Hierophant in love readings

Grizabella

Unfortunately, the educational system teaches people that memorization to learn something by rote is the right way to do things. With Tarot, it's just not that way. Having a basis in traditional meanings is fine, as long as you don't adhere to them strictly. Keep in mind "it is, but it isn't."

Heirophant in a relationship reading can be telling you to give due and serious consideration to spiritual and cultural beliefs the two people have, cautioning you to understand how important those are in the success of a marriage. Those run deeper than we believe. Just because one or both have left their traditions, they may not want to ever convert if that becomes an issue and if you don't want to convert, either, it may become a huge issue even if it's not something you could ever foresee being one.

Context is everything in a Tarot reading and you can't ever say "this card means this and that card means that" because they change meanings based on position, relationship to other cards, circumstances that you're reading about, etc.
 

Priestess

I've read it means the guy wants things to stay the way the are.
 

quintessence

I tend to like Hierophant cards that are represented by a woman; I think of it as evolution.

My favorite Hierophant is the one in Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery.

A woman stands on a faery mound in the full moon an strikes it with the end of her staff. Dwarves, elves, fairies, all pour out and cavort around.

And my favorite quote from dearest author and artist, Beth Wilder, is this: "You must choose your own path in life and decide how to relate to people who do not share your beliefs. You have the power to teach others, but you should always keep your mind open to what others are able to teach you. This card may indicate a union or alliance of some sort along with the duties and responsibilities inherent in a blending of personal beliefs and lifestyles."

Ironically, it seems to be apropos for both the initial entry of this thread as well as the differences of opinion that arose from it.
 

tarotcognito

SunChariot said:
Actually this is very much in line with me usual meanings for the card too. But marriage is another interpretaton of it that can fit. While I usually tend to see it as you described above, sometimes your intuition kicks in and is screaming marriage. :grin:

Babs
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I forgot to add "big business" and "conservative corporate culture" among the meanings this card has for me. And yes, I agree with you Babs that marriage is certainly a possible interpretation this card can have. It just usually isn't the one that fits in the overall context of the readings I do. :)
 

SirRushing

SunChariot said:
I have been getting that card a lot too in relationship readings about my future with someine I truly care about but it is way too early to be sure of things. I love everyone here who said marriage. LOL I see that sometimes then stop myself and think it might be just wishful thinking. I love that others see that card that way too.

:heart:

Babs
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Sometimes I think Hierophant means it is a "respectful" relationship, where maybe someone respects you spiritually, socially, culturally, etc where they may be afraid to have a relationship with you that my involve sex, or sexual lust.

I get the Hierophant card for guys I have huge sexual attraction for but the guys hold back. It use to frustrate me. Then it dawned on me that maybe the guys right now in their lives just want a woman only for sex and they don't want a serious relationship, but they respect you enough to not use you for sex, so they will keep the relationship quite modest, respectful and just have a conservative relationship with you that conforms to men acting like a gentleman towards a woman.
 

SunChariot

Well that is a good answer too. I'll take it.LOL I have been getting that card a lot too abotu relationships. But that is a good answer. I could be happy if it was that. It's a hard situation between us, the attraction is there and i would like more. But betwen the two I wouidl certainly rather be truly respected than to be used for sex. The respect is the most important part, although I sure would like the final outcome to be BOTH. LOL

Babs
 

Jasmine Lily

I have found it can also mean commited relationship/marriage if the man is a Taurean
 

Marsy

SirRushing said:
I agree. I have seen Hierophant in relationships that were horrible and abusive. I knew of a married couple where the woman cheated on the wife all the time and the wife was very unhappy. I asked the cards why they remained married to each other when they obviously no longer loved each other and the Hierophant card showed up. The card was telling them that they were remaining married for the sake of being married instead of using good common sense of getting a divorce.

Hierophant means in this case being content and lazy by doing something out of culture, tradition and habit instead of using a rational mind of trying to do something else, to do something different and new.

When I had a relationship with a man that I wanted him to commit to me in marriage, I once asked why he wouldn't marry me and I got the Hierophant card. He was content to conforming to the way things were and not change to do anything new like GET MARRIED.

