#5 and The Hierophant

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ros	21 Apr 2004
I am trying to find what the number 5 connection is to The Hierophant. Yes I'm confused again???? 5-change, chaos, movement,energy For the RWS Hierophant does it mean change of consciousness?

phLux	28 Apr 2004
According to the book I'm reading, the number 5 is considered to be the number of man himself. 10 is the most perfect number, as represented by the 10 sephiroth on the Tree of Life... so, 5 is the mid-point or mediator between nature and god. A pope or a bishop is called "pontifex" which literally means "bridge-maker," which is what the teacher is doing when he connects man to God. So I suppose, yeah... that would be a change of consciousness. "Having accomplished the basic principles, he can now turn his attention to higher matters." (Though I'm not sure if that's how they regard it in the RWS definitions.) Hopefully that made sense, if that was even what you were asking ;)

Umbrae	28 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ros 5-change, chaos, movement,energy Nyet Ros, nyet! 5's mean so much more. In fact WHY does it mean change and chaos may lead you in the correct direction... The number of the mysterious. Free will, strife, justice. Represents a desire for freedom and independence that makes you go against the status quo. Fives can signal a time of nervous energy, challenges and conflicts with others, and adventure and impulsive actions. Fives also suggest travel and expansion as well as fluctuations in many areas of life. For these reasons, it is a number of both order and disorder, of happiness and misfortune. Built by bringing in two (the first even number) and three (the first unequal number).

ros	30 Apr 2004
Why does it mean change and chaos... From the Magician to the Emperor these cards help us build foundations and in the #5 we are trying to break free from our restrictions of how people expect us to live our life or the rules of life according to other people. In the #6 The Lovers we now have our own choices to make. When I was thinking of WHY does this mean change and chaos I thought of why do I read. The strangest idea came. I read because I feel that I am living in what is the unknown & searching for truths which are the known. - the unknown is what I search for. - the #5 Hierophant is the teacher of the unknown who helps us find our OWN truths or A truth. -a teacher who helps us to the next level of what we search for. (it's funny how one question of why changes everything when you think about it)

Kirranan	30 Apr 2004
Quote: When I was thinking of WHY does this mean change and chaos I thought of why do I read. The strangest idea came. I read because I feel that I am living in what is the unknown & searching for truths which are the known Thank you Ros for those wise words. :) I totally agree with you.

dadsnook2000	30 Apr 2004
The #5 card, the Hierophant, is an institutional figure, one who teaches within a set of bounded philosophies and who articulates an established culture, view of the world, religion, etc. Consider the figure(s) who kneel before him (in most cards). They are there to learn something and to commit to that institutional view. For them, THIS IS CHANGE relative to where they have come from and are presently at. Their entire world is likely to be changed and they will have to reconcile past beliefs and actions with new views and expected behavior. Perhaps we can characterize this as impending chaos in a box. From this view point, I do not see a confliction between the seeming stability and structure of the card's illustration and the meaning of the number five. Dave.

firemaiden	19 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by dadsnook2000 The #5 card, the Hierophant, is an institutional figure, one who teaches within a set of bounded philosophies and who articulates an established culture, view of the world, religion, etc. I do not see the Hierophant as representing institutions, established culture, or bounded philosophies. That interpretation is based, I believe, on a jaded vision of religion which is entirely modern. I see the Hierophant as the hand pointing the way. A magical guide and healer. A Rabbi Lowe. A genuine holy man, with the ability to open the door to mysteries. How does this relate to the number five? His is the hand which guides out of the mundane four-sided world, into another sphere altogether.

The #5 and The Hierophant thread was originally posted on 21 Apr 2004 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.