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The 16th Path: The Hierophant
ALLIES OF TAURUS
"Mr. M, is that man a king?" Claire asks.
“No, he is more like a Pope, a wise spiritual person. In fact, the path of the Hierophant used to be called The Pope. Our friend has a golden crown with four tiers on his head, suggesting that he is a powerful spiritual being who knows the magnificence of each level of creation. The wand that he holds suggests a tree with four levels, and it too is golden, which reveals its incorruptibility. Through sacrifice, his consciousness has moved across the Abyss to the transpersonal Divine Will. He brings transcendent Wisdom into the physical world, and before him are the keys to the Kingdom.”
“‘This path crosses the great Abyss between Wisdom and Mercy; the path equilibrates the energies of a potent, dynamic, masculine sphere and the energies of a creative, up building, organizing sphere on the Pillar of Mercy, essentially a pillar of force. Despite the spectacular energies of the path, our friend manifests harmony and stability and lifts his right hand in blessing. With his left hand, he holds an unusual golden wand. He stands in front of a throne between two columns, suggesting the stability and balance of the pillars of the Tree of Life.
“This path connects the higher self with the higher Spiritual Will. The Hierophant is able to maintain that connection because he pays attention--he is a good listener. Notice the fabric, suggesting ears, which descends from the crown. Notice the four levels of both the golden crown and the wand, suggesting the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical levels of being. The Hierophant hears the sacred voice and brings the Divine Will from the Emanation of Jehovah down the planes into physical manifestation. In fact, the word hierophant is Greek for ‘one who reveals the sacred.’”
“He must be more than just a good listener, Mr. M. I think I’m a good listener, and I can’t do that.”
“The Hierophant is remarkably wise. He stands in a path of pure life-force, which vivifies his entire being. The red robe suggests the potency of the life-force, as well as compassion. It also evokes the Passion, which suggests that the Hierophant sacrifices a great deal in order to occupy this position. In fact, in a sense, he has sacrificed the pearl of great price.”
“Doesn't that mean that he's sacrificed his soul, Mr M?”
“In the sense of subduing the soul for the highest good, yes. In other words, the Hierophant subdues the higher self, or the evolutionary personality, to allow the Divine Will to take over. Remember that the soul is still an individual unit, even though it is part of the larger evolutionary personality that has developed through many incarnations. The Divine Will is at another frequency on the other side of the Abyss, and it is transpersonal, transcending the concerns of the soul.”
“Taurus is a bull, right, Mr. M? Is Taurus a sacrificial bull?”
“The astrological sign does suggest two things: First, the great potency of the bull, and second, the element of sacrifice. Jupiter, who once took on the form of a bull, is associated with Mercy and therefore has an obvious connection with the path. Ptah, an important creator God in the earlier Egyptian mythology, is associated with the bull also. The intense potency of the life-force vivifying all levels of being, as well as the element of sacrifice to attain a transpersonal level of spiritual wisdom are both emphasized on this path. The Hierophant is no stranger to either; in fact, he effectively balances the two and anchors his wisdom to the earth. Taurus is, of course, an Earth sign, and the Hebrew letter for this path is Vau, which means ‘nail,’ three of which you can see at the top of his crown.”
“Can a person become a spiritual leader by taking this path, Mr. M?”
“That is a great question that leads me to a very important point. It takes years, in some cases lifetimes, to truly understand and utilize the wisdom contained within the symbol system of the Tree of Life. When walk on a path, you open yourself to its energies, which eventually manifests in one way or another in your life. That can have startling and disruptive effects. If you do path workings in meditation or ritual, remember that you will probably be dealing with very real energies associated with them in your life at some point in the future. That absolutely requires you to be purified and dedicated. I cannot emphasize that point enough. You must make sure that you are ready, especially when it comes to the higher paths on the Tree. Are you ready to take on the responsibilities of the Hierophant?”
“Wow, I'm not sure, Mr. M.”
