Manga Tarot: The Priest

This card is not supposed to be the high priestess replacement in my opinion. Looking at the V card, it's easily shown as her. This instead is showing the priest or heirophant earlier in the fool's journey.

Main color- green

Fall is the season symbol

I do find one interesting thing about the card. When you think of the priest, you think of someone old and wise who is obviously the person giving the hat to the younger person. However, the younger, kneeling person is dressed in more royal clothes it seems. I do believe the priest refers to the old man but perhaps the traits of this card are split between the two people?

tarotreader2007

**PEACE**

I agree that this card should be seen as equivalent to the Hierophant, rather than a sex-changed version of the High Priestess. I'm not sure about the clothing thing. They're both wearing a yellow overgarment, which may represent the order they both belong to. It's also interesting to note that the old Priest is shod while the young man isn't. It looks like some sort of ordination ceremony to me. Perhaps the old priest is passing the torch to the next generation of priests. This is a fairly straightfoward card, although I find it much more agreeable than the usual Hierophant.

Yes, I agree with your points. But do you see anything regarding sharing the card's meaning between the two people?

tarotreader2007

**PEACE**

I too see this card as the hierophant. And I agree it look like a ceremony involving the change in leadership or a new member in the community. It makes me think of the saying "Le roi est mort, vive le roi!" (the king is death, long lives the king). This card is showing an older priest with a younger one. The older priest doesn't loose any reverence because of the younger one. Maybe the younger one will seek advice from the older priest.
I also have noticed that the men comes before the woman in this deck. Like the queen after the king. My first reaction would be that there is some importance toward woman in the manga tradition (or it attract more woman).

tarotreader2007 said:

Yes, I agree with your points. But do you see anything regarding sharing the card's meaning between the two people?

Click to expand...

If this is a younger priest being ordained, He would certainly have his own wisdom. But while the older priest would represent the established traditions and teachings of his order, which are passed on to the younger priest, the younger priest, less set in his ways, would be more likely to have progressive views. Some of those progressive views may, in time, become incorporated within the tradition. This is how religions evolve, a necessary process. A fossilized tradition is a dead tradition.

The Hierophant in the RWS and many RWS-based decks doesn't give me the same impression of mutual respect and sharing that I find in the Manga. In RWS decks, you have a pope-like figure who is seated way above a pair of faceless acolytes. If anything is being passed on to the acolytes, it would be dogma and directives. This would account for the more positive feeling I have towards the Manga version of this card.

Words that come to mind: tradition, honor, becoming one with nature, gentle, respect, humble, peace.
These priests are less distant to the people, they dress much humbler and less ornate than say, a pope. It's a more gentle version of the Hierophant. I often see a priest in manga/anime. They are leaders, healers, and diplomats. They are highly respected and powerful. I don't have much else to say about this card.

Could it be coronation?
A spiritual (poor) power empowering a more phisical (rich and young) power?

RiccardoLS said:

Could it be coronation?
A spiritual (poor) power empowering a more phisical (rich and young) power?

Click to expand...

The wealthy and powerful kneeling before the poor and wise? I like that . It should happen more often.

annik said:

"Le roi est mort, vive le roi!" (the king is death, long lives the king).

Click to expand...

Or is this:

The king died, long live the king??? No, yours makes more sense Although, my translation is correct, seeing as "Le roi est mort" can mean both...

Interesting use of the subjunctive

Whatever!

tarotreader2007

**PEACE**

tarotreader2007 said:

Or is this:

The king died, long live the king??? No, yours makes more sense Although, my translation is correct, seeing as "Le roi est mort" can mean both...

Interesting use of the subjunctive

Whatever!

tarotreader2007

**PEACE**

Click to expand...

Thanks. When I wrote it, I didn't remember how it was rendered in english. So I improvised a bit. (-: