Learning the Tarot Cards: V - The Hierophant

The Major Arcana Deck: The Hierophant

Number V
Creative thought
Moral law
Uncontrollable Force (change)

Arcana
Major deck (signals cycle in life and represents key time)

Element
Earth

Planet
Taurus

Card Meaning
Tradition (morality and conformity) 
Higher Consciousness (gateway, change) 
Inspirational Teacher of spiritual importance 

Key Symbols

Triple Crown (highest faculty - highest attainment of man in the spiritual
evolution)
Staff/Papal Cross (Holy Trinity - supreme status, spiritual leader)
Pillars (Left-Severity, Right-Mercy)
Red Robe (power of choice, self-conscious awareness)
Hand-Two fingers pointing upwards towards heaven and two towards 

Earth (blessing)
Crossed Keys (authority-‘keys to the kingdom of heaven’/balance
between conscious and subconscious)
Moon Crest (divine light, mediation, reflection, imagination, instinctive 

contact with higher plane, cyclic phases, mother-feelings) 

Colours

White (purity, truth, sincerity, virtue of all kinds, highest spirituality)
Red (element-fire, passion, acquisition-desire of any kind)
Gold (“cosmic mind” – universal wisdom, understanding, intuitive abilities)
Brown (material plane) 

Silver (stability, neutrality, great mother)

Affirmation: I listen to wise counsel and learn to embody my spirituality

“Staying grounded and authentic I share my learning with others so they may 

benefit too”

 

The Hierophant generally appears in a reading when we may find ourselves both

 learning and instructing.  It represents profound insight about our Self - the need to 

examine carefully and good change…an ‘Eye Opening Time”, to follow our 

higher self (consciousness) and share our blessings i.e. impart knowledge.  It also 

represents wise counsel is at hand, a person who can offer good advice and who is 

a wise teacher…provide worldly information and guidance towards success.
Indicates a time to both receive and give.