Hierophant, Hanged Man, Emperor

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Apr 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

cutiecutie	07 Apr 2005
Hello I've been getting the Hierophant and The Emperor in my readings quite a bit lately. I asked what are someone's thoughts about me and feelings for me, and surprisingly I got : Thoughts: Hierophant (V), The Hanged Man (XII) Feelings: The Emperor (IV) What are your thoughts on these cards? I'm shocked at how similar they all are, and they are all of very masculine influence. What are the differences between them, and what could this combination signify? I've heard the Hierophant is oftentimes about law and order, control, but so is the Emperor...

jmd	07 Apr 2005
Just a quick note on the cards, totally independent of the question, and then a possible sense for these in conjunction with the reading at hand. It is interesting that the Hierophant (traditionally called the Pope), who occupies the chair of St Peter, is adjacent the Hanged Man. St Peter was crucified upside-down. Some have even suggested that the Hanged Man has a symbolic connection to St Peter - as does, in more obvious ways, the Pope/Hierophant. If cardinals can be described as 'princes of the church', then the Pope/Hierophant is its supreme ruler - its Emperor. So here we have, in those three cards, three aspects of the same individual, each in different 'stages' or forms. In terms of the reading, I wonder if these were drawn from 78, or if only the 22 Atouts were used. If the former, and if the whole reading consisted of only these three cards, it is certainly a powerful drawing of cards. But also, why were two drawn for the first aspect, and one for the next? (no 'rational' reason needs to be given, of course, it is more wondering if there was any predetermined reason behind the spread). Thoughts: V & XII[indent]probably thinks that you look at things in ways quite at odds or different from their own way of doing so, and that you tend to point to people suggestions or ways of doing their own things in a way that would assist them getting there. Probably thinks of you a little as a counsellor, but cannot fathom from where or how you come to what you say.[/indent] Feelings: IIII[indent]probably feels that you are far more in 'control' of your emotional life than you let on, and thus probably appear a little cold from their own perspective. '...and why do you appear to look away when things are heading in certain directions?' they may well ask.[/indent] I am commenting here more on the sequence and combination of cards, as it is in Using Tarot, not Your Readings, for which I may have made different comments.

cutiecutie	08 Apr 2005
jmd-- These are very powerful cards... I was stunned when turning them over, because they were selected from the whole deck of 78 cards not just the major arcanum. There is really no logical reason for why I pulled 2 cards for thoughts and 1 for feelings... I think because 4 would be too much to interpret.. I was unsure whether to post this in the "your readings" section or this one, as I think it's an interesting topic but also wanted some feedback... so thought I could get answers for both. Anyway, your interpretation of the cards is kind of reversed to what I thought... By thoughts I interpreted it as the kinds of thoughts he's having about me rather then how he views me? But now I'm a bit confused on which is right. It might also be worth mentioning the person I questioned about is an ex who broke up with me recently who I haven't talked to since. I guess it's valid to say either he feels in control since he was the one who took the decision, or perhaps like you say he thinks I have control over my emotions for not chasing after him. For the Hierophant and Hanged Man I thought maybe this means he is being stubborn. He is suspended in his way of thinking...Or he is following a kind of tradition .. He thinks his way of handling the situation is "tried and true"... Your thoughts for the cards themselves are really fascinating.

Chubby Mummy	08 Apr 2005
Hey there!! I think those three card to me mean, he may have feelings for you but may not see it as right to be with you for whatever reason, like a sacrifice to give something else in his life priority. The hierophant Ive been told in the past may suggest a hand-off platonic situation, and the hanged man suggests its actually a sacrifice hes doing, so although this may not be what he wants, its what hes doing anyway...the emperor re-inforces that law and order and control that is needed. hope that helps xx cm

cutiecutie	10 Apr 2005
Hi CM! Thanks for your response. That is very likely, especially with the situation right now and seeing that he is not contacting me...

The Hierophant, Hanged Man, Emperor thread was originally posted on 07 Apr 2005 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.