The Hierophant, The High Priestess, and The Hermit

Please join me in welcoming Helen Howell with another of her insightful, delightful "rambles" about the Tarot cards!


THE HIEROPHANT, THE HIGH PRIESTESS & THE HERMIT
by Helen Howell
The Hierophant, The High Priestess and The Hermit. . . it sounds like I'm about to tell a joke doesn't it! But I'm not. Instead I was going to initially ramble on about the Hierophant, but the more I thought about this card, the more I thought about its connection in various ways to the other two cards: The High Priestess and The Hermit. Especially The Hermit, as both The Hierophant  and The Hermit are 'Teacher Cards' of the deck.

The Hierophant is often seen as a mentor of spiritual guidance. The depiction of Le Pape shows him with the power of the church behind him. This power is an established one, and so the Hierophant becomes an image of tradition, representing those tried and tested ways. Certainly in the Marseille type decks where he is presented as the Pope, it does seem to symbolism how the people of the time looked to the church for guidance. The church had the power and with that came control.

From one of our more modern decks -- The Deviant Moon -- The Hierophant image serves to illustrate that sometimes people were more than ready to hand over their own responsibility and be the doll in the pocket of the church.

The Hierophant, therefore, can be seen to have special powers through the ceremonies of the church. These could be considered to be mystical, and if not that, then spiritual. As depicted as part of the hierarchy of the religious system, he then becomes the link to a higher authority/knowledge/the man upstairs.

This image does sort of tie him in with the High Priestess, who turns within in order to hear the messages of the higher-self.

Another Link that draws The Hierophant and The High Priestess together is within the RWS deck. Both these two cards have pillars that flank the figures. Although Waite tells us that the pillars in The Hierophant's image are not the same as the HP's, and of course they are not. Hers are black and white and his are grey. But if we look at the symbolism of the colours then there is a similarity.

She sits between two opposites, black and white, a symbol of the duality that exists within. He sits between two grey columns, symbolising the harmonising of opposites (black mixed with white make grey). The Hierophant is a symbol of bringing the spiritual down to the physical and manifesting it into everyday life, whereas The HP doesn't reveal outwardly those secrets she discovers. The connection I see between these two is one of a spiritual nature, although our Hierophant represents the exoteric aspects of spiritual/religion and she the esoteric.

But what of the Hierophant and the Hermit -- not forgetting of course that they are both 'Teacher Cards' within the deck?

Well, it's obvious that The Hierophant teaches us the spiritual beliefs or principals in an outer way. He is very often depicted as carrying the 3 cross sceptre, a symbol of creative power over the three worlds of the divine, spiritual and material. In other words, he brings the spiritual down to the material.

The Hermit on the other hand is depicted as a wise old man who lights the way for us with a lantern. His reclusiveness becomes a representation for us of inner awareness. He shows us that wisdom can be gained through introspection and meditation – he is the Teacher who offers us the advice we need in that inner quest for finding a meaning to life. The Hermit stands upon a mountain top indicating that he has managed to reach a height of awareness.

Here we see the contrast and the similarity between The Hierophant and The Hermit – the contrast of Outer spirituality and Inner spirituality, just as we do with The Hierophant and The High Priestess.

The Hierophant is our tangible link to spirituality if you like, where as both The High Priestess and The Hermit are the link to self awareness that brings us closer to our spiritual self.

I think it worth remembering though that more and more in modern decks the Hierophant is changing his image and not necessarily suggesting anymore that one should follow the rules and regulations that have been set down, blindly. Rather, he becomes a symbol of knowledge and a seeker of truth, for it is in knowledge that one is set free. This too becomes another link to The Hermit who quietly examines what he knows in order to see if it is really what he believes it to be.

Now perhaps when I hold The Hierophant in my hand I will not think of him in isolation, but rather as just one small part of a much bigger triangle.


Credits:

• Original Rider Waite -By A E Waite & Pamela Colman-Smith 
Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
• Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
• Le Tarot De Marseille ~ Fournier Naipes Heraclio Fournier, S.A.
• Tarot Bella by Helen Howell (unfinished deck)

Take a Number: TEN!

I have been working my way through the numbers, comparing the ways in which I have used them in Tarot readings with observations and comments from numerologists and occultists. I welcome your comments and observations about this fascinating subject!

Tarot Cards: The Wheel of Fortune, Tens of all suits

TENS

Writing about the occult meaning of numbers, Paul Foster Case tells us that Ten "is the number of perfection and dominion. . . Qabalists call the number 10 the Kingdom." (The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, Macoy Publishing Company)

Gary Meister, CTM writes: "In Numerology, Ten is both after and before the number Nine. Nine ends the cycle - Ten wraps everything up and readies you to begin the new cycle. Ten is a combination of the powers of the number One (beginnings or action) and the unlimited potential of the Zero." As Meister describes it, with Ten we are, in effect, "staring over" -- yet we are doing so with more experience and knowledge than before. Therefore, our beginning/action is imbued with higher potential.

