I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.
Deck Creator’s Keywords: mentor, working within the system
Carrie’s Keywords: societal structures,
belief systems, instructor
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The Hierophant Tarot Card Meanings in the Wild Unknown
A crow (or perhaps a raven) is perched upon a key. His beak is open as if he is preaching to us. He seems to have a lot to say! His wings and feathers are ruffled, giving him an air of restlessness. He is unable to relax until he has delivered answers and implemented systems.
To me, the key symbolizes the systems, structures and answers that the Hierophant values so highly. He believes he has THE key – the one thing that will unlock what we all need. But will this key really unlock the universal answers? The Hierophant seems to be convinced that it will. He may not have considered the possibility that we each have our own individual ‘keys’ to our own truth.
A jagged stream of orange and yellow descends from the sky, culminating at a point as it enters the key. These are the colors of vitality and knowledge. This symbolizes the power bestowed upon the key. It is charged with energy from a higher plane. The Hierophant wants to teach us things, and he has faith that his teachings are infused with ultimate knowledge.
The background of the card is filled with thick vertical lines. This stands out as a contrast to the horizontal lines we saw in the Fool, and the spiraling lines of the Magician. The vertical lines convey a heavier energy, there is a sense of rigidity and weight. This is a card of structure, tradition and order.
The Hierophant can symbolize not only organized religion, but schools, businesses, and any kind of societal structure. At his best, the Hierophant brings forth passion-infused teachings and order. At his worst, he becomes convinced that he has the one and only answer, refusing to see other possibilities.
The Hierophant Tarot Card Meanings in General
In many decks the Hierophant is represented by a priest or other religious figure, and in older decks this card was simply titled Le Pape (the Pope). But this card is not just about religion, it is about any sort of group identity. The Hierophant is related to educational systems, political affiliations, and any other philosophical ideologies.
This card sometimes receives a negative connotation for its association with belief systems that are forced upon, but in a positive sense this card reminds us of our power to define our own belief systems. This is why The Spacious Tarot version is a stone circle. Stone circles appeared in many ancient cultures around the world, but we don’t know exactly what they were used for. It is a space for you to ponder your own beliefs without having them dogmatically forced upon you.
This card can even be associated with mystical or occult belief systems. In fact, it was an influential tarot practitioner named Antoine Court de Gebelin who retitled this card from the Pope to the Hierophant, as the title “hierophant” relates to mystical ancient Greek rituals.
On the shadow side, the Hierophant can speak to conformity and hive mind. Humans are naturally wired to form communities and going against society’s belief systems can be scary or even dangerous. But at its best, the Hierophant shows that group identities can be helpful. We can learn from the right authority figures, and participating in traditions and rituals can help us cultivate our individual sense of self. The Hierophant energy is at its best when it is not about forcing beliefs, but about leading us deeper into our own authentic beliefs.
In a reading
When the Hierophant appears, it may be useful to consider your relationship with societal authority figures. Would it be beneficial for you to engage in ritual or learn from an expert? Or on the other hand, is your individuality being stifled by the pressure to follow the crowd?
This card can also ask you to revisit your own belief systems. Our pre-determined thoughts and viewpoints are always influencing us, and this influence often takes place on an unconscious level. In a reading, this card may be asking you to bring a conscious awareness to how your beliefs are influencing your experience of reality.
Hi, I'm Carrie!
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I just ordered this deck. So excited to receive it!
I am going through all of your interpretations but before reading them, I try to observe as much as I can about the card for myself and then I see if you have a similar response.
So far, most of them are matching up (you see a lot more detail than I do) but for this one I just wanted to mention my interpretation of the background was a storm. The vertical lines being rain and the yellow being lightning. I’m not too sure how that would represent the Hierophant.
Any ideas?
Hey! I’m so glad you’re finding some interesting things in my posts. It is entirely possible that there’s a storm going on here. However, this particular picture on my blog is kind of crappy. If you Google a better image, you’ll see that the background lines are actually solid (they look broken up and rain-esque in my picture). Even so, solid lines could still be seen as a storm, especially given the presence of lightning in the card. As for how this would effect the interpretation of the card… hmm. I’d have to give that some thought! My first impression is that it would accentuate the sort of manic, eager energy the crow seems to have…
In the second edition, the lines are clearly rain to me. They stop about halfway down the card and are definitely broken up as I am looking at the card in person now and not a photo
Don’t mind me, just replying really late to this comment. I’ve updated the image in the post with the second edition and I agree, it definitely looks like rain in this version.
Carrie, thank you so much for your shared perspectives in this deck. You are helping me a lot to match with the pictures here.
I’d like to add an impression I had looking to this card. The sky looks like a heavy storm, but differently from other cards, they seem to get lighter and lighter till they are completely gone. And from about half of the card down it’s very clear and brilliant now. It reminds me of the process the hierophant has to pass inside – and it can be pretty hard sometimes – to finally see the world in a more clear and authentic way.
Hugs from Brazil,
Nathie.
Hi Nathie! Thank you for sharing your insights. They seem quite relevant!
Enjoy learning about your own interpretations..thanx
You’re welcome!
Hi Carrie, I love your interpretations and have shared your site with several friends! I just pulled the hierophant and I’m curious if it’s usually interpreted to be an instructor coming from the outside (whether real or metaphorical), or does it ever refer to us being the teacher or mentor to others? It’s a perfect card for me right now, but I’m not sure if it’s pointing more to me learning from a mentor or questioning the systems in my life or society, or more supporting/guiding others in their questioning. Thanks, Beth
Thank you, Beth! I’m so glad you’re finding my site useful. I think it could be either way – finding an external teacher or BEING a teacher to others. I would say trust the interpretation that feels right to you on an intuitive level. If you’re still uncertain, you might want to draw an additional card to clarify the message. Hope that helps!