Vincent said:
Then it is quite surprising that Waite should say of the Hierophant;
"He wears the triple crown and is seated between two pillars, but they are not those of the Temple which is guarded by the High Priestess"
If you want to understand Waite, you really should read Waite.
Vincent [/QUOTE
Waite was both a Mason & a Mage do the pillars in the Hierophant represent J & B [Jachin & Boaz] no. But do they represent the division between the outer & inner wisdom... in my experience .. yes. The pillars represent several different dualities & dichotomies
When you say "... in my experience", what exactly does that mean?
Why do you believe they are the same?
Waite explicitly says that these two sets of pillars are not the same.
He also makes a further distinction between the two;
"He is the ruling power of external religion, as the High Priestess is the prevailing genius of the esoteric, withdrawn power."
These two concepts are almost opposites
The pillars of the Temple in the High Priestess card are representative not only of the pillars of the Temple of Solomon, but also of the pillars on the Tree of Life, which you can see in the Veil behind her.
They are clearly different from the pillars on the Hierophant card, and there is a reason why they are different.
...And yes I've read the ponderous Waite, as well as most of the major & minor occultists of the 19th & 20th centuries. [/B]
