V - THE HIEROPHANT
Upright Meaning: Spirituality, roles defined, higher learning, authority figures, beliefs, tradition, conformity, ritual, ceremony, search for meaning.
Represents: Challenging conventional thoughts.
Reversed: Taurus. Grounded, responsible, sensual, affection, stability, determination, possessions and ownership.
Ages: Twenty to twenty-three. Dealing with authority figures, spiritual and moral development.
TL;DR: Up: Conformity Down: Responsibility
The Hierophant sits at number 5 of the Major Arcana and represents higher learning, ritual, and structure. The Hierophant is essentially the conformity card; it is about defined roles, ceremony, and spirituality. When the Hierophant appears in your reading he is suggesting that you may be wise to follow conventional social structures and traditions. He can represent an institution, religious or educational, a club, team, or society, and symbolizes your desire to fit in or conform to guidelines in relation to those institutions. Think about the areas of your life that lack flexibility. Think about whether or not the things you are involved in are really for you, or if you have just been swept up by a rushing crowd. What would happen if you went against the grain and fought back against social norms? What are some of the ways you have challenged the status quo?
The Hierophant can also be viewed as the Pope; a mediator between the divine and mankind, and a spiritual guide. The crossed keys represent having the key to higher knowledge or access to your conscious/subconscious mind.
Taurus is the zodiac sign associated with the Hierophant, and as an earthy sign it represents grounding, responsibility, and stability. Imagine the Hierophant as a person with the qualities of a Taurus; practical, patient, and reliable but also prone to possessiveness, attachment to the material, and a fixation on wealth. If you were to speak to the Hierophant about what is on your mind, what advice would he give you? Would he advise you to conform to the existing structures in your life, or rebel against them?