The Heirophant

Understanding your higher beliefs, values and personal boundaries - Venus - Earth - Maybe -  5

Simple: There is something you are seeking, finding a guide or teacher can help

Reversed: rejection of traditional religion

If you have seen game of thrones, this card represents the maesters, who study in the citadel.

The Hierophant is a spiritual or mental seeker, who is searching for knowledge. It often symbolizes the idea of structured religion but it is also unlocking the higher truth through learning. The hierophant is often see as a priest, in the sense that it was considered not everyone could talk directly with God. Instead the Gods spoke to people through priests or oracles, they took on the terrifying task, as most people were God fearing. These oracles would then interpret God's message and pass it on to the people to help guide them.

This card is about passing on ancient beliefs, traditions that have been passed down through generations, religions that are followed, and the hierophant is the priest or wise one who studies and learns those traditions to pass them along to future generations. The hierophant provides the answers to the contradictions of life, they don’t resolve them, rather they give people the correct knowledge to find themselves and hone on their own beliefs.

The keys to understanding life and your path do not come from one source. It's not religion alone, it's personal experiences, science, teachers, family, people that we meet and learn from. In a greater sense the hierophant is the commitment to continuing to seek knowledge to unlock the sacred mysteries that define your beliefs, values and personal boundaries.

When we are seeing the hierophant in a reading it is telling us to return to that place of learning, so seek a teacher, to learn what your beliefs are and where they come from. That is something that can change throughout your life, new knowledge and experiences can lead you in new directions. If the hierophant appears to represent a person, it is typically a person who is very set is a particular set of beliefs.