Hierophant's feet thingies...?

[wizzle]

It's the Tree of Life again - duh

I was pondering the recurrance of three's in this card.. 3 crown, 3 wands, 3 guys when I finally figured out this card is yet another represenation of the ToL, pillars and sephiroth in groups of 3. The Hierophant is sitting on the middle pillar, between the columns. He is concentrating on being the embodiment of kether to his two accolytes who just happen to be wearing the colors associated with Gebura and Gedula. Right there at his feet are the 4 worlds... the phillip's heads. He himself is the key to unlocking the whole thing with the keys, and yes, those stigmata are the keyholes. Why? because they are the pure feet of Adam Kadom, so he holds the keys in Malkuth, the feet. To get to his golden crown (more Kether), you have to use the golden keys he offers. And he shows the path... going up the tree.... in the white thingy on his chest. And let's not slip here and forget that according to Book T the majors are the keys. So... take the advice of the Heirophant and do your meditations from the ground up... World to Fool.

 

[MikeTheAltarboy]

Ok, now that that's answered here's another one. What's with those hatpins stuck into the top of his crown?

I thought I knew lots about the pope's outfit, but those stuck out at me as things I've not seen on the pope's miters I've seen pictures of.

I just presumed they were "vaw"s, or nails, being a clue to the G:.D:. hebrew assignment order.

-Michael

 

[tarobones]

thanks wizzle

thanks Wizzle for your meditation on the card. I found your post rather refreshing after the sniping of some. I never find mocking another's religion cute or funny. Thanks for bringing the thread back to it's purpose. Blessings.........Michael

 

[tieduptinkerbell]

Omg!

sitting here wiping tears from my eyes from laffing so hard at this thread...

thanks gang

 

[firemaiden]

So... take the advice of the Heirophant and do your meditations from the ground up... World to Fool.

Could you explain this sentence? I've seen you mention this tweaked around logic before and wondered if you were joking or just giving us a kind of sufi paradox to make the brain crash like the computer when it divides by zero. Why do you say from "the ground" up and then start with the World. Don't you consider that the ground is the lower level and start with the Magician (or Fool for those who put it before the Magician)? Or do you associated high numbers with low places? If you are going to start with the World, why don't you say count from the top down?

 

[Moongold]

thanks Wizzle for your meditation on the card. I found your post rather refreshing after the sniping of some. I never find mocking another's religion cute or funny. Thanks for bringing the thread back to it's purpose. Blessings.........Michael

Hey Michael,

Fair point . What you saw though was a couple of old ex-Catholics having a joke about the past. Some of us tend to do that sometimes, as all survivors can and often do. Sorry if it was offensive.

Moongold

 

[Umbrae]

So... take the advice of the Heirophant and do your meditations from the ground up... World to Fool.

Could you explain this sentence? I've seen you mention this tweaked around logic before and wondered if you were joking or just giving us a kind of sufi paradox to make the brain crash like the computer when it divides by zero. Why do you say from "the ground" up and then start with the World.

Wizzle is discussing meditation with ‘Pathworking’, where one begins with Tau (between Malkut & Yesod) and ends with Aleph (Between Chockmah and Kether).

To these letters some ascribe numbers (the roman numerals on the trumps as opposed to pips) where Tau = XXII (or XXI) and Aleph = 0 (or 1). It goes back to the placement, in the trump sequence of the unnumbered (and later marked 0) Fool card.

When ‘Pathworking’ (on the ToL), one meditates from the ground up.

Now as for the crossed circles at the Hierophant’s feet, Robert V. O’Neill tell us that

“The Golden Dawn used the crossed circle for CHOKMAH (Regardie p 505) and this may refer to the Hierophant's position on the Tree. It may also refer to the Badge of the Hegemon, an officer in Golden Dawn ceremonies (Regardie p 351)."

As to the Hierophant being on the path between Chockma and Chesed depends on your numbering style. Do you follow the English/American Alef = Fool? Or do you follow the Continental Sequence where Alef = Magiician. The letters never move upon the ToL, but the Tarot Correspondences do.

In an English/American Sequence indeed the Hierophant is Vau. In Continental, Heh…between Chockmah and Tephareth.

 

[firemaiden]

Thank you Umbrae

 

[firefrost]

I've enjoyed reading through this thread, and saw the funny side with the giggles too.

But no-one's mentioned much about the two guys who I think are kneeling in front of him. They're dressed differently. What does this mean? Are they being initiated into the church, but going into different sections of it?

Also, the stone pillars that he is sitting between - the top patterning - is it representing a female uterus?

Jan

 

[wizzle]

Thank you Umbrae

What Umbrae said.

Sorry for not replying sooner. Just to add to what Umbrae said, by going backward in either the majors or a suit, you get a different perspective to the meanings of the cards. They key thought for doing this is that the 10's represent the most grounded or "worldly" aspect of the suit. The entire suit represents the work of the element. Thus, the work of pentacles is mastery of material resources, our job, etc. The work of swords is reaching a higher and more effective plane of thinking and understanding, cups is relating to others and experienceing our emotions and wands is utilizing our energy and inspiration. For each suit, the Ace is the culmination of the effort of understanding the suit. It is the godly aspect of the suit/element and it's purest form.

When you do this in the majors, you start with the World and end up with the Holy Fool. And you find out just why he is considered the Holy Fool, Parsifal, and not just a court jester. Or at least you get a glimpse of why.

More from Umbrae

In an English/American Sequence indeed the Hierophant is Vau. In Continental, Heh…between Chockmah and Tephareth

Let's not forget that the Pillar of Mercy is also the pillar of religion, as opposed to the middle pillar being associated with a purely spiritual/mystical journey and the left pillar with the occult/magick. The RWS symbolism for the Hierophant is consistent with movement down the right pillar, but completely. The card embodies the crossing of the Abyss via religious instruction or other forms of formal teaching and induction. Putting the Hierophant from Chockmah to Tipareth totally destroys this important connotation for the card, imo. While we may personally chose to move via the other pillars, a formalized religion remains a valid and expedient method for most people.

From Janielly

But no-one's mentioned much about the two guys who I think are kneeling in front of him. They're dressed differently. What does this mean? Are they being initiated into the church, but going into different sections of it?

Also, the stone pillars that he is sitting between - the top patterning - is it representing a female uterus?

Actually, I did mention the two Acolytes in my former post as being representative of two Sephira on the Tree of Life. If you are not into the Qabala it probably didn't make much sense. The card itself uses the symbolism of the church, which is very rich, but this symbolism is not, I believe, limited to the church per se. It could equally well show the initiation of two seekers into a spiritual society. The point of the card is that formalized instruction, a traditional body of knowledge, is being imparted. Contrast this card with the High Priestess, where mystical or non-rational enlightenment is imparted. She too sits between two pillars (as does the Chariot, for that matter).

Your point about the decoration on the pillars seems to have some merit. Interesting idea. I compared this decoration with the pointy decoration on the pillars in the High Priestess and the lack of decoration on the Chariot's pillars, so it works for me. I like the idea of balancing out the masculine/feminine symbolism within a card. The two acolytes are symbols of that as well, with the fellow on the left showing red roses for the feminine/geburah and the one on the left in masculine/blue/chesed. There is so much wonderful symbolism in this card that I'm getting very fond of it.