negative: A negative reversed Hierophant suggests a lack of stability likely caused by too many changes or ignoring tradition.

Opposite: An opposite reversed Hierophant means you’re ignoring tradition or making too many changes which are having a negative effect on stability.

Blocked: A blocked reversed Hierophant indicates something is preventing you from embracing tradition and conformity.

Examples of the Hierophant

Specific Interpretations

Specific situations are the general interpretation (from above) used for a specific situation (love, career, etc). There is no need to memorize these (or even look them up) if you understand the general interpretation. However, here are some basic interpretations for some specific situations:

the Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning