Thoth Study Group - The Hierophant

Moving on to The Hierophant this week for the study group.

Other cards in the study group can be seen via The Table of Contents (which is a sticky Thread at the top of the Thoth Forum).

The colours used in the Hierophant card strike me as very earthy, being browns, black, red, orange and this connects as well with Taurus, the Bull, shown behind / around the Hierophant.

Where to start - the main thing that catches my attention in this card is the play of light, where it seems to be emanating upwards from the goddess at the Hierophant's feet. Upwards illuminating the pentagram with the child, and up to the Hierophant's face. Is this why the Hierophant has his eyes closed? Or is he meditating and looking within - not to the outside world.

The staff that he holds has three interlocking circles at the top, which is basically a triskellion which can represent past, present and future; or can relate to the Triple Goddess - maiden, mother and crone. I have also read that it can represent the three dynamic elements of air, water and fire. The three forces pivot around the centre of the image, which is also its spiritual centre, their movement given origin to Earth (matter). The symbol can also represent the principle of Trinity - spirit, soul and body) and can also represent Knowledge, Science and Wisdom.

After doing some reading on this card I was interested to learn about the letter Vau = nail (this is not an area that I know much about). However it made sense and quote from Banzhaf's - The Handbook to the Cards:

Vau = nail. The nail holds things together, and in society it is the Hierophant who connects religious tradition with social culture. Crowley writes: "This card is referred to the letter Vau, which means a Nail; of this instrument nine appear at the top of the card; they serve to fix the oriel behind the main figure of the picture."

The Hierophant stands for the world of belief and a deep trust springing from the certainty of belief. He indicates the search for hidden meaning and teaches us to examine the higher purpose, which we can recognise in everything; while striving for material things.

To be honest the Hierophant is a card that I often do not relate very well to in most decks, however I do like the Thoth Hierophant more than most which is purely a personal thing in that he does not look like a Pope or Bishop and solely related to Christain beliefs. The Thoth Hierophant to me still relates to connecting with a higher power / purpose, and tradition, teaching etc but seems "older" in someway. Perhaps it is the blue goddess representing Venus / the Great Mother at this feet that adds a feminine quality to this card, which is often missing in the more patriarchical depictions of Popes in other decks. Again not sure if I making sense here to anyone but myself

CreativeFire

PS. Have attached a pic of the card for ease of reference.

Unfortunately due to the recent probs we have also lost the interesting and very informative discussion on the Heirophant!

So if you can remember anything you posted previously, jump in with a summary to get the discussion going again.

CreativeFire

HIerophant

It strikes me that this Hierophant is being inspired--- light streams down through his flowering head,through his child-heart,through his limbs,where it flows like two rivers into the brown,barren earth.This center picture contrasts with the hollow,fixed masks at the four corners.The Father,Child,Mother vertical axis running through the Hierophant suggests left,center,and right of the Kabbalah Tree,in dynamic unity,as well as Osiris,Horus,and Isis.Here,the Teacher,inner or outer,is inspired and so inspires.Is the face based upon an ancient work of art? It looks familiar.At least,this Hierophant has a smile of delight.

I really like the Thoth Hierophant. It has to be one of my favourite cards of this deck. I will just write a little more with regards to Crowley's thoughts on the new aeon, since this is very relevant to the study of this specific card.

According to Crowley, this time is the time of the new aeon. This is also known as the Aeon of Horus. According to what I have read in the Duquette book, Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot, there have been three aeons thus far. The first is the Aeon of Isis, and was characterised by the dominance of Goddess worship at that specific time. The second is the Aeon of Osiris, and was characterised by the dominance of Christianity, and male-based religions. The third, and the aeon of the moment, is the Aeon of Horus, characterised by what one might refer to as 'new age' movements.

Interestingly, Duquette writes, 'It is important for us to remember that the traditional images of the tarot were developed during the Aeon of Osiris'. Thus, the Hierophant of the traditional tarot, including the Hierophant as portrayed in the Rider Waite deck, is more representative of a priest, or preacher. However, in the Thoth deck, the Hierophant is not so much portrayed as a teacher, but as a spiritual helper... a spirit guide even.

Duquette writes, 'The Hierophant's throne is flanked by elephants. He is seated upon the bull of Taurus itself. He holds in his right hand a wand surmounted by three rings symbolizing the ascendancy of the Aeon of Horus from the preceding Aeons of Isis and Osiris.'

