Origin of the word 'Heirophant'?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Apr 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	25 Apr 2003
Hi all, I was revising (Yep, really revising!) today, and came across a Greek term 'heirophanties', meaning 'manifestations of the sacred', and I immediately thought of the Heirophant card, which is so often given a negative reputation these days... I think this Greek word sheds some great new light on the concepts within this Major Arcana card, since the 'manifestation of the sacred' seems to be what this card is about, partly, and what happens when people look to that manifestation... But tell me, do you feel that the Heirophant in the card is an actual manifestation of the sacred, or does he perform the functions that bring about the manifestation? I know that from a Qabalistic point of view, he is the mouthpiece of the sacred, which is kind of similar I suppose... Kiama

Astraea	25 Apr 2003
To me, the Hierophant can be either the manifestation of the spirit, or a representation of spiritual energy, itself. In tarot, as in all works of symbolism, the subject/object differentiation is transcended, which is why the cards can be understood as people, states of mind, energy, etc. Subject and object represent the extremities of a spectrum, and at some point the ends meet. This is why, in my view, the Hierophant can signify genuine revelation of truth, and also its prison (and conditions in-between).

Mimers	25 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Astraea To me, the Hierophant can be either the manifestation of the spirit, or a representation of spiritual energy, itself. In tarot, as in all works of symbolism, the subject/object differentiation is transcended, which is why the cards can be understood as people, states of mind, energy, etc. Subject and object represent the extremities of a spectrum, and at some point the ends meet. This is why, in my view, the Hierophant can signify genuine revelation of truth, and also its prison (and conditions in-between). Astraea - The way you just described the Hierophant here (and how to look at the Tarot) really hit home with me. Thank you for removing a mental block as far as the Hierophant is concerned. I am going to copy your words into my journal if that is ok with you.

Astraea	25 Apr 2003
Mimers -- s'all right! :)

Belladonna	25 Apr 2003
When I look at the Heirophant, I see buried treasure. It reminds me to look at the values I was taught by my culture, my community, my school, and my family. (I never had a particularly religious upbringing) Not only do I re-examine them, but I pull out that dusty bit that has meaning and power for me, the bit that to me represents what I have faith in, and polish it off, while discarding the rest. It reminds me that I do have faith, enough of it to apply to my life, to change the way I live my life. And I know that by llearning to LIVE what I have faith in, I am able to be of service to others in a more genuine way, perhaps in a way I am not even aware of.

Thirteen	25 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama a Greek term 'heirophanties', meaning 'manifestations of the sacred', and I immediately thought of the Heirophant card Thanks Kiama! This actually does shed a good deal of light on the card--especially the Mythic Tarot's use of the Oracle at Delphi. The important thing, to me is that this implies the Hierophant NOT as being someone (something) on Earth transformed into something sacred (going up, as it were), but as something from above coming down to Earth. One could almost interpet Jesus in this way--son of god, divine, manifested on Earth as a human being. So, too, with the Oracle at Delphi, the words of the gods come through the human speakers and manifest themselves. The divine becomes earthly. Biblically, speaking, Moses would very much be the Hierophant to me--a very Earthly man, manifesting very sacred things--turning staffs into snakes, and parting the Red Sea. A conduit, it you will, for the divine will to manifest itself. Similarly, the ten commandments themselves would be a form of Hierophant--the divine manifested in an Earthly language and in simple, worldly phrases. This, of course, is what makes the Hierophant so very interesting. Because though divinity can manifest itself in something Earthly, that manifestation must, of necessity be limited. The divine is much too...infinate, to fully manifest on Earth. So our Oracles speak in a riddles that must be worked out, and our Ten Commandments, or Torah, requires interpetations and arguments. The negative aspect of the Hierophant is that which takes the manifestation at Earthly face value, literally and with no room for further interpetation. The positive aspect are those who try to see below the surface, to find that infinate aspect in this limited form. At least, that's how I interept the card with regards to this new info. Hope this makes sense....

ihcoyc	25 Apr 2003
The original Hierophant was the chief priest of Demeter at Eleusis, who was responsible for conducting initiates into the Eleusinian Mysteries. This Hierophant literally had the task of displaying the sacred mysteries and rituals to the initiates when they were inducted. The office was hereditary and passed down in the line of the descendants of Eumolpus. The Eleusinian Mysteries were one of the world's few well-kept secrets. None of the initiates told what went on in there, and as such their secret became silent when they were suppresed. So in this day the mysteries become an irresistable target for people who can make all sorts of claims about what took place there, confident that they cannot be contradicted. Of course, the figure of the "Hierophant" in the tarot was originally the Pope, a title that has the advantage of being much, much easier to spell.

skytwig	25 Apr 2003
why do i see the Hierophant as a religion icon? Yes, i see Moses, but i see Moses with those stone rules, telling people what to do. The 10 commandments, i believe, were misinterpreted. You want rules, here, try these. they were meant to show us how human we are and how impossible it is to be rigid. the Hierophant shows me how NOT to manifest the Sacred. He is an uptight rule maker, losing the essence of spirituality. To me the HP teaches me how to manifest the Sacred. she is the lead to Spirit. Intuition. Sensitivity to the dance of Spirit, not to the march of Rules and Laws. But, I shall consider the comments here. I am open to change....

Thirteen	25 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by skytwig why do i see the Hierophant as a religion icon? Yes, i see Moses, but i see Moses with those stone rules, telling people what to do. The 10 commandments, i believe, were misinterpreted. You want rules, here, try these. they were meant to show us how human we are and how impossible it is to be rigid. First, my mistake, it isn't the "Mythic" tarot that as the Hierophant as the Oracle at Delphi--Mythic has the Chiron the Centaur. But that's the thing. The Hierophant CAN be seen as rigid, especially if the deck you use has a "Popish" image--a man on a throne instructing underlings. Would you feel the same, however, if the deck you used had three women at the Delphi offering folk divine messages as the Hierophant? How about if the image was that of Chiron the wise Centaur, teacher and friend? Would that help you see the Hierophant as someone less religiously hidebound?

