Legend: The Hierophant: Taliesin

Lyones

Taliesin, the teacher, poet, spiritual leader, musician, shapeshifter. The red cape leads me to believe that he is passionate about his talents and about passing on what he knows to future generations.

He seems very gentle, the children trust him and he encourages their curiosity. His strength is in his words and spiritual beliefs, rather than in physical weapons.

I cannot see clearly what the gold clasp holding his cape is ... it looks like a little dagger piercing a circlular shape (I need a stronger magnifying glass *sigh*). The feathers in his hair and on his necklace can show his affinity with nature.

The water and the little god features behind him, make me think that this spot has been specially set up, possibly as a sacred place. The word Hierophant means something like "revealing what is holy or sacred" and this would be the perfect setting for him to teach.

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes, even in what we may presume to be mundane at first glance. I always remind myself not to underestimate the power of my words and to use them wisely when I draw this card from the deck.
 

Sophie-David

It does appear to be a natural shrine, with some carefully placed sacred elements. Near the top of the cascading waters there is are two stone figures, one larger - perhaps male with a uniform - and one smaller, perhaps female. Next to them, the water flows into what seems to be a carved stone bowl rather than a natural feature. Further down the falls, at the top of the lowest rock, as little stone creature with horns, and arms akimbo, seems to embody a natural spirit of the place. This Hierophant is attuned to the water and earth energies around him, and his cloak and clasp have the passion of fire. The feathers in his hair and those worn as a necklace evoke the energy of air, so we see the symbology of a higher integrated archetype, worthy indeed to be their teacher or ours.

The harp evokes his creative energy, and this is the focus of the children's curiosity. Perhaps they are asking him to play for them - maybe the harp will even to soothe them to sleep, dreaming gentle dreams by those mystic whispering waters. The harp connects Teliesin to the feminine creative energy of the Empress Guenevere who was also imaged as a harpist. This is perhaps the most positive Hierophant picture that I have come across.
 

Lyones

Originally posted by Sophie-David
This is perhaps the most positive Hierophant picture that I have come across.

My thought's exactly David. I love the image of the child with her hand on Taliesin's knee, as small as she is, she also has something to contribute, and as wise and authoritive as Taliesin is, he can also learn from her. It's like he does not underestimate their potential.

Originally posted by Sophie-David
The harp evokes his creative energy, and this is the focus of the children's curiosity.

I would imagine that he would have a beautiful voice to match his skills on the harp - nothing like the bard Cacofonix in the Asterix comics *lol*

Originally posted by Sophie-David
Further down the falls, at the top of the lowest rock, as little stone creature with horns, and arms akimbo, seems to embody a natural spirit of the place.

I was wondering if this was Cernunnos (The Horned One) or a Taurian association.
 

WalesWoman

From everything I've ever heard, the Druids passed on knowlege from one generation to another with story and song. The words and melodies actually make it easier to remember and less likely to be distorted over time. So these would be the traditions and long held accepted views or knowledge that we learned at our father's knee, or when we were "knee high."

I think that he is seated to put him at the children's level, to be a source that can be trusted and not intimidating, while instilling them with the love of learning and yet in another way, by being on the level of the child, to look at it with a child's eye...to use that sense of wonder and curiosity to persue interests and gain something new from the old. (Basically what we are doing in this study group) The flip side is the younger you begin to teach the more moldable they are, the easier it is to get them to conform to accepted ways of being and thinking and be part of a group.

I like what Lyones said about the child touching Talisien's knee, that the old has something to learn from the new as well. That tradition has to be flexible enough to allow for new discovery to be incorporated into the over all view other wise it isn't knowledge but dogma, and becomes too defensive and narrow in view to do anyone any good.

What if that carved stone bowl, created by man, it the collective pool of knowledge, the things that "hold water" when we objectivily look at ideas or bodies of knowledge. Universitites, institutions, groups, etc. places that provide a well of knowledge to quench our thirst to learn.

The whole feel of the card is like May, things are growing and blossoming but have't reached their full growth or promise yet. It's outside and very earthy, very much a part of nature and ties knowledge, to the environment as well. This is making me think too hard, and some other thoughts are coming ffrom this. I need to think about it some more or will ramble.
 

Sophie-David

WalesWoman said:
I like what Lyones said about the child touching Talisien's knee, that the old has something to learn from the new as well. That tradition has to be flexible enough to allow for new discovery to be incorporated into the over all view other wise it isn't knowledge but dogma, and becomes too defensive and narrow in view to do anyone any good.
Oh, yes, well put! But that's the difficulty isn't it, passing on the valuable and time-tested traditions in their purity, but yet remaining open to change? How do you strike the balance between evolution and devolution?

And the children, although fresh, enthusiastic and adaptable, are not going to understand all the wisdom Taliesin holds for them. He is going to have to come to a mutual understanding with them on the terms they can relate to now, yet keep his most profound secrets in reserve for when they are old enough to understand. So the myths need to be told and retold at different levels of content and understanding as the new generations grow.

WalesWoman said:
What if that carved stone bowl, created by man, it the collective pool of knowledge, the things that "hold water" when we objectivily look at ideas or bodies of knowledge. Universitites, institutions, groups, etc. places that provide a well of knowledge to quench our thirst to learn.
Yes, I like that metaphor for the bowl, "the collective pool of knowledge" to "hold water".
 

WalesWoman

Was thinking about the harp, "music to soothe the savage breast", tho' for some reason I hear it most as the "savage beast" and well, being a mom, they sure can seem to be.
Maybe it's the aspect of music as a form of civilization, music as a code, if you have a group, it helps if they are playing on the same page and in the same key, that music is the langauage that has no borders and once you learn to read it, can play anything or atleast understand it. Music is a universal language that touches us in some way or another, that brings forth emotions and visions and expresses them as well, whether it is accompanied by vocals or not, with lyrics or not.

maybe the Key of Music is similar to the keys found on the RWS, that it unlocks and opens the door to discovery of what is ageless and timeless.