Hierophant doesn't always mean marriage. Don't assign it to marriage. It's over all meaning is just "conforminty, peer pressure, tradition, of culture". Yes, marriage can be a tradition within certain cultures, but it is not the only tradition in regards to relationships. The other tradition in many patriarchal relationship is that men rule over women, or men controlling women, or dominating the relationship, like I mentioned above the issue of only men being able to bring up the topic of marriage and be the only gender with the priviledge of proposing to a woman. While society looks down on a woman proposing to a man, if she doesn't want to wait for years trying to figure out if a man wants to marry her or not, which in essence waiting for a man to bring up the topic is a total waste of her time, when she could be forming relationships with other men who are desiring to be married, if her current significant other has no interest in legally or religiously solidifying a relationship with her through marriage.

Hierophant could also stand for racism, institutional racism. I have witness Hierophant show up in relationships of interracial couples where one partner doesn't mind dating and having sex with a person of another race, but they wouldn't marry them, even if they loved that person, because society has said that that particular ethnic group is "below" or "socially inferior" to your own ethnic group. So why wouldn't you marry the person you love? Because of The Hierophant saying that it is inappropiate to have interracial or interreligious or even homosexual marriages.
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This was the case in my situation. I remember when I first started seeing the Hierophant pop up in my readings with a guy, I was so excited because I was thinking he wanted to marry me. Him and I are from different cultures but it didn't cross my mind that was the reason our relationship was not moving forward because he was sticking to his "tradition" and not wanting to commit to someone who wasn't from his culture. However being friends was fine but he wouldn't move things any further than that.

What made me suspicious is when the Empress kept showing up and come to find out, his mother was largely the reason of what was holding him back. Fear of disappointing her and not marrying someone from his culture was something he wasn't sure he wanted to do. However after time had passed I was still doing readings and then the Hierophant started coming up reversed. I initially thought he has decided he doesn't want a commitment with me but what ended up happening was that he decided to go against his "tradition" and commit to me and we're getting married.

So I agree the Hierophant isn't really about marriage but more so how the couple wants to define their relationship whether that is marriage or otherwise. I actually see Justice and 4 of wands a lot for marriage especially 4 of wands, Justice being the marriage license and 4 of wands the ceremony.
 

Absynthe

The Hierophant is associated with the planet Saturn, the karmic taskmaster. I don't see marriage with this card. I see life lessons, be they positive or negative ones. Whenever this card comes up for me it's because of something I need to do which I am not presently doing. He's the spiritual teacher and frequently stands in for my guides or another person who is giving me a life lesson.
 

jenster

I am at a point where, after intermittently reading for twenty years, I think the link between The Hierophant and marriage may be an urban legend.

Naturally this is solely my experience, but it just never has turned out to mean that. Neither for me nor for the person I've read for. It might be because this was one of its original meanings and its original meaning dates to a time so far removes it just cannot apply (since reality is so different, culturally and morally, it finds no grounds to express that dynamic).

It has turned up, consistently, when I found myself binge-reading (another card I get in those cases is The High Priestess) (sometimes The Emperor too) and it's like the deck was telling me "no, we are not telling you anything anymore, go out and experience reality and see for yourself". Like a parental figure scolding you.

It has also turned up to mean (but in situations where my/the person I was reading for had unrequited feelings for the person (s)he was asking the cards about) that it won't happen. The other is set in his life/ways. He won't budge.

What has been the constant pretty much was that the situation won't change. So if it is a good relationship that you have now, that is growing, it will continue to do so.
If you are pursuing someone who is ambivalent at best, it will continue to be so.

And I think that's the card's meaning applied to our times as far as romantic feelings go: either the cards are refusing to tell you because you are over-reading or they are telling you that what is also will be. Oddly, for a major, it doesn't have a permanent nature. By which I mean that when I get majors normally they are almost implying that their message can't be altered, in The Hierophant's case he could be (what he means for your life) gone tomorrow.

Not wonderful news I guess but still it is only my opinion and I'm not a super skilled reader. So take it with a grain of salt.
 
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