Jan 25 | 2023 — The Hierophant
Thankfully, yesterday’s major wind and rain didn’t have a negative impact on us, but it was pretty damn scary for a hot minute. The kids at my son’s elementary school (a mile away) all had to take shelter in the halls (away from windows), and he told us when we picked him up that it was pretty scary. Not looking forward to this as the “new normal.”
Today’s card of the day is The Hierophant. I’ve never been particularly drawn to this card, mostly because it’s a weird-ass word, and I wasn’t completely sure how to say it. (It’s technically pronounced hi-ruh-phant.)
In Tarot this card is sometimes also referred to as The Pope or The High Priest. Archetypally, this is the card of education and institutional learning, whether that be of religious thought or traditional, secular education. It’s also about learning the rules, ways, and expectations of society so you can be a fine, contributing member of the community (that could be general “society” or it could also be a religious community).
Message of the Day: I was born into the Mormon church. It was always a part of my life growing up, and my sense of self and self-expectation was rooted pretty deeply in the church and its teachings. I was pretty young when I first started to recognize I was gay, and there was an immediate clash between my sense of self and what the church taught. I had secret boyfriends while in high school, and ended many of my relationships because of religious guilt or fear of being caught.
I went to a religious college (now BYU Idaho), found my “community” there, but also did my best to NOT be gay, fight the lifestyle, and “pray the gay away.” After that, I was even a missionary in Brazil where I tried to barter with God: my service to take that part of me away. Needless to say, God doesn’t barter, nor does he take away that which was given (good or bad).
I struggled. A lot. After my mission, I quit the church and my affiliation with it. The guilt and internal struggles persisted, and I never had long-term successful relationships. It took years of removal and therapy, medication, to move past it and see the harm that came from the church and its leaders. Now I’ve been in a relationship with the same person for 14 years (legally married for 9 years) and have an adopted son. I know quite a few other gay people who share this same story, and every ending is different: some in tragedy, some in depression, some in major life upheaval (Tower moment) as they correct course and welcome their personal truth.
The Hierophant may be the Great Teacher, and perhaps the intentions are well-placed, but it doesn’t mean that the teachings are universal and suited for everyone. When we internalize the concepts of The Hierophant, we begin to realize that we go through phases in our life where we are avid learners. We bring on new concepts and ideas and try to absorb them into our daily life. Learning Tarot has very much been a Hierophant moment for me. It has brought me an amazing sense of connection and understanding of the world and my spirituality, something that I always felt lacking because of my inner conflicts and struggles with something so innate and personal as my own sexuality, and because I was told by old-ass cis-gendered white men that I would be lovingly dropped off in Hell (Mormon Hell — telestial or terrestrial kingdoms) for being physically (and emotionally) attracted to men.
But as we absorb this information, we naturally shed that which doesn’t serve us (much like I shed pretty much all Algebra and Geometry from high school). Similar to how some cis-gendered people who may be part of a church congregation that preaches again the LGBT community can still embrace the gays yet choose not to accept that particular doctrine. Everyone’s relationship with God or The Universe is their own. In this case, we become the Hierophant, and teach ourselves what we need and don’t need. And sometimes, like my daily card posts, we’re able to help and teach others as we learn ourselves. Yesterday, Shannon of “The Tarot Diagnosis” podcast posted this quote on Instagram:
The Hierophant is a gentle reminder that we will continue to go through phases of our life when sometimes we are the teacher, but we will always also be the student.
As I go through my everyday life, I also realize that I play the role of the Hierophant in some ways for my son as he grows. Not only do I put on the mantle of Empress (emotional growth) and Emperor (discipline, structure, routine), but not also the garb of the Hierophant, as I try to teach him to navigate his own education and spirituality. Helping with homework, teaching advanced concepts, but also having philosophical discussions with him about how we can make change by observing the world around us. And as Shannon said above, I’m amazed at how much I am taught at the same time.
Decks shown above:
