The Hierophant traditionally represents the connection between humans and the divine, the teacher of hidden knowledge, spiritual beliefs, organized religion, moral growth and development. Here we have a symbol of tradition and moral authority. The Hierophant can be seen as representing formal, organized religious and moral beliefs and attitudes, education and the principle of teaching and learning. 

Once again I drew my "favorite" card.  I have quite a love/hate relationship with the poor old Hierophant.  It's strictly due to it's traditional portrayal of a pope-like figure seated on a throne with two acolytes kneeling before him.  It reminds me of everything negative I feel about organized religion.  The whole concept of papal infallibility and papal bulls just push me over the deep end.

When I see the image portrayed more like a wise keeper of tradition, a bard, a scald - someone who conveys moral values and tribal traditions through stories.  I can even accept Jesus as a Hierophant but then again he was a radical who would probably not appreciate the direction most organized religion has taken.

So after I get over my initial negative twitch at this card, I try to look deeper for a clearer look at what it means to me.  I genuinely love the image on the Voyager card.  The Buddha figure standing beneath a crescent moon in the center of the card conveys a message of spirituality and peace.  It reminds me of the Dalai Lama or even Pope John Paul II, who may genuinely be the only pope I sensed was a true spiritual leader.  Both men spent their lives teaching the humans can reach for a higher meaning to life.  We do not need to be caught up in pettiness and mean-spiritedness.  These men survived brutal periods in their lives - the Dalai Lama survived the brutal Chinese annexation and destruction of Tibet and John Paul II survived Nazi Germany.  And yet neither succumbed to the bitterness and darkness that such experiences can produce.  They are teachers but not merely of knowledge, they are exemplars of how to live a deeply spiritual life.  Their lives are testaments to how one can be a spiritual being and still live in this world.  They show how we can connect to the divine and still be practical and realistic.

This is the side of The Hierophant that I can honor.  It is not about expounding on rules and regulations or telling others what they should do.  It is about leading by example.  It is about teaching others how we can achieve our highest good by simple doing it every day.  They are not perfect and make mistakes but are also willing to admit their mistakes.  These types of teachers do not pretend to be all-wise and omniscient, they admit to being human but still try to live a life connected to the divine.  What I admire about these types of teachers is that they are not about shaming others into living a "better life"; they are about quietly and simply living that life.  And others can emulate them if they chose.

I also like how the Voyager image combines new growth (the child and flower) with ancient wisdom (the golden cup and the columns inscribed with Egyptian images).  This gives a sense of the timelessness of The Hierophant's mission.  He or she connects to the timeline of civilization.  Their message is not necessarily one that will be heard by everyone.  It does not fit in the type of 30 second sound bites so beloved by the media but it one that is eternal.  Whether it is about global warming or helping those in poverty stricken areas or trying to heal war-torn lands, The Hierophants of this world remind us that we can make a change.  We can do good in this world.  They remind us that many of these problems are not new ones, they have always been present in some way, shape or form and we can overcome them if we work together.