Welcome back to Tarot Tuesday and The Fool’s Journey! We were only here a week ago, and already I missed you so much!
Last week, The Fool met The Emperor and spent some time in His man-cave learning how to harness his masculine energies. Today, it’s time to encounter The Hierophant.
The Hierophant seems mysterious and fancy because of His somewhat pompous title, but really He’s just a teacher.
This is the mentor who sees The Fool’s potential and really pushes Him to reach it. He is inspiring and informing, to be sure, but his greatest gifts lie in his ability to push and test His pupils. With the test, though, comes the awareness that the pupil has actually learned what is needed to successfully solve the problem.
The Hierophant dispenses wisdom. This can take the form of long, rambling stories that, when mined, are full of pearls of wisdom. It can be delivered in good old facts and data. Or it can be expressed in action, by example. The Hierophant is an elder. He has earned his wisdom through experience as well as study. He teaches The Fool the importance of book learning as well as experiential learning, and that a balance of the two can yield very powerful results, indeed.
There is a sense of Tradition and Convention, and even Conformity, that follows The Hierophant, but, in my experience, He is not opposed to creative learning. Rather, He believes in the importance of always testing that which is being learned. By testing information as it is learned, the pupil is able to confirm or dispel its validity and its applicability in life.
However, as part of the educational process, the pupil is also taught what it means to be a member of Society. The Hierophant teaches of social norms and expectations, so that the pupil will be able to fit into the social constructs should she/he choose to do so.
This moment along The Fool’s Journey is akin to the formal education that many of us experience in life. We go to school, receive data, are tested on said data, and then take what we’ve learned out into the world to apply to mundane situations. Sometimes we pass those tests, sometimes we don’t. But we always have been given the information needed to solve the problem. It’s up to us to figure out how to make it retainable and relevant to our own lives.
Having received His formal education, our Hero is now ready to graduate out into the world as a seemingly productive member of Society. He has passed His tests and is deemed learned by His mentor. Thus, with a sense of achievement and the confidence that a solid education can provide, He takes the next steps toward His future.
Who will He meet next? Tune in next week for #tarottuesday to find out!