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A Comprehensive Guide To The Hierophant Tarot Card

The Hierophant Major Arcana Tarot card is one of the ones that has more distinct traditional and modern connotations, in my opinion. Traditionally, it was used to denote, well, tradition, as well as institutions and religion. It was literally the Pope card. More modernly it has come to represent our values and teachings, as well as conformity (or lack thereof), and a bridge between the divine.

Read on for how to unlock the mysteries of The Hierophant, including its full Tarot card description, Astrological and Numerological correspondences, and what it means reversed or in a career, love, and general reading:

The Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning

Generally when The Hierophant comes to me, or in a client reading, I question where we are getting our sources from— who are our teachers and guides? Where do we find inspiration from, for better or worse? This includes trusted confidantes and officials, as well as social media. Are they aligned with your values?

The Hierophant is a bridge between worlds, acting as translator and mediator between divine and mundane. They are not the insight themselves, as in The High Priestess, but an interpreter of such.

It can be useful when this card arrives to check in with what we believe in, and where those beliefs came from. So much of what we perceive to be “true” is simply filtered through societally accepted norms that may or may not actually be in line with our own belief system.

When The Hierophant card appears can also be a time of seeking out spiritual counsel or an invitation to take up a new mentorship program, course, or avenue. It is also a reminder that we are also always our own greatest teachers! We each have something to learn and share with everyone we meet. I often see this card appear for people when they are ready to deepen their spiritual practice and take it to the next level with some assistance.

(On a basic, literal level, if viewed from a traditional context, this card could also represent marriage, especially if in a church, and Universities).

Hierophant Tarot Card Description

In the Pamela Colman Smith Tarot deck (and many other Tarot decks based off of it) we can see a papal figure with two supplicants kneeling before them, the first time there has been more than one person in a card. I find it interesting that the background colour is grey, Truth is neutral, while The Hierophant is dressed in red, colour of power. Being a spiritual leader comes with an enormous power dynamic, the capacity to act as interpreter of the divine (and whom we assign this power to) is not something to be taken lightly!

It is also interesting that they too, like The High Priestess mentioned above, are sitting between two pillars of duality. But this time, rather than being in between black-and-white thinking, like The High Priestess, The Hierophant is all grey. The High Priestess is also outside in nature in front of a still body of water, The Hierophant is inside a human-built structure.

One of the friars is wearing a robe of white lilies while the other is wearing one of red roses, the same flowers seen on The Magician Tarot card. White lilies represent purity and red roses represent power, the two are split here whereas with The Magician they are intertwined and growing naturally (whereas The Fool holds a white rose instead).

Lastly, the two crossed keys on the floor in front of The Hierophant’s feet are a common symbol in the papacy said to represent the keys to the kingdom of heaven. It can also represent locked secrets, a door to which only The Hierophant has access (gatekeeping anyone).

Hierophant Numerology

Numerologically as a 5, it represents the Four Elements plus the fifth, Spirit. The Number five is an inherently spiritual number as it moves beyond material reality— the four elements, cardinal directions, seasons etc. Four is a number of stability, four legs on a table or house, while five can represent an element of unknown or even chaos. Five is also connected to humans— four limbs and a head.

This is something seen distinctly in the Tarot where the 5s of the Minor Arcana are all infamously challenging. Typically the 5s represent change, challenge, conflict, and contraction (before eventual expansion in the six).

Astrology of The Hierophant

Astrologically, this is a card of Taurus. On face value this can sometimes be a less obvious pairing than others, however Taurus is ruled by Venus, the Planet that governs our values, and can also famously be stuck in its ways, conforming to rigid tradition, tried-and-true ways, or obtuse thinking. This can be seen in the more traditional keywords of the card which point more towards conformity and doing things the old way.

The Hierophant in the Thoth Deck

In the Thoth deck we can clearly see the bull of Taurus depicted, as well as again in the corner along with the other Fixed Signs of the Zodiac (Leo— the lion bottom right, Scorpio— the eagle/phoenix top left (its other symbol apart from the scorpion), and Aquarius— the “water-bearer” top right).

I find it interesting that in this interpretation The Hierophant is doing the papal symbol (two fingers extended, three fingers down) pointing towards the ground, rather than up in the Smith Rider Waite version— truth can be found in Mother Nature.

This inclusive view is also depicted in the fact that the Hierophant here is also holding triple overlapping circles, rather than the papal cross, which is a symbol of womanhood— maiden, mother, crone. There is also a God/dess (Iris or perhaps Horus?) depicted potentially inside him, again reflecting our inherent wisdom.

Finally, the human element is also depicted in the fact that The Hierophant both has a 5-pointed star on their chest and faintly overlapping them (look closely)! What I love about this one is that it is potentially open, again connecting to the earth, another reminder that we are inherently connected and wise.

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Upright Hierophant Tarot Card Meanings

Generally, The Hierophant can represent spiritual teachings, wisdom, counsel, personal growth, translation, interpretation, teachers, tradition, conformity, rules, institutions, beliefs, spiritual growth, and values.

The Hierophant is an invitation to check in with who we take counsel from and ensure they are aligned with our values, and check in with our values themselves— where did they come from and why? It can also be a message to develop our spiritual practices and esoteric wisdom. It can also more literally represent wedding, baptisms, graduations etc.

Reversed Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning

If you choose to read with reversals, The Hierophant reversed can represent an even stronger need to check in with where you are getting guidance and inspiration from! Including social media, friends, family, teachers, colleagues etc. Ensure that your beliefs are based on solid values. Who do you let influence and inspire you, are they living in a way you want to live? Sometimes, if reversed, The Hierophant encourages us to break free and carve out our own path, free from societal expectations, and the chance of exploring our window of traditional understanding.

The Hierophant in a Relationship Reading

As with all Tarot readings, the actual significations of The Hierophant in a love Tarot reading will depend on the situation at hand, the question asked, the position in the spread it has fallen, the cards surrounding it, and your own intuition.

Overall, however, it can represent a need to sit down and get clear on your values, in life and out of a relationship, and check in with your partner’s— are they aligned? It can also be an invitation to get trusted external guidance on a matter, perhaps marriage counselling, or ensuring who you are getting romantic advice from is a fit teacher for you! Again, on a literal level, it can sometimes represent marriage or the desire to confirm to these traditional institutions.

The Hierophant in a Career Reading

Again, the true nature of its meaning will depend on the context and card combinations, but in general The Hierophant here can represent an invitation for business coaching, a mentor, or even perhaps professional spiritual guidance! As always, it is also a reminder to check in with your values and ensure they are aligned with your career, as well as to pay attention to who you get counsel from.

Depending on the situation, it may even be a suggestion to go down the tried-and-true method, to seek out more traditional business practices, or perhaps an industry veteran who can help you. On a more literal level it can represent institutions such as governing bodies or certifications.

So that’s an overview of the Hierophant Tarot card, I hope it’s insightful for you! Let me know in the comments section below if you have anything else to add or any questions.

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