We don’t heal in isolation, but in community.
S. Kelley Harrell, animist, author, deathwalker, death doula, and one of my favorite teachers
Approach in peace, my child. For this important week of the Aquarius Full Moon and the arrival of the season of Lughnasadh, I have come to guide and bless you. For I am a leader and teacher that invites you to partake of this world’s oldest and most revered lineages of knowledge, tradition, and spirituality. I am the highest authority of social norms, arcane knowledge, and spiritual legacies. I am your friend, The Hierophant.
Come Closer. Let Me Show You Who I Am.
Because of the Waite-Smith’s obvious reference to the Roman Catholic pope, many people expect me to be judgmental and inflexible. This is often as a result of their negative experiences of religious rules and the sometimes stifling differences between religion and spirituality.
And this can be valid.
But take a closer look at my face. I am not nearly as stern as my secular counterpart, The Emperor.
It is true that I represent the pinnacle of complex power hierarchies (a word that shares the same root with my own name). It’s also true that my astrological ties to Taurus can predispose me towards being stubborn, even hidebound. And yes, like The Emperor, I am a representative of old, patriarchal, top-down power structures.
Yet Arthur Waite rejected naming me The Pope (as I was known in previous decks) because he felt that it was too narrow an interpretation, specific to only the Roman Catholic faith. Thus, I am endowed with a far older past, reaching back to pre-Christian times.
Hierophant is an archaic term that refers to the priests of the Greater Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece. It translates to “a speaker of mysteries,” as in the interpreter of secret or esoteric knowledge. The hierophant was a priest, translator, and the holy go-between that offered the word of the Gods in ways the populace could understand and obey.
Still, though, Pixie loaded the illustration in the W-S deck with papal symbols.
I am holding the three-barred cross in my left hand, a liturgical item that belongs to the pope alone. And one of my more noticeable features is my tiara, the triregnum, which consists of three gold diadems.
The papal crown originates from an even older Persian design, and until the 9th century, it was only one layer. When Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303 C.E.) claimed that the papacy had supreme power over kings, a second layer was added. Then, shortly after his death, a third circlet was added.
This design was worn by every subsequent pope until 1964, when Pope Paul VI laid it down upon the altar at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in a renunciation of human glory. Of course, that was long after Pamela Colman Smith had completed her Tarot deck.
In addition, at my feet, you will see the crossed keys to the Kingdom of God, for as pope, I am the church’s representative of the apostle Peter, who the faithful believe guards the gates of heaven.
On either side of these keys, there are two tonsured priests kneeling, one wearing a cloak embellished with the red roses of passion, devotion, and the heart. The other’s robe features the white lilies of sacrifice, intellect, and purity. These are the same flower symbols you find in The Magician and elsewhere in the Tarot. Here, they represent the two paths to eternal reward: love and knowledge.
My right hand is held up in greeting and benediction. But it also signals that you may go no further, unless it is with my blessing.
A Guardian of the Door
This is because, as the speaker of Mysteries, I guard an important threshold for you, for you are on the edge of an important initiation.
Note that, like the High Priestess, I am seated between two columns that are similar to hers.
Thus, I, too, am a Guardian who sits between the two columns at the entryway to the Holy of Holies, challenging those who wish to proceed with their spiritual journey.
In many esoteric and spiritual traditions, the initiatory practice culminates in a ritual of ego death. After having proven a satisfactory degree of rigor and discipline according to some well-established testing method, the seeker then receives a transmission of knowledge and insight that will elevate him or her to a new level of status, recognition, consciousness, or even enlightenment.
Although the Magician or High Priestess can portend direct, raw access to the Divine, this is sometimes triggered because of a personal catharsis or crisis. Such experiences may be accompanied by tremendous personal difficulty and upheaval.
As ancient Guardian and Protector of the Mysteries, I offer instead a more moderate, incremental path.
And speaking of equanimity, moderation, and balance, it is no coincidence that the Temperance card, the 14th triumph card, hearkens back to me by reducing to 5.
My way is rooted in formal teaching, study, systematic progress, and time-tested practice.
Between the Worlds
The dynamics of this week’s astrology have brought us to what renowned astrologer Robert Wilkinson calls a Fork in the World’s Road of Destiny.
To navigate such times, many of those who are wise in the Ways have been encouraging you to cultivate a daily spiritual practice. Even if you are not “religious,” having a time every day for stillness and to check in with your inner self can bring priceless results.
Especially now.
And it is no accident that I am here to supervise the great transition from the season of Beltane to the cross-quarter threshold that is Lughnasadh. Lughnasadh marks the First Harvest in the old Celtic calendar. Now all that has been planted in the Spring and nurtured in the Summer season of the year is coming into fruition. Lughnasadh marks the seasonal shift to early Autumn and it is time to begin gathering in what you have toiled for.
Meantime, this is another busy astrological week, with most of the pivotal shifts piling up ahead of the Full Moon on Wednesday. Accurately dubbed “The Heather Cox Richardson of Astrology,” Elisabeth Grace tells us:
We’ll have the Sun meeting up with Jupiter– retail astrologers will rave about its potential for abundance and luck — and sure, yeah — but it’s in Leo — so we get an expansion of a certain regal bearing, too — perhaps — for better or worse. Further tension comes from the square between Venus and Mars.
Today [Monday], the high-functioning Leo Sun connects with three of the four notes in that Basket case, striking quite a chord. At 2:54 AM ET, Sun opposes Pluto, reflecting power plays and purges involving leaders and/or energy resources. Here are some headlines from oppositions past. Next, Sun trines Neptune, prompting news involving leaders, oceans, ships, music, healing, drugs—and all those wonderfully Neptunian themes.