Alissa	25 Apr 2003
My favorite Hierophant card, one which helped me to come to a less church oriented meaning, is the Shapeshifter's. It shows a woman, half shapeshifted into an elephant and she holds her hand poised, palm down, over a book. The image meant something very personal to me immediately. In many mediations, I love to go and sit with Ganesha (elephant-headed Hindu Lord of Karma). I feel Him wrap his trunk around my waist when I'm down. We eat sweets together. :D Ganesha is also the keeper of the book of karma. To see an elephant-woman absorbing knowledge over a book in this card radically changed how I felt about the Hierophant. It connected me to an entirely different view of what it is to be a Teacher. Teachers aren't bad. They're helpful. But, we often outgrow them - sometimes by rejecting or rebelling from them. But, that's why that card's so early on in the Majors, right ;) ?

Kiama	26 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Thirteen First, my mistake, it isn't the "Mythic" tarot that as the Hierophant as the Oracle at Delphi--Mythic has the Chiron the Centaur. I think it's the Ancestral Path that has the Delphic Oracle as the Hierophant. I think... skytwig: You've given the interpretation of the card that I used to have, and which I found could be interpreted into the card, but which was the card's more negative side. It's more positive side is the ones we have talked about above, but I do certainly see your interpretation... I see it as this (Wish I was more eloquent this morning): The Hierophant is the manifestation of the sacred, and is the mouthpiece of the Gods (Hence the links with the Delphic Oracle) and as such, passes traditions and teachings to people. However, there is a danger of the people taking these teachings too literally, twisting them and using them against others... They become fundies, and in this case, we get the rigidity that you mentioned... Think of it as... The Holy Bible. It is said to be the manifestation of the sacred, and is indeed the mouthpiece of God, passing on his teachings, plus the teachings of Jesus. In itself, it is inspiring, full of wisdom, and very revealing about the nature of life and God. Think of Jesus' teachings... Taken by themselves, they are traditions yes, but easily adaptable, and ones which, due to the nature of Jesus himself, are not rigid at all. His laws were very loose indeed: Do unto others Love thy neighbour Love God Honour your Father and Mother They were still laws, but loose ones, which left room for movement within them, for adaptation to new ways. 2000 years ago, Jews were told to honour their Father and Mother. Today, we may still do this, although our society, values, housing, customs, etc have changed. When fundies take the laws literally (The 'suffer not a witch to live' quote is a perfect example) people start getting hurt. Fundies have a tendency to believe more in the words than in the person/deity who spoke them. They do not move around and adapt the laws to fit their modern lifestyle. They persecute others according to what they believe is the truth behind the laws. Here is where the Hierophant's negative side comes in. But it is important to remember, I feel, that it is not the Hierophant who is to blame. It is the people who received his teachings, but didn't realise the truth behind them. It's not the Hierophant's fault: He's only the messenger! Words are simply words, and they do not cause people to react to them in the ways they do. The Bible did not cause the Crusades. It was the people who read it and reacted a certain way, based on their own additional views of Muslims, who caused the Crusades. The Rune Ansuz is often associated with this card I believe... And this rune is not only about communication and words, but it is often called 'Odin's Rune', and is related to the story of when Odin hung on the World Tree in order to gain the knowledge of the Runes... Communication of divine to human occured, as in the Hierophant card, but what was also needed for Odin to truly make use of his experience on the Tree? Understanding and insight. This is what is needed by the receivers of the Hierophant's teachings, in order to keep the Hierophant in a positive light. In this day and age, it certainly seems almost impossible to do that, but it can be done... I think I've rambled too much now. Hope that all made sense! Kiama

HudsonGray	26 Apr 2003
I was at a loss how to draw the Hierophant in my little deck, wanting to keep out the Church connotations & all. It took a lot of thinking but I decided that the superimposing of the chakra circles over the figure and a clear aura glowing around the entire body was what said it best for me. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was looking at it as Chakras going back a long time in certain cultures and a connection to old teachings, which can be very spiritual for some, and the aura showing the depth the individual had reached with it. Eyes closed, looking inward, but in lotus position--many classes teach yoga, about chi energy & chakras & such, so the 'teaching' aspect is there, as is the indication that the individual was able to reach this stage & is there to help others with it. It's hard to pull an image that doesn't automatically go directly into a cliche so deep that it stops most trains of thought. I have a block on Temperance in decks too--why the Angel? Always an angel, even in most pagan decks. Does the cliche run so deep that this shows up as the image on the cards 99% of the time? Most religions have spirits, but it's only the Christian ones that usually have angels specifically. It seems so limiting to me.

skytwig	26 Apr 2003
the delightful aspect of this forum is the pushes and nudges and outright revelations toward new insight. I really want to see the Hierophant differently, especially considering my 'religious legalism' upbringing. I like the idea of historical teaching; the archetypal 'building' of images and meanings, working through many lives and societies and eras of social order. Yes, there IS much to be gleaned from lessons or beliefs that have traveled through centuries of time and experience. And can I see past that tight 'religious' meaning I expressed/ Is there not something of that here in me now? And what can I see in the decent through my old thinking and through the old thinking of spiritual 'history'? I like the idea of holograms of meaning, overlapping and giving new meaning to old ideas, as if new holograms are being created, new dimensions........ Thanks.... this has expanded my view of the Hierophant, and, to tell you the truth, I am relieved!!! :joke:

The Origin of the word 'Heirophant'? thread was originally posted on 25 Apr 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.