I also love what Duquette says when he writes, 'Instead of the pale, humourless features of a delicate prelate offering at some demure worship service, we are thrilled by the bold, confident image of a Babylonian priest-king - an initiator in every sense of the word. He's not humbly served by docile acolytes like the Osirian Hierophant; instead he is actively supported in his work by his sword bearing Scarlet Woman, the embodiment of heavenly Venus who rules Taurus. 'Let this woman be girt with a sword before me', the Book of the Law commands. 'This woman', Crowley states, 'represents Venus as she now is in this new aeon; no longer the mere vehicle of her male counterpart, but armed and militant'.

I am not sure if I managed to remember everying that I wrote in the lost posts... but hopefully I have touched on some of that information!

As someone who has always had a bit of an attitude about the Hierophant, I find this particular version quite an improvement.

It doesn't feel quite so patriarchal for reasons already mentioned, and with the inclusion of the elephants and kerubs, has an earthy, pre-biblical feel.

According to the Dictionary of Symbols Elephants = Strength and of the power of the libido. Indian tradition holds elephants are the caryatids of the Universe.

VGimlet said:

According to the Dictionary of Symbols Elephants = Strength and of the power of the libido. Indian tradition holds elephants are the caryatids of the Universe.

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Strangely enough, I didn't see the elephants in this card until quite recently! Is it of relevance that the elephants are situated nearer the Hierophant's head? Might this reflect the idea that the Hierophant had a strong head on his shoulders? Hehe. Or am I pushing it a little too far with that association?!

In his book, Tarot: Mirror of the Soul, Ziegler writes, 'Nails touch the serpent of the transformation , reminiscent of the crown of thorns, of the pain and suffering associated with transformation. Actual change only occurs if you are open (bull) and sensitive (dove), trusting of and submitting to divine love.'. Could the elephants then represent the strength needed through such change?

Hierophant

This arcanum is really saturated with symbols that hold together like a mosaic. The elephant alone has many meanings, including patience,memory,listening,wisdom.In parables in Buddhism and Sufism,some blind(literally) devotees to their religions examine an elephant in the dark.One grabs a leg,thinks it is a plllar.Another grabs the trunk,another the ear,and each thinks he has the whole truth:"Such a folk see only one side of a thing"(Buddha,Udana,6-4).So,the elephant can even mean ultimate truth as many-sided.

I forgot most of what I found interesting in this card, but hopefully while I'm writing I'll begin to remember most of it . The first thing that really caught my mind was how different I felt this Hierophant was in relation to other Hierophants in other decks. This is a person of a great wisdom and accumulated knowledge, gained from years of study and thinking. This is a guide, but like all good teachers, the Hierophant can also represent some type of 'exam' or 'test' that the querent must pass in order to gain insight into deeper knowledge.

I thought the position of the elephant and bull behind the Hierophant was interesting, especially b/c they seem to look so menacing to the person reading the cards. Still, while they glower out, the Hierophant is in complete control of them.

I also found interesting the little person/child inside the Hierophant, and I compared it to the concept of the "daimon," from Greek times, which many wise people sought to cultivate (most famously Socrates). It represents the inner wisdom inside all of us, and the fact that it is displayed so prominently in the card reinforces the notion of the Hierophant having spent years in study, cultivating inner wisdom to gain insight into reality.

I sensed something very sexual concerning the figure at the foot of the Hierophant and the Hierophant himself. The figure reminded me not so much of a goddess but as an apprentice, someone on the Hierophant's path.

that's all I can remember now!

theo.

Hierophant

Yes,the Daimon as the Inner Teacher is strong in this picture,along with so much else.The vertical trilogy of Father,Child,Mother may be seen as a combination of different energies of consciousness,possibly right pillar,center pillar,and left pillar of the Kabbalah Tree--the lady at the bottom might be part of the whole inspiration.Quite an aeclectic garhering of symbols.

TheoMo said:

I also found interesting the little person/child inside the Hierophant, and I compared it to the concept of the "daimon," from Greek times, which many wise people sought to cultivate (most famously Socrates). It represents the inner wisdom inside all of us, and the fact that it is displayed so prominently in the card reinforces the notion of the Hierophant having spent years in study, cultivating inner wisdom to gain insight into reality.

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I think that this is very interesting. I do not have the Duquette book at hand at the moment, but he argues that the person inside the Hierophant represents each of us... and the fact that the person is INSIDE the Hierophant represents the unique relationship that we each have with our spirit guide/s or as Crowley calls it, our Holy Guardian Angel.

Fascinating stuff.