Leaders and more leaders. That’s me!
Meanwhile, Capricorn Moon keeps its eye on the prize, steadily climbing up that mountain. At 3:24 PM ET, it hits a wall—or a heavy-handed display of authority—or perhaps both, squaring Saturn. Interestingly, the next note in the Basket is Sun’s sextile to Uranus, favoring an inventive response, especially through groups, alliances, or technology. At 8:08 PM ET, Moon opposes Mercury, engaging the felon-in-chief’s Jupiter and suggesting another round of grievances over what’s fair, what’s legal, and who gets the last word.
What I can say is that I expected the Barbault basket pattern to reflect stories that feel like waves–of water, wind, fire, and earth–and that we certainly saw that last week with news of floods, storms, tragic fires in Canada, and quakes on the western coastline of the Americas. Such waves–of the elements and more–are likely to continue this week and next.
Tuesday will see another in a recent series of unusually long Moon voids. Elisabeth reminds us that crises that pop up when the Moon is void of course usually turn out to be tempests in teapots. However, she notes that on Wednesday:
If there was a perceived crisis during [Tuesday’s] Moon void, it may have reflected a rare tension — a square — between Venus and Mars, exact at 3:09 AM ET. Venus — which refers to who, what, and how we need to love — is in Virgo, demanding precision in every detail. Mars — which refers to action and desire — is in Gemini, possibly using words as a coping strategy, a weapon, or a call to arms — but in ways that need to be clever, entertaining, or scattered. Sparks may fly!
You are more personally affected by this square if you have planets around 21 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces. That includes the United States, the White House occupant, dozens of high-profile American politicians and celebrities (e.g., Randy Rainbow), and…Pope Leo!
While Arthur Waite did not want my interpretation confined to Catholicism, the history and the artwork make that connection unmistakeable.
So perhaps it would not be surprising to see Pope Leo XIV in the news this week. Interesting, too, that he is the XIVth Leo; like my numerological counterpart, Temperance, is the Fourteenth triumph card!
And since the Convicted Felon’s transiting Mercury is squaring his Jupiter at 17° Libra, just as Leo’s transiting Mercury is at 17°Cancer, squaring his (the pope’s) Mercury at 17° Libra, not only is there a suggestion of some kind of communication, it could very well be confrontational in some manner.
There is so much more, and particularly with the Full Moon coming up. Don’t miss Elisabeth’s full article.
School is Never Out
My apologies to Alice Cooper for his 1972 hit, School’s Out (Forever), because, no. Smart people never stop learning. However, I am the one who formalizes those methods. I save you the pain of endless trial and error and instead give you a well-ordered container for your development.
In what areas of your life would gaining new information or skills improve things for you? What knowledge or credentials might lead to a promotion, a better lifestyle, or align you more closely with your priorities and passions?
Do new studies call to you? And how will you embrace those lessons? With the red roses of the passionate heart’s devotion? Or does the path of the studious ascetic appeal to you? I am your loving teacher who blesses both.
Could you be in need of more discipline or structure in your subjects of interest? Perhaps you are being offered inclusion in a group or access to a respected teacher or authority.
When I show up for you, pay attention to your own internal sense of right and wrong. Whose influence has determined your code of morality? Is it still relevant?
The Greater Good
Bear in mind that I am not only a guide for spiritual matters. I also represent the complexities of social interactions and the universal human necessity of gatherings: groups, clubs, teams, and social institutions. My guardianship codifies, preserves, and interprets the lessons of humanity into patterns and systems of behavior that serve the greater good.
What expert advice do you seek? Consider all the people you must depend on to translate today’s complicated and rapidly changing data into information that you need: doctors, attorneys, politicians, accountants, technical support, financial experts, and, yes, even Tarot readers.
Do you simply take their word on faith? Why or why not? Whose counsel do you seek when you are presented with perplexing challenges that are out of your depth?
As is true for all the Major Arcana cards, I don’t usually represent a particular person as much as I illuminate an aspect of you, yourself. So I challenge you to consider for whom you might be the wise teacher. What unique knowledge can you share to guide or to be of service to others?
I am a shower of the ways. I have dedicated myself to scholarship, logic, and leadership. Turn to me when you seek someone to interpret current events, as well as understand the words and experiences of the ancients. For I can transmit them to the masses and influence humanity.
My calling is to deliver instructions for the ultimate betterment of society. Despite the aspirations of the deeply unwell man occupying America’s White House, civilization on a global scale can’t be founded on each individual making up the rules as they go along. Organization and collaboration are necessary if cultures are to function fairly and peacefully.
I am often called a shepherd, and I have embraced my role as spiritual father of my people. But another term is frequently given to me: Pontiff. It is a word that means bridge.
Thus, I can help bridge the gap between the dying systems of the past and new ways of a more egalitarian, sustainable, and meaningful future for all.
Only in my shadow aspect would I demand blind, mindless obedience or conceal valuable insights from all but the elite. At my best, I offer a system of life-affirming beliefs and rules.
Thus, I offer the great healing that is, as the quote above notes, only found in community.
Such parameters can be powerful, for good or for ill. So how can you know when to trust your experts and leaders and when to turn and find your own way?
I recommend that you carefully test them for the breadth and depth of their clarity, knowledge, and devotion to excellence.
Thus, may you always choose mentors, leaders, and counselors, not only for their superb skills, but, perhaps most of all, for their willingness to not only lead, but to humbly serve.