The negative aspects associated with The Hierophant include dogma, spiritual institutionalism, favoring hierarchy over righteousness, and keeping sacred secrets from general knowledge. This card is often met with a groan and disdain when it turns up in reading because The Hierophant’s reputation for the aforementioned qualities tends to precede him. But let us consider a basic truth, in both persons and archetypes alike our best qualities contain a drop of the poison that could turn us into our worst possibilities. The neighbor who knows enough to tell you when another community member needs chicken soup or kind words or shoes is using his potential to be a petty gossip for a higher calling. The Hierophant might get such a bad rap for the simple reason that his powers to unite and uplift the people of his land are so formidable.
Keeping sacred secrets is necessary to properly instruct initiates. It is in this way that the teacher, The Hierophant, in this case, accepts a basic responsibility for how a lesson will be used. Conversely, withholding the ability to read the meanings of symbols or intentionally misinterpreting ancient screeds, or failing to offer complete rituals can be dangerous and fueled by a lust for power. Similarly, hierarchies developed to streamline vital interactions or effectively distribute resources make for a beautiful kind of dance. Unfortunately, our current hierarchies are in place, primarily, as a means to compartmentalize entitlements and to designate persons of lesser importance according to their station. In general, the ability to keep secrets is what makes us trustworthy and capable of friendship while the same capacity can be used to enact deep betrayal. As Ani Defranco said: “anything can be a weapon if you hold it the right way.”
There must be a capacity to be unwavering in order to make commitments that will last through hardship and doubt and exhaustion because each of these will be met on the path.
Dogma is the death of thought, yet to be deeply committed to a way of life or a cause or a family or a community it will be necessary to cultivate or regulate the potential for this precise form of rigidity. There must be a capacity to be unwavering in order to make commitments that will last through hardship and doubt and exhaustion because each of these will be met on the path. This is scary because we are rightfully wary of playing the fool, of wasting time and money, of losing face, and of the inevitable regret that will follow. What remains an incontrovertible truth, however, is that in order to experience greatness within the self, within the other, within the mirror of the universe, we must face our own convictions and know these as enough. Rember this: there is no exaltation without risk and there is no risk worthy of exaltation for its own sake. Should these truths be forgotten, ignored, or unlearned, be warned that all is lost before it begins.
The Hierophant holds another quality that is often left out of our interpretation of his archetypal appearance, he has the power to shift the soul using his voice. The Hierophant is able to write poetry and deliver it to audiences and congregations with a spirit that can be neither named nor taught. The beats of the words, be these original prose or ancient scriptures, combined with the ineffable quality for oration is what makes The Hierophant both a leader and a healer.
John Trudell was a powerful artist and activist who lived his deep commitment to his purposes on the earth. His poetry, his words, and his voice could penetrate barriers to knowledge and to our raw perception that have been erected in our minds by those who profit from our lack of coherency. He was a leader and a way-shower who embodied the best aspects of The Hierophant and put them to use over the course of a long and inspiring life.
To really understand my meaning here, you must listen to him speak:
John Trudell on the Christian World View
John Trudell on Protecting the Earth
John Trudell Tribal Voice Full Album
May we live according to our convictions and may that life be indeed righteous.
By Michelle Embree
Author of Daydream Tarot: A Basic Guide for Visionaries
About Author
