"With the power invested in me, I am omnipotent... unless of course you don't believe," says The Hierophant from his throne of prayer and power.
Faith for the Deviant
Who is he this man praying upon the beats of the city? And what has given him the right to have so much power over them? In the realm of faith and religion, it doesn't matter who he is, where he is from or what qualifications he brings with him. He is the voice of the Almighty and unseen force because it has been bestowed upon him.
I'm a skeptic of authority - but I believe in dolls
For me the Hierophant is the most unusual character in Tarot, as he wields the closet persona as found in most organized religions. He is a relic of Christianity, and one two entities in Tarot that holds 'power over people' in the deck.
Let's start by considering the doll in his pocket. For many children around the world, their first doll, stuffy or blanket, is their first friend and trusted partner. Dolly will hear the first secrets and tell no one; she is trust worthy. In the dark, when a child feels lost and monsters are looming in the darkness, the feel and smell of dolly will give comfort and safety. It is an item that has been given to you to love and trust without question as to where it came from. We just know that it feels good, and therefore we welcome it into our lives.
"He is the Parent of our Spirituality..."
Are these early expectations of dolly not the same qualities that we expect of our Spiritual leader(s)? Over time as our life experiences change, so to does our need for blankie. Interestingly enough, we never really let blankie go, we just replace it with something else.
Tarot needs the voice of spiritual authority
And that's what's interesting about The Hierophant is that he can't be discarded from the deck. We need his presence or the deck would read at 77 cards; making the journey through Tarot incomplete. His power is that He will come in the form that you need as reassurance and act as your guide post in effort to steer you down the path of a decent human being. As a child He will be there as dolly. Through your youth and early adulthood, He might be the man in the hooded robe preaching from the pulpit, as pictured in the Deviant Moon Tarot. In your adulthood, He may transition into a pair of Nikes, allowing you to trail blaze your spiritual path through materialism.
'I'm going to pray my ass off on it knowing that my kingdom to come,
is based on my belief in this red button."
When I came upon this broken red button, it reminded me of a talisman of faith. It's like mala beads, the Rosary, or that all powerful red button of utter nuclear destruction. It will always amaze me how an item made by man can hold so much power. This little cement button was clearly broken off of some kind of lever. The red paint is tarnished, and it's dirty and scuffed. However, if someone in power were to give it to me, and tell me to pray on it in an effort to protect my everlasting salvation, if that's what I need at that point in my life to move forward with grace and dignity, I'm going to pray my ass off on it knowing that my kingdom to come, is based on my belief in this red button.
His mercy comes in the colour Red
Let's also consider the colour of the knob and the robe of The Hierophant. Red is the colour of blood and martyrdom, a symbol of He who will lay down on the sword for us. Tarnished, rusted and ugly, but it is unbreakable. It can be disconnected, but ultimately, it cannot be broken. Similarly, His love and desire to guide and watch over you is a unique as you need it to be, and He will transform into whatever energy that will give you peace.
The Hierophant has the power invested in him, so that we need not always carry the burden of our cross. In Tarot, like in religion, like in life, we need someone to take on the responsibility of our eternal wellbeing. He is the Parent of our Spirituality, and all we can do is trust that he has our best interest in mind.
Looking for guidance in how you can reconnect to your souls
purposeful amidst a world of plastic and packed take-it-it-to-go spiritualism?
Let's do a reading together as guided by The Hierophant, and restore your faith.
Please note: Affiliate links may be included. It's just the sprinkle I need to keep the magic alive.
Finding Duende,
Amanda