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TL;DR: According to The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), A. E. Waite lists the divinatory meanings of The Hierophant as marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude, mercy, and inspiration; reversed, it signifies harmony, good understanding, and weakness. In contemporary Tarot reading, this card is often understood as tradition, education, and norms when upright, and rigidity with rules or rebellion when reversed. Nhật Nguyệt suggests reviewing which structures are helpful and which have become mere formality, and for major decisions, consulting expert opinion is advisable.
Which number is The Hierophant in the Major Arcana?
The Hierophant (Giáo Hoàng) is card number 5 in the Major Arcana. In the journey of The Fool, after The Emperor, who represents worldly order and power, The Hierophant appears as the symbol of spiritual order and knowledge passed down through belief systems. This card is often placed beside The High Priestess (Nữ Tư Tế) to contrast the two faces of the same axis: on one side, visible religious authority; on the other, mystical intuition.
How did Waite in 1911 describe The Hierophant?
A. E. Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) that this card depicts a figure wearing a triple crown, seated between two pillars, but those two pillars are not the two pillars of the Temple that The High Priestess guards. In his left hand he holds a sceptre ending in a triple cross; with his right hand he makes the familiar church sign, called the sign of esotericism, distinguishing the revealed part and the concealed part of the doctrine. Waite also notes that The High Priestess makes no sign. At his feet lie two crossed keys; two attendant priests dressed in white kneel before him.
Waite adds that this card is often called The Pope, and that this is only one particular application of the more general office the card symbolises. He writes: "He is the ruling power of external religion, as The High Priestess is the prevailing genius of the esoteric, concealed power." Waite also laments that the true meaning of the card has been sadly mixed by almost every hand, and cites the Grand Orient that... (the excerpt is cut off in the source; there are no further details to quote in full).
What divinatory meanings did Waite in 1911 give for The Hierophant?
Waite writes that the Divinatory Meanings of the card include: marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude; by another account, mercy and goodness; inspiration; the man to whom the Querent has recourse. The Reversed meaning according to Waite includes: society, good understanding, concord, over-kindness, weakness.
It should be noted that Waite lists meanings that appear contradictory (both "captivity, servitude" and "mercy, goodness"), because he records that several different traditions coexist for this card. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was printed in 1909, with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith; the divinatory meanings above are those Waite set out in his 1911 book, and they are often different from how the card is commonly read today.
In present-day Tarot reading, what does The Hierophant mean?
In present-day Tarot reading, The Hierophant upright is usually understood as tradition, education, convention. Reversed, the card is usually understood as rigidity with rules, or rebellion. The keywords commonly encountered are tradition, education, convention.
This reading is not the divinatory meaning Waite set out in his 1911 book. Waite does not use the keywords "tradition, education, convention" for The Hierophant; that is an interpretation simplified and popularised later, and it is also the meaning the site's card-draw utility uses.
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, The Hierophant is the card of structures that have been tested by time: schools, religions, rituals, professions with a system of ranks. The card itself does not judge whether such a structure is right or wrong, but asks a question: is the reader standing inside or outside it, inheriting or dismantling it. Because with the same card, the upright face emphasises learning from those who came before, and the reversed face emphasises questioning what one has been taught.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion for today
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if you are considering a course, a certificate, a family ritual or a workplace procedure, look at which part of the structure is helpful and which part is only formality. In matters of love, this card suggests stating clearly which model both sides are placing their expectations in (engagement, marriage, meeting the family) rather than assuming. In matters of finance and health, this is a time to consult certified professional opinion rather than handling things yourself on impulse; these suggestions are for reference only and do not replace personal advice.
How does The Hierophant differ in the Tarot de Marseille and Thoth decks?
In the Tarot de Marseille, this card is usually called Le Pape (The Pope), with an image of a pope blessing two kneeling followers; the details are simpler than in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. The Thoth Tarot, developed by Aleister Crowley (published in 1943), also calls this card The Hierophant but reworks it into the image of a magus seated amid a complex scene with many symbols from many cultures. Neither deck uses the divinatory meanings Waite set out in 1911.
Quick reference table: The Pope upright and reversed
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Deck | Major Arcana |
| Number | 5 |
| Main keywords (present-day reading) | tradition, education, convention |
| Meaning upright (present-day reading) | Tradition, education, convention. |
| Meaning reversed (present-day reading) | Rigidity with rules, rebellion. |
| Divinatory meaning according to Waite 1911 (upright) | Marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude; by another account, mercy and goodness; inspiration; the man to whom the Querent has recourse. |
| Divinatory meaning according to Waite 1911 (reversed) | Society, good understanding, concord, over-kindness, weakness. |
Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards And The Meaning Of The Major/Minor Arcana Groups
