hierophant or expositor?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

temperlyne	01 Jun 2005
Hi everybody, I am currently working on my own deck and am struggling with the name of the fifth major arcana. I would like my deck to be universal so, both Pope and Hierophant seem too specific. I am thinking about renaming the card to The Expositor, because to me he is a prophet/oracle/interpretor. English however is not my first language and I'm not sure if the word can be used this way. According to Merriam-Webster online its definition is: a person who explains. I would like to hear your opinions!

Thirteen	01 Jun 2005
An Expositor is a person or thing who explains a complicated idea or theory. While correct for the Hierophant, it doesn't quite capture the spirit of the card. The Hierophant doesn't merely explain things, he also teaches, guides and helps make the connection between the esoteric (the mysterious) and the corporal (earthly) world. He is the mediator between the two. Calling him a "Sage" would likely be more accurate as that word, in English, indicates not only a teacher, but a wiseman AND, possibly, an Oracle. An expert who could explain things. Or, if you want to make it more interesting, you could possibly call him the "The Interpreter" as oracles and prophets were "interpreters" of spiritual signs and messages. And certainly the job of the Hierophant is to interpet Divine Will, translating spiritual messages and rules for us so we can understand them.

mythos	01 Jun 2005
I'm inclined to think that Sage suits the Hermit more, but Interpreter certainly makes sense for the Hierophant, because in addition to his role as bridge between the divine and the earthly, and his interpretation of that, he also interprets and teaches social and cultural expectations - the conventions of his religio-specific environment.

Vadella	01 Jun 2005
I think of the hierophant as a role model... someone to look up to, learn from, tell secrets to.

HOLMES	01 Jun 2005
for there were priestress and priests in the pagan era. for priest to the christian may refer to a follower of the church. while to a pagan may mean non denomination disiple of goddess or ascended masters or what have you :)

Emeraldgirl	02 Jun 2005
I like Sage. I think it suits the card really nicely.

Major Tom	02 Jun 2005
temperlyne wrote: I would like my deck to be universal so, both Pope and Hierophant seem too specific. I admit to some curiosity here. The Pope seems pretty universal to me, why do you think it is specific? Doesn't everyone on the planet know about the Pope or at least have some idea? I can understand why Hierophant seems specific, I suspect a lot of people haven't even heard the word until they come into contact with tarot... If it is the association with Catholic you wish to avoid, and it's worth remembering 25% of the world's population is Catholic, have you thought of High Priest? I agree with mythos in that, for me, Sage would suit the Hermit. The fifth major arcana represents a spiritual authority and if you change the name to something too far removed from that you'll lose the impact the card should have.

temperlyne	02 Jun 2005
The reason I think both hierophant and pope are too specific, is because they represent perticular religions. If the fifth major arcana represents the bridge between spiritual and mondane, should he not be free from such attachements? The pope is the bridge between spiritual and mondane for catholic christians, but not to most other spiritual or religious people. Ofcourse most will know what he represents, but I think the fifth major arcana should signify that bridge for all spiritual people. So I think my real question is, is there a singular word for a spiritual teacher, an interpreter of the divine, that would include all religions and spiritual beliefs?

TrueStar	02 Jun 2005
The Pope/Hierofant is the one with answers for the questions you do have inside, but you already haven't realized. He is the one who sees far, who gets a wider view of all the landscape. He is the one who have jouneyed through all the ways; he is the one at the end of the same road you are beginning to travel and sees you coming from the distance in the innocence of your ignorance of the way. He knows all the routes of life, he has the ultimate map. I always think in him not like a priest, because my beliefs are not christian, jewish, etc. For me is "The (Spiritual) Guide", because his role in life is to guide people in the spiritual issues of his life. Other names that I think they can suit him well are "The Guru" or "The Master", this last one in the sense of a zen master, a sensei.

jmd	02 Jun 2005
I would suggest 'Pontiff'. I has both the traditional connections, and the sense that seems to be sought - and that's without pontificating ;)

rosyelf	02 Jun 2005
I agree that "Expositor" doesn't quite cover all the meaning here. Also, it's not a common word. I agree that Pope is too specific, and whilst almost everyone on the planet has heard of the Pope (not just the current one, but Popes in general ) lots of people are not very happy with what that role can represent. And I must politely disagree with you, jmd, about "Pontiff." That feels even more specific than "Pope." "Interpreter" would be a good word. I think of "Sage" as more befitting of the Hermit. "Guru" is a nice word, but that too is specific (to Indian religions) and, in the more modern sense also can imply someone overly controlling, and abusive of, their devotees. Just my pennyworth, temperlyne-I'd go for "Interpreter."

jmd	02 Jun 2005
By all means, rosyelf... disagreements may lead to warmth and clarity and altered understanding as we each strive for greater insight. In terms simply of temperlyne's request for a word that seeks to answer: 'is there a singular word for a spiritual teacher, an interpreter of the divine, that would include all religions and spiritual beliefs?' the word 'pontiff' does come close, and is not only multi-religious, but also both mono and polytheistic. For some details, perhaps some quick glancing through this Roman Civilisation page may add some additional views on the nature of the word...

Inana	02 Jun 2005
What about calling him simply "Priest" or "Teacher"? You have a Priestess also in the deck. But well... english isn't my language, so...

temperlyne	02 Jun 2005
Inana wrote: What about calling him simply "Priest" or "Teacher"? You have a Priestess also in the deck. But well... english isn't my language, so... hmm yes you have a point there! I seem to have a problem with the hierophant, but never worried about the High Priestess! Hmm, could it be just a personal issue with constitutionalised religion? I wonder.. Anyway, I am not willing to change all the titles, I still want it to be "tarot", and maby no titels would be the most universal. Just let the images speak for themselves. But that might be a bit to progressive... I think I prefer teacher or interpreter to hierophant though, but untill I make my final borders all options are still open.

Alta	02 Jun 2005
Interesting posts and I can see temperlyne's difficulty with it. The meanings attached to the cad make a single non-specific word difficult. "spiritual mentor' is sort of right, but it doesn't seem to have a broad enough impersonal as well as personal aspect.

Sulis	02 Jun 2005
Inana wrote: What about calling him simply "Priest" or "Teacher"? I like both of these but out of the 2 I think 'Priest' sums up the essence of Trump 5 the best. He's a teacher, yes but he's more than that. He's a counsellor, a guide, an authority figure, he's someone you'd go to in times of trouble. He represents society, tradition, the status quo - the only person I can see wearing all of those hats is a priest. Love Sulis xx

Inana	02 Jun 2005
temperlyne wrote: hmm yes you have a point there! I seem to have a problem with the hierophant, but never worried about the High Priestess! Hmm, could it be just a personal issue with constitutionalised religion? I wonder... Most probably it has to be with the association of male priests and organized religions, specially christians… Maybe no titles will work the best for you. I agree changing all the names is a bad idea, never liked those kind of decks. By the way, I love your cards.

mythos	03 Jun 2005
jmd wrote: I would suggest 'Pontiff'. I has both the traditional connections, and the sense that seems to be sought - and that's without pontificating ;) Ha ... humour ... and much appreciated! mythos

mythos	03 Jun 2005
I've called my own card The Holy Man, because of similar issues with the more traditional names. I didn't even think of High Priestess (oh! dopey me!). If I had it to do all over again ... and maybe I will (not), I would choose High Priest as a correlative of High Priestess. Interesting topic, mythos

The hierophant or expositor? thread was originally posted on 01 Jun 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.