In his book Numerology: Key to the Tarot (Whitford Press), Sandor Konraad tells us: "Ten, which is the first compound number, is actually the rebirth of 1. Only this time, 1 is no longer standing alone, but is accompanied by a zero. To some, a zero means nothingness, but as a symbol of the world, it can also mean allness." Konraad refers to the numbers 10, 11, and 22 as "Special" numbers. He views Ten as "the bridge between the root and the compound numbers." He links Ten with the Wheel of Life in Tarot and the zodiac sign Capricorn (which rules the 10th house in Astrology). He notes, "As 1 is Self-Seeking, a 10 is Self-Aware."


In Numerology and The Divine Triangle by Faith Javane and Dusty Bunker (Whitford Press), the number Ten is reduced to One for interpretation purposes.

In Anna Burroughs Cook's Tarot Dynamics system, Subject Card 10 represents Achievement, with the Keyword Opportunity. Cook writes: "Just like the 10th House in Astrology and Card 10 Fortune's Wheel, the tenth and last subject card also corresponds to your desire and opportunities for achievement. 10s can also make us more aware of who we are, and how far we've come."

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Konraad links The Wheel of Fortune with the planet Jupiter (interesting, given that he links Tens in general with the sign Capricorn, ruled by Saturn). For divination purposes, Arcanum X represents "a turn in one's fortunes for the better." Reversed, the card can suggest "the beginning of an unhappy or unlucky period."

Universal Waite Tarot (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)

For Javane and Bunker, "The number 10 begins a new cycle, a repetition of the 1. Rotation and cyclicity are the keywords for the Wheel of Fortune." Concerning astrological correspondences, they note: "When we work with the astrological correspondence of the double numbers, we take the number on the right and see it work through the number on the left. Here we have the God power 0, working through Mars, 1, to bring about new starts and a change in fortune. The Jupiter influence from key 10, the Wheel of Fortune, gives us the faith and optimism that our new beginning will ultimately bring generous rewards. . . in 10 we have the promise that the God power within us never ceases, but merely changes form, and that the new form still contains the life spark, Mars."

Anna Cook writes that the Personal Strength of Key Ten is Confidence, and the Personal Weakness is Imprudence. Her keywords for Fortune's Wheel are Karmic / Achievement.

My keywords for the Number Ten are transition, threshold, culmination, beginning, possible overabundance or excess.

I hope you enjoy these quotations I found that include the number Ten:

“Success is falling nine times and getting up ten.”~ Jon Bon Jovi

“You can know ten things by learning one.” ~ Japanese Proverb

"Ten is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2 and 5. Ten is the smallest noncototient, a number that cannot be expressed as the difference between any integer and the total number of coprimes below it." ~ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"10 was the Pythagorean symbol of perfection or completeness. Humans have ten fingers and ten toes. 10 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4. This number symbolized unity arising from multiplicity." ~Encyclopedia Britannica Online

Week at a Glance: The Lovers

The purpose of drawing a "Week at a Glance" card is to get a sense of the sort of energy, circumstances, or personal qualities I might need to be aware of during the upcoming week. I also use this opportunity to become more familiar with decks I don't work with a lot, so you will often see me quoting the creator of the deck or someone who has a closer relationship with the deck than I do at this time.

For the week of May 19, 2013 I am using Tarot of a Moon Garden by Karen Marie Sweikhardt, with instructions by Laura E. Clarson (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)

My card is THE LOVERS.

Tarot of a Moon Garden

I confess that I sort of cringe when this card appears in a reading I'm doing for myself. The fact is, I am so not romantically inclined -- and the "natural" reaction to The Lovers card is that it could be about romance, tender trysts, and all things lovey-dovey.

Not to wander too far off track, but you can really see the "unromantic" streak in my birth chart. The only thing that suggests an emotional/romantic tendency is my 7th house in Pisces -- but that also suggests an unrealistic or "illusory" view of intimate relationships -- in my case, a view that was pretty much destroyed when I was about 16 years old. I had a "relapse" in my 30s but got over it.

No, I don't swoon and sigh when The Lovers card appears. Fortunately, I don't have to. In the Golden Dawn system, the card is ruled by the sign Gemini, an intellectual Air sign that typically is not known for romanticism.

In addition, The Lovers is a major arcana card and as such, suggests a meaning and importance at a "higher" level than we might expect with most relationships between earthly lovers.

And when we look a bit deeper into The Lovers card, we realize that it very well might be about the relationship between the Seeker and the Seeker's innermost or higher self -- or perhaps between the ego and the id? The conscious and the unconscious selves?

