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. 

On the Animal Lords card there is a regal, magnificent buck with a impressive rack of antlers.  A bird is sitting on one antler and a large white bird sits behind him.  The buck is dressed in robes and holds a long staff with a symbol resembling an astrological glyph adorning its top.  The first thought I had when I saw this was "the old man of the woods".  For a deer to grow a rack this impressive he has to have lived a number of years.  He has learned how to avoid the hunters and other dangers that await a deer in the wild.  He holds the knowledge of how to survive and prosper deep in his bones.  He can teach us how to live through the wildest of experiences and survive.

On the Olympus card The Hierophant is represented by Cronos, father of time and grandfather of Zeus, Hera, and the rest of the Olympian siblings.  Cronos holds an hourglass in his hands and planets swirl in the sky behind him.  He reminds me of an astrologer - someone who has studied time and the cosmos and now possesses that knowledge.  He can read the messages in the constellations and interpret the zodiac.  He has much wisdom and knowledge to offer if we are willing to learn from him.  It may not be easy but it will be informative.

The message I get from both these cards is that there is a wisdom to be gained through experience that can be found in no books.  I have always had an affinity for book learning - it's fun, interesting and comes relatively easy.  But experience imparts a knowledge all its own and it is a wisdom that I often avoid.  It's not that I don't love knowledge, it's that I'm always afraid I'll fail.  If I'm not fairly confident I can do something well, I prefer not to do it.  Now I have acquired experience I would have preferred to avoid and it has given me knowledge and wisdom I could not have gained any other way.

I was so afraid to leave PAL.  I didn't know what I would do with myself.  I felt a bit like Scarlett at the end of Gone with the Wind "Where shall I go, what shall I do?"  And now I've received the "I don't give a damn" answer and have found it to be liberating. 

I should have listened to my inner voice and tried to make some changes on my own, but there are reasons I couldn't do this.  Instead I have decided to take this time to put that hard-earned wisdom to good use.  I have faced my biggest fear and learned that I can survive it.  Now instead of moving forward from a fear-based perspective, I want to do it from a joy-filled one.