Favorite Hierophant? ;-)

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Geenius at Wrok	08 Jul 2002
Lo, the great unloved major! While people bend over backward to emphasize that Death means transformation and the Devil can stand for freedom, the poor benevolent Hierophant is feared, mistrusted, maligned throughout the fervently individualistic world of tarophiles as the dreaded bringer of rules, order and Olympian judgment. So . . . dare I ask . . . which Hierophant makes you the least squeamish? ;)

kayne	08 Jul 2002
Alright! I am NOT going to mention Cosmic Tribe AGAIN... (although it IS pretty good :P) I am not a big fan of The Heirophant... but I think one of my favs would have to be the Thoth Heirophant... The Heirophant from the Olympus (as Chronus) is an interesting interpretation that I like a lot too...

truthsayer	09 Jul 2002
as a long term enemy of the hierphant choosing a favorite would be a problem for me if it weren't for my participation in the FACT deck. i created the hierphant for the deck. it was quite an inspired and emotional experience for me during which i worked out many of my long held feelings about the hierphant. i fought doing jesus as the hierphant for around 2 months before i finally gave in and did it. i really wanted to do a druid or other pagan as the hierphant but it wasn't meant to be. i really felt that my interpretation of the hierphant would not be readily accepted by aeclectians but the card wouldn't have it any other way. i had a very cathartic experience w/ my creation of the hierphant. the hierphant no longer threatens me. when i think of it i now feel positive. another thing that has helped was when i read the book "the wishing garden". in it the hierphant is called the card of "forgiveness". well, i've never thought about it representing forgiveness but it fits in w/ my creation of the hierphant.

jema	09 Jul 2002
the hierophant is "my" card and i learnt to love it. my favorite hierophant is from the Spiral tarot deck. it shows the magic in the card. for me the hierophant is a bit like the magician but more in a social context. i see him as presiding over rituals of passage. he is also sword-like and brings clarity of though. the spiral hierophant is about directing his will to bend the reality. he is Chiron here. his lesson for me is to be able to take negativ critique and be transformed by it, like a lesson in alchemy. i am introverted by nature but the Hierophant is not, he is the challange for me to dare to speak my mind, to act as a teacher even when i doubt i will ever say anything worthwhile to listen to. (like right now...)

Kiama	09 Jul 2002
Possibly the Hallowquest one, and the Medicine Woman one. I can't identify with the negativity of the stiff cold man in Catholic Priest robes, with the people bowing to him... I prefer seeing the Heirophant as a mediator, a teacher... Kiama

WolfSpirit	09 Jul 2002
truthsayer, I'm sure you were meant to do the hierophant to be reconciled with this card... My fav is the dragon tarot hierophant, I think the dragon just looks so cool in his mitre :D

Liliana	09 Jul 2002
I love Spirals Hierophant too, and also Rohrig has a nice nonreligious one, just a mans face, head in his hand like he is thinking, and above him is a lot of stars. I actually like the Universal Waite version too, especially after reading this in the Rohrig book, which is odd since this scene isnt on the Rohrig cards at all "The figure on the right is in a devout, cowering posture that symbolizes the dogmatic path to religio. This sort of person still lives according to the exoteric aspect of religion, and relies upon dogma. The mission of the established churches should be to lead such people toward independance rather than making them dependant or allowing them to languish in their dependency. But, if churches were to truly preform this task, they would have to relinquish some of their power. The kneeling figure on the left is in an erect yet devout posture, symbolizing the independant path to religio. This figure represents those people who consciuosly seeky their own path to God, people who know that absolutiongranted by any external source is of little use. They must absolve themselves, which is much more difficult undertaking as it requires self love, which must be devolped in and for themselves. How else could we ever love our neighbors as oursleves?" I really liked that. :THP

Rhiannon	09 Jul 2002
I like the Hierophant from the Legend: Arthurian Tarot. It's Taliesin sitting with his harp and 3 small children in front of him. What better way to portray the teacher and conveyor of knowledge and morality? Rhiannon :)

Kyrielle	09 Jul 2002
I like the Hierophant in the Haindl Tarot. It pictures three generations of males -- an old man, a younger adult man, and a boy. It gets at the idea of tradition and structure without being in-your-face religious, yet there is a strong influence of Judaism on this card. -- Kyrielle

Pollux	09 Jul 2002
I don't have a fav Hierophant. Maybe Cosmic Tribe? OH YES!!! The Vision Quest one!!! I love the Shaman Card! :)

Violet Gargoyle	09 Jul 2002
My only Hands Down 1st Choice: Vertigo's Dream/Morpheus. All of my other Heirophants and Popes sort of seem like they are playing a part of a ceremony, where the Character of Morpheus seems to be that part on and off the stage. Of course, I had read more about this character than the others, being that I have been a fan of "The Sandman" since it's earliest comics....

Kaz	09 Jul 2002
no doubt, again i am one tarot, the hierophant is called "the speaker" in this deck. kaz

mooncat2	09 Jul 2002
The Vision Quest Shaman .

the hermit	09 Jul 2002
I think Geenius at Wrok's latest avatar is the best I've seen. Great 'Pope's Nose'... that's twice I couldn't help myself. BAD, BAD HERMIT! no biscuit... NO BISCUIT!!!

