Numerology and stuff

Hierophant 5

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(To Follow)

The Hierophant who is also known as the High Priest or Pope sits on a grey stone throne matching the background and pillars on each side. He is dressed in what looks like religious robes of red and white with a mantle which has a sash with three crosses. His shoes also have a cross on each toe. This is obviously a man of the cloth, a religious man or spiritual leader. The triple crown he wears symbolise the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit or Mind, Body and Spirit.

Before him kneel two disciples or monks. One has a robe depicting red roses symbolising his desire to learn and understand and the other's gown depicts white lilies symbolising his purity and innocence of mind. These are a reminder of The Magician card. At the feet of The Hierophant lie two keys which are crossed. One is silver and the other, gold.

The Hierophant, like The Magician, sits with one hand pointing up to the heavens. In his other hand he holds a staff with a triple cross which he points at his disciples. The Hierophant channels energy from the heavens through him, down through the staff and then into the disciples. The disciples rely on The Hierophant to access God or spiritual knowledge. The disciples believe that it is necessary to contact God through The Hierophant as yet they do not understand they can do this directly and without the help of another. They believe that it is only he, The Hierophant, who has the power to connect with such a force.

The Heirophant is quite happy with this belief as he would not want any of his disciples getting ideas of their own and other than what is traditionally expected or acceptable. As a result, he is in a position to control and influence others according to his ideals, beliefs and judgements. The Hierophant appears to sit in an elevated position above the two disciples which suggests that he considers himself to be superior to them. They in turn look up to him and seek direction and guidance from their self-appointed role model.

It is The Hierophant who teaches the disciples religious laws, and commandments. It is The Hierophant who teaches them of morals and what is considered traditionally and conventionally acceptable. It is The Heirophant who is the guardian and custodian of traditional knowledge and spiritual or religious beliefs. The role of The Hierophant is to paas on this knowledge intact and exact in order to secure its continuity. The two disciples are happy to allow The Hierophant to be responsible for their spirtiual growth.

The white under garment of The Hierophant suggests his pure beliefs and considers himself to be clear of all sin. His red outer robe is symbolic of the passion he has for that which he teaches or instructs.

The two crossed keys, symbolise that they way to true enlightenment or spiritual understanding lies within both the inner world (subconscious) represented by the silver key and the outer world (conscious) represented by the gold key. It would suggest that the disciples are not yet ready to understand this as they allow only the outer world, as in The Hierophant and his instruction, to influence their understanding of God. They need to use the silver key to access their inner world where great wisdom is available in order to form their own opinions as to who or what God is and how best to connect with him. The Hierophant card along with the King of and Four of Pentacles represent Taurus. It is one of the Karmic lessons for Taurus to understand that 'mine is not the only way'.

The Hierophant held the role of Master of Ceremonies in the magickal and mystical organisation of The Order of the Golden Dawn. He was responsible for initiating new members. He had the ability to memorise and recite long speeches and give new initiates keys which would instruct them further in the ways of magic. This was a secret society but had very powerful and influential members of the elite society. These members included politicians, the aristocracy, the legal profession, scientists, artists, writers and even the actors. The Heirophant card stands for initiation in many forms.