“We need to be careful, always, when we are dealing with the energies of the Tree of Life. We are following these paths and talking about them primarily so that you will know what you might be dealing with at some point.”
"Okay, Mr. M, I'll try to be a good listener like him."
Mr. M chuckles. "Thank you, dear."
"Mr. M, I feel so sorry for those people. They must be freezing!" Claire exclaims.
"Yes, our friends know suffering in their very bones, yet they still walk together, struggling through desperate times, passing, as if by chance, under a lovely stained-glass window with five glowing pentacles that resemble the top Emanations of the Tree of Life, which are associated with the higher self and the divine core. Each snowflake seems to batter them a little more. They cannot have illusions and survive the grinding, soul-crushing condition of poverty. The man and woman pass by without looking at the window, as if unable to believe that beauty and spirituality are anything more than illusions. Their condition starkly reveals the horror of poverty, yet for this brief moment, the light shines for them through the window in the storm, suggesting that spiritual enlightenment is always possible, even in the worst conditions--if you remain open and don’t become consumed by suffering and self-pity.
"Our friends could not be more humble, yet there is something heroic about them. The influence of Taurus suggests the potency of the life-force, which manifests in their struggle for survival. And their love keeps them together even through the worst times. Even if they both ignore spiritual symbols of higher awareness, in their struggles they have the potential to manifest the virtue of Mars, courage. But Mercury is also an influence. Thoth, the God of Magic, is the older, Egyptian version of Mercury. In the myth of Isis and Osiris, Thoth helps Isis to resurrect Osiris so that Horus, the higher self on the physical plane, can be conceived, born of many trials."
"I think they are very courageous, Mr. M."
"Why does that man hold the scales of justice as he gives the beggar some money, Mr. M?"
"He seems to be holding the scales to determine how deserving the supplicants are. This path suggests that it is good to maintain an openness about both giving and receiving. It also recalls the Parable of the Talents, which describes a master who, before leaving his home, entrusts his property to his servants. The servants are each given talents, or money, according to their abilities; money, of course, is a kind of energy. Upon return, the master asks his servants for an accounting. The first two servants explain that they have each doubled the value of the property, so they are each rewarded. The third servant, however, has merely hidden his talent in a hole in the ground, believing that he will be rewarded for simply guarding the talent, and he is punished for being slothful. The master states, “For everyone that has, more shall be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away.” The master is like the life-force with its inherent sense of balance, from which abundance is obtained through a desire for development and improvement. Each of us receives spiritual impulses, inspirations that we can manifest down through the planes through the use of imagination, technical knowledge and skill. Those with a strong desire to develop their talents and use their abilities to realize their dreams are rewarded on some level. Those who do not use their talents lose what they already have through lack of initiative. Individual talents, like muscles, atrophy if they are not used."
"Oh, I get it. That's a good story, Mr. M!"
Seven of Pentacles: Saturn in Taurus, Venus in Victory
"Why isn't that man using his talents and his strength to finish his work? He looks like he's lost in a daydream."
"As you know, the pentacles resonate with cosmic harmony. Our friend is pausing to reflect at a moment when all of his hard work is about to come to fruition. He is experiencing the influences of Saturn in Taurus and Venus in Victory as he strives to bring harmony into manifestation, a kind of harmony that might benefit both himself and his community. The presence of Saturn suggests that anyone who wishes to manifest something on the the physical plane must plan and organize and demonstrate the appropriate discipline, expending the mental and physical effort necessary to manifest ideas or realize dreams. The influence of Venus suggests the element of desire, which is essential aspect of motivation, and Taurus suggests the power of the bull, the potency of the life-force. At this stage, our friend's success is only unfulfilled in the sense that the fruits of his labor have not yet had sufficient time to ripen. He has worked hard and done what is necessary for his labor to succeed, and he shows a sense of satisfaction as he rests for a moment. The principle extends to all areas: work, relationships, the arts, spiritual attainment. Desire, planning, organizing, and effort are required in all successful endeavors."
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