Kellinator	09 Jul 2002
Hmmm... I'd agree with Taliesen from the Legend Arthurian, and I think the Rohrig and Gendron Hierophants are pretty decent. But I guess my favorite is the "Priest" from Matt Myers' Art Nouveau. He's a little young, but I really like the expression of devotion on his face.

Sally Gardens	09 Jul 2002
Definitely the Hierophant from my main deck, the Motherpeace. :D It's one of my favorite cards in the deck, as well as my favorite Hierophant from any deck I've seen. Some decks do try to show an image of healthy spiritual guidance/authority for this card, but I think it's quite accurate to see it as the obstacle of unhealthy authority that stands between our "childhood" and "adolescence/young adulthood," i.e., we need to break free of the Hierophant's grip in order to be free to pursue our path and learn our own lessons and make our own mistakes. To me the Motherpeace image depicts the freethinker's perspective on the traditional Hierophant figure, and on any dogmatic religious would-be "authorities" of any stripe: a hinderance to spiritual health rather than a true guide into spiritual connection with the Earth and the world. Instead of guiding us toward awareness of our oneness with All That Is, the Hierophant tells us we can only find "salvation" through surrender to *him* and *his* church/organization/clique. I like to think of this as the "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" card. :D

Geenius at Wrok	10 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit I think Geenius at Wrok's latest avatar is the best I've seen. Great 'Pope's Nose'... *grin* Concept by Geenius, execution by the Amazing Kayne.

Jewel	10 Jul 2002
I saw my favorite Hierophant today ... it is from the unpublished 418 deck. It trully adds dimension the Heirophant and removes Christianity from it. It shows that the Hierophant is in a position of power and through the expression on his face emphasizes that he is human and can choose to misuse that power. It also shows the acolyte, as trusting blindly (he is blindfolded)in authority. Another dimension is of acolyte is that there is a hand at his back pushing him forward ... which can mean following norms because it is what is expected by society. His nudity adds an element of vulnerability. I also like the Hierophant in the Cosmic Tribe a lot. I have no aversion to the Hierophant, I quite like it actually, but I think you are right on Geenius.

Starfish	10 Jul 2002
I have two - for gentleness and less overall "grouchiness" the Whimsical Tarot's Friar Tuck - with a cup raised and a gentle grin on his face; and the Halloween Tarot's Hierophant is cool - I especially love the way that his bandages (he's a Mummy for those who haven't seen him) are beginning to come undone. :T6P Starfish

Maan	10 Jul 2002
I with Starfish here i really like the whimsical one.

Kaz	10 Jul 2002
jewel, i like amounra's deck, that's the 418 tarot, as well, i hope he will finish it as i really would love a copy of that one. kaz

AmounrA	10 Jul 2002
Thanks, It will be completed, only death will stop me..or a serious hand injury, or.....aahhh :-) I am on the last trump and then will be doing the minors.......I think the deck will be finished late 2004 I attach the hierophant card jewel described so well earlier.

Sorceress_Jade	10 Jul 2002
Though I have not yet gotten the deck, I think I'll vote for the witches Tarot. The card is renamed the High Priest and is not garbed in catholic looking garments. He's more like an old magician. I appreciate the fact that i's non standard. Though I think the imagery could have been more meaningful in converying the point of the card.

oriel	11 Jul 2002
Taliesin from Legend: The Arthurian Tarot. He has a harp, and children all around him. The Hierophant is my "soul card".

Sorceress_Jade	11 Jul 2002
damn you... so i go to look up the legend the arthurian right? now it's on my wish list. OMG, that deck is stunning. And from what I see so far, the imagery is usefull. Even if it were off from the classical interpretations i think i could deal because I can see the feelings in the cards. Awesome ~goes off in search of more images of the deck~

oriel	11 Jul 2002
Sorceress Jade- It is awesome, isn't it? It's my fave so I'm learning to read with it. The art makes it easy for me to find my own meanings for the cards. The book that comes with it is also great 'cause it tells the Arthurian myth associated with each card. How the artist relates each story to the tarot is very well done, I think. I don't know much about the legends themselves, but I am just so draw to the deck. I hope you get it off your wishlist and into your hands soon :) Mariel

Riversea	11 Jul 2002
The Hierophant is my card also. It pops up all the time in my personal readings. It's also my card numerologically. Good thing I've never really had a problem with the card. My favorite Hierophant is the card from the Vertigo deck. My second favorite is the Victoria Reginia. He looks kindly and somewhat weighed down by his responsibilties.

Jewel	12 Jul 2002
Amounra, any chance you can post the color version? I know ~chuckles~ I am so demanding *LOL*. And Amounra, please take your time with the minors so that they are as great as the majors. Even though I am inpatient I am willing to wait for this treat.

The Favorite Hierophant? ;-) thread was originally posted on 08 Jul 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.