While many Lovers cards do show a loving couple embracing each other, other decks pick up the historic imagery of a man standing between two women, looking as if he is trying to choose between them. Thus we have come to consider The Lovers as representing the need for a choice, a crossroads of sorts requiring a decision to go in one direction or another. And the women on the card may not literally represent two people. They might represent two different paths -- for example, a freely creative yet risky approach vs a tried-and-true, somewhat dull approach.

As with all cards bearing the number SIX, The Lovers is often about peace, harmony, and a desire for the union of opposite but complementary components after a time of conflict and disturbance (the FIVE).

There are plenty of possible interpretations here to keep me occupied this week!

Death & The Ten of Swords - What’s the difference?

Please welcome Helen Howell to Tarot Notes for one of her delightful, insightful "rambles." 

Death & The Ten of Swords - What’s the difference?

by Helen Howell

Behold a Pale horse and his name that sat on him was Death!
- Revelation 6.8
Have you thought about the difference between the Death Card and the 10 Swords? Both portray death, that’s for sure. Both indicate an ending of some sort, but is one more final than the other? Is one more imminent than the other? Or do they symbolise exactly the same thing? Out of all of these questions, let’s see if I can come up with some answers that fit.

The first difference is obvious, we have a Major card versus a Minor card. This tells us that one card signifies a life changing event, while the other is more like the small details within life.

The second difference that jumps out at me, is that the Death card tells us that something has come to its end. It’s finished, dead, over with, you know dead is dead. Whereas the 10 does seem to indicate that something is coming to its end, not quite there yet. The figure in the Rider Waite Card is still raising his right hand in a sign of forgiveness -- it just needs to be accepted in order for it to end.

It seems to me that the minor card is a smaller part of the Death card. It’s the realisation or acceptance element, that illustrates that perhaps this has not been achieved just yet. Whatever it is pins you down.

The Death card illustrates that in order to progress, for transformation to take place, we must move forward from that which has died. It’s a cyclic card, it says that all things go on even in death, it’s just that they may not go on in the same way as before. However, I do think the major thing that makes this card different from the 10 of Swords is, that it signifies that death has arrived and there is no escaping it. A way to think of the Death card could be that it is by letting go of the old self that a transformation is achieved. Life changing as I said.

The esoteric name for Death is The Child of the Great Transformers: the Lord of the Gates of Death. The Ten of Swords on the other hand is called The Lord of Ruin which does seem very apt for this card, as we look at the man with 10 swords in his back and think the worst is over, how much worse could it get?

Swords being the suit of communication, thoughts, mental activity, this card then shows us the pain endured by perhaps back stabbing words, thoughts that pin you down if you allow them to. That’s the difference, the 10 of Swords allows you to change to release yourself from this situation, unlike Death which shows us clearly that something has come to a natural end. The 10 of Swords indicates the need to re-evaluate and change the course of action in order to be freed.

 Both cards indicate acceptance of a situation, but in the Death card’s case, it’s already died, whereas in the 10 of Swords case it’s in your own hands to end it. Note in the Rider Waite 10 of Swords, the figure appears to be giving the sign of benediction or blessing. This links him to Christ and more to the forgiveness Christ would bestow on those who inflict hurt on him. A major part of accepting an ending in this image is being able to forgive or let go of whoever or whatever, including yourself, caused the pain in the first place.

What’s the real difference then between these two cards? Death tells us that something is or has come to its natural end, nothing will change that. 10 of Swords indicates it is us who will bring an ending about.

Both these cards hold the opportunity of transformation within our lives. Both illustrate to us endings and beginnings, but the difference lies in that in the 10 Swords it is us who controls whether it ends or not.

~ Helen Howell

Cards are from The Rider Tarot Deck

designed by Pamela Colman Smith

under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite

U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

(This post was first shared on Tarot Notes in 2008.)

Week at a Glance: 3 of Swords

The purpose of drawing a "Week at a Glance" card is to get a sense of the sort of energy, circumstances, or personal qualities I might need to be aware of during the upcoming week.

For the week of May 12, 2013 I am using the Dreaming Way Tarot by Rome Choi, illustrated by Kwon Shina (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.).

My card is the THREE OF SWORDS.

Dreaming Way Tarot

Rome Choi describes the suit of Swords as "rational, masculine, progressive, air, and mind." It's a suit about decisions, judgments, and efficient action "without regret."

The image on this version of the 3 of Swords is, like many other versions, not a pleasant one. Three swords are touching a woman's chest and stomach. The woman's eyes are closed, as if she cannot bear to see what is happening or perhaps chooses to pretend it isn't happening. She is clearly shutting something out, refusing to face it.

As I see it, this card could mean that this week I need to be aware of the potential for "stress, betrayal, disturbing news, fear of germs, heartache, rejection, alienation" (Choi). Or it could refer to a continuing need to deal with something of that nature that occurred in the past. I may have an opportunity to confront, work through, and move beyond an injury.