Where do we see the energy of The Emperor and Hierophant in our lives?
These cards are both often seen as male, and are portrayed as such in the Rider/Smith Waite deck. But we know better. It’s all about the energy here.
Last month I spoke about the Emperor being the yang to the Empress’ yin. The Father image to the Empress’ Mother image. We need both, the the stabilizing and containing force, and the creative free flowing energy in nature to get things accomplished and birthed into the world. The Emperor, like all the 4 cards in the deck, is about creating the space, and the support, that is needed to house the growth we see in the empress. Think of the act of creating space in the other 4’s in the deck:
The 4 of wands always reminds me of a chuppa at a wedding-representing the home that the couple will create- a home that will support their life together. A home where they can create a family, share with their community and grow together.
The 4 of swords reminds us of the rest we need to support our minds and bodies so we can function, create and prosper (and calm our thought and worries).
The 4 of pentacles shows a figure that is holding tight-maybe too tight-to their stuff, but if we look closely we see that the figure is protecting their heart, root and crown. There is support needed and craved here, and balance. It may need to be created by holding tight to what they have, but space is also needed for new things to come in. There can be too much constraint, we need the balance of free flowing creativity and the structure.
The 4 of cups may seem a little different, but I think that cup that is being offered also represents the support the figure might need in some readings. Being aware of, and open to the signs, and support that are there.
This brings us to the next card in the Major Arcana-the Hierophant.
The Hierophant reminds us to seek out teachers, and to fall back on the old ways of learning from an external standpoint, which is juxtaposed to the internal knowledge of the High Priestess-the yin to the yang here. (In some decks the hierophant is called the high priest which shows us even more clearly this relationship-echoing the yin/yang relationship of empress and emperor.)
He is often seen as the keeper of knowledge. A fitting card to be writing about as we approach graduation season. He is also a reminder that we need these structured school like settings and these like minded communities to support us in our growth. A compliment to the structure of the emperor’s stability is matched with community support and traditional knowledge. Both of the cards in this month’s blog are supportive to the free flowing internal energy of their counterparts.
How is the Hierophant reflected in the other 5’s in the deck?
In this case we often see a contractive energy, a drawing in, and often a fearful feel. We look, I think, to the Hierophant for answers. These cards can be a signal that we need this guidance, and that we can offer this to others depending on the question and the other cards around it. We look to our communities and our spiritual leaders and teachers for answers-looking to them as conduits for knowledge, but being careful not to deify them. I pose the question here: who are your supportive teachers?
The 5 of pentacles has always been a card that scared me, especially when I was in my early 20’s and learning to read. I was a new mom, and just starting out, so there were always thoughts about support, and how this would all fall into place as my young family grew. The cards reflected my fear. We see the fear of financial instability, but also a feeling of being left out in the cold cut off from the community that we long to be part of that would be inside that stained glass windowed building.
The 5 of wands shows us in disharmony. There is a meme that my son sent me that has these guys arguing over how to put up a tent-makes me laugh, but it is a good illustration of how this energy works-petty squabbles, and in need of an instruction manual! Again the Hierophant energy is needed here. Simple down to earth instructions are needed to get things done. And cooperation.
The 5 of swords shows us a similar sense of lack as the 5 of pentacles-how do we carry all we need? How do we get what we need in a fair, loving and equitable way? There’s a sense of him feeling like he is getting away with something in order to acquire all his swords, but then he can’t carry them anyway! Help and guidance are needed. Support and knowledge. And permission to receive and grow what we need. ( I always feel like this points to someone needing a financial advisor!)
5 of cups we see that lack, that contraction, show up again, and in this case? The figure needs to realize that it’s not all bad, not all gone. And I think this is the lesson in all these 5s. We can find the power we have to get past this sense of lack. We can tame our minds, and we can reach out to the teachers that can help us build the stability we need.
Both of these cards to me represent this stabilizing, and containing force in our lives. They provide a structure and a safe jumping off point in our soul’s exploration of this life.
As Rachel Pollack says in her book Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom “we can see the Hierophant as a companion to the Emperor…Together, they share responsibility for humanity, the one providing physical needs, the other guiding spiritual growth.”
We all have these energies swirling in us- the creative abundant energy of the empress which is balanced by the contained structure of the emperor. We have the mixture of curiosity, and inner seeking with the high priestess balanced with ritual and structured connection expressed with the hierophant. Our aim in this life is to find balance and growth. We see this come to us in a myriad of ways, and always reflected in the cards.