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3. The 22 Major Arcana
4. The Hierophant

By ModUpdated 1 Nov 2026

Upright meaning

Reversed meaning

Imagery and symbols

• The triple crownAuthority over three worlds — body, mind and spirit — or three levels of knowledge.
• The triple cross in his left handReligious authority and the link between levels of existence.
• The right hand raised in blessingTwo fingers up, two folded: the seen and the hidden. The Devil mocks this gesture with an open palm.
• Two crossed keys at his feetSaint Peter's keys to heaven and earth, conscious and unconscious: knowledge opened only to those ready.
• Two kneeling acolytesDisciples receiving the teaching — one robe with roses, one with lilies, like the Magician's garden.
• Two grey pillarsTemple pillars as in the High Priestess, but both the same grey: here knowledge is ordered and revealed.

Details most readers miss

• The High Priestess sits between a white and a black pillar guarding hidden knowledge; the Hierophant sits between matching pillars teaching revealed knowledge. They are two faces of spiritual learning.
• The Hierophant is the first Major to include other people, so the card speaks of community, groups and the bond between teacher and student.
• Taurus is a stable Earth sign, so the card stresses what endures: ritual, and what is repeated until it becomes a foundation.
• The Thai name uses the title of a religious leader for clarity, not to point to Buddhism; some Thai books call the card the Pope or the Priest.

History and origins

In the Italian and Marseille decks the card was Il Papa or Le Pape, the Pope of Rome — the Popess's counterpart, religious power beside the Emperor's worldly power.

Waite renamed him the Hierophant after the priest of the Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece who "revealed the holy things" to initiates. The name frees the card from any one religion: it is the transmitter of spiritual knowledge in every form. The Golden Dawn gave him Taurus and Vav (nail) — what joins two things together, as a teacher joins people to something higher.

The story of the card

After learning the world's laws from the Emperor, the Fool meets a spiritual teacher. The Hierophant teaches that we are not alone: knowledge, ethics and tradition have been passed down for generations, and learning from those who came before saves us from starting at zero.

This prepares the Fool for the next card, the Lovers, where he must choose with his own heart rather than by what he was taught.

Element and elemental dignities

This card belongs to Earth, the energy of money, work, the body and tangible security.

Under the Golden Dawn rules of elemental dignities, Earth is friendly with Water and opposed to Air. Beside cards of the same or a friendly element this card grows stronger; beside an opposing element it weakens or shows its harder side.

When Earth dominates a spread: clinging to security and possessions; slow to move or change. When it is missing: Add Earth with a step-by-step plan, a budget and timeline, and care for your body.

Sign, planet and timing

This card rules Taurus ♉︎, a fixed Earth sign ruled by Venus. The Sun passes through Taurus (tropical zodiac) from 20 Apr – 20 May each year, and people born then often recognise this card's energy in themselves.

the energy of persistence — this matter succeeds through steadiness, but beware stubbornness The ruling planet adds themes of love, beauty, pleasure, money.

Key of Life: number, birth cards and quintessence

The card's number 5, so it belongs to constellation 5 together with Temperance. This group is the teacher and mediator who passes on values and finds the middle way. If your birth-date total is 5, this is your Personality card and card 5 is your Soul card.

To find your birth cards with Mary K. Greer's method, add your birth day, month and year, then add the digits until the result is 22 or less. Born 14 June 1990: 14 + 6 + 1990 = 2010 → 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 3, the Empress.

The same card can also be a "year card" when you use the current year instead of your birth year, and the "quintessence" of a reading when the numbers of all cards in the spread reduce to 5.

Path on the Tree of Life

The 22 Major Arcana are the 22 paths (numbered 11–32) linking the ten sephiroth of the Tree of Life. This card is path 16, joining Chokmah · Wisdom (the initiating force, raw drive) with Chesed · Mercy (expansion, generosity, stability), and the Hebrew letter ו Vav, meaning "nail".

Read as a journey of the mind, the path teaches how to bring the power of Chokmah down into Chesed, or how to climb from below to above. It runs along the Pillar of Mercy (right): expansive, giving, open, growing.

Uranian astrology connection

Uranian astrology (the Hamburg School) uses eight hypothetical points beyond Neptune alongside the real planets. This card resonates with Kronos and Cupido.

• Kronos (Kro)Kronos is the top of the hierarchy: rulers, experts and the ability to stand alone. It reads as rank, credibility and decisions made from above. Keywords: authority, high office, expertise, law, independence
• Cupido (Cup)Cupido, the first point proposed by Alfred Witte, describes people coming together: family, marriage, associations and society, and the art that grows out of shared feeling. Keywords: family, marriage, groups, community, art, belonging

The Hierophant is institution and tradition: Kronos as the learned authority, Cupido as the congregation gathered together.

This correspondence is TarotMod's own synthesis from the meanings of the Hamburg School factors; it is not part of traditional tarot. Cast your Uranian chart

Related cards

• TemperanceSame constellation
• Five of PentaclesDecan of Taurus
• Six of PentaclesDecan of Taurus
• Seven of PentaclesDecan of Taurus

Frequently asked questions

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