The Hierophant is the other half of the battle between royalty (see The Emperor) and the church, for control and power. This has deeply influenced the depiction and description of the Hierophant card.
I've searched for descriptions of the Hierophant archetype but these are always descriptions of individual characters. They may well be driven by the Hierophant archetype, however, they are not descriptions of the Hierophant archetype itself.
For example, Kenner (2009) suggests the Hierophant archetype is "a symbol of traditional authority and influence. He's the head of a hierarchy, determined to maintain his religious and cultural traditions."
As discussed in The Emperor this is not an archetype. Kenner's description lacks neutrality and relies on specific individual character traits rather than attributes of an archetype.
Deconstructing Kenner's description may help clarify:
'Religion' is an artificial construct layered atop belief (mostly with the purpose of gaining control and influence via the establishment of rule).
'Cultural traditions' grow over time and are based on underlying beliefs.
Hierarchies are artificial constructs that require beliefs.
I'll return to these in more detail shortly. The main point I want to emphasise is,
Whatever the 'Hierophant archetype' it must explain why an individual of this type would want to, for example, maintain the traditions.
Whereas, what Kenner (and many others) has described is an example of an individual influenced by the Hierophant archetype; not the archetype itself.
So hang on folks, it's likely to be a rollercoaster ride!
V The Hierophant
Chosen card: Ananda Tarot (2001, Germany) by Ananda Kurt Pilz
Archetype: [tabula-rasa] Once again we are starting with a blank slate. While I could find numerous Hierophant descriptions they were all similar to Kenner (above) in that they were descriptions of people influenced by the archetype, not descriptions of the archetype.
Belief: The single attribute that underlies descriptions of the Hierophant is belief, as hinted at in the introduction. I chose the Ananda Tarot card because (IMO) here is more emphasis on belief than the dogma associated with the traditional RWS design of 'the dude on a throne'. But let's go through some of the traits associated with the Hierophant in more detail, to demonstrate the absolute reliance on belief and belief systems.
Hierarchies do not occur naturally. They are created, based on beliefs about the nature of the world and the values placed on items and ideas.
An individual can not be the head of anything without a set of beliefs; a part of which is that A is better, more important, or has more value than B. B is better than C, and C than D etc. These beliefs must be held by both the one who would claim to be the head of a hierarchy and those who would allow themselves to be subjects of the hierarchy. The belief may be in the need for a chain of command in that the church is the voice of God, in the structure of capitalism, that royalty has a divine right, or some form of patriarchy. The point is that all these hierarchies exist because of the belief.
Cultural traditions do not just occur. They are a result of "the abstract values, beliefs, and perceptions of the world--i.e. a world view--that shape, and are reflected in, a people’s behavior." (Agatucci, 2010) Given that Values are themselves the "abstract beliefs which serve as guidelines in peoples’ life and affect the way people and events are evaluated" (Kesberg & Keller, 2018) cultural tradition can arguably be reduced to beliefs about right and wrong and beliefs about the world based on perceptions.
Values are an interesting (and useful) type of belief. We'll get back to those.
Religious traditions contain an even more obvious belief component. The belief in the supernatural and some greater purpose that exists outside of human perception. That there was a first cause (see example), a God, or some force that explains creation.
If we return to Kenner's character description of the Hierophant as:
A symbol of traditional authority and influence. [we know that such an individual holds a belief that A has authority over B]
He's the head of a hierarchy [which requires the belief that A has more value than B],
is determined to maintain his religious traditions [from a belief about the supernatural],
and is determined to maintain his cultural traditions [from beliefs about right and wrong and the nature of the world].
In a sentence: The Hierophant archetype represents a holder, protector and enforcer of belief systems.
The Trinity of action: The Hierophant archetype provides reason for action and in doing so complements The Empress & Emperor (in term of archetypes).
The Empress (emotive) acts because it is the kind (nurturing) thing to do
The Emperor (reason) acts because it is the most logical/reasoned thing to do
The Hierophant (belief) acts because our values require it
A good, rationally justified, act most likely requires elements of all three. But that would be a very Very VERY long blog.
A.E.Waite: It's been a trip already, but here we are at Waite. A card full of dogma and an 'authority' dressed to impress. But, as always, Waite's text reveals something different when telling us what the Hierophant is not:
He is not, as it has been thought, philosophy-except on the theological side; he is not inspiration; and he is not religion, although he is a mode of its expression. (Waite)
Therefore, a mode of expression for belief.
Waite also notes "He is rather the summa totius theologiæ, when it has passed into the utmost rigidity of expression; but he symbolizes also all things that are righteous and sacred on the manifest side."
All things righteous (virtues and values) and sacred (supernatural) again suggest motivation via belief. Waite's text is difficult, and slides between organised religion and the more abstract notions of belief but the specific quoting of the summa totius theologiæ is compelling.
V Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
The summa totius theologiæ is a work by Thomas Aquinas (my chosen philosopher) which argues firstly for the existence of God but also for the necessity of value/virtue. For example,
Those who wish to live virtuously need to avoid abundance of riches and beggary…but voluntary poverty is not open to this danger: and such was the poverty chosen by Christ.
Therefore, a mode of expression for the belief in a virtuous life.
The summa totius theologiæ is, at its heart, about moderation. Indeed, many of the central tenants are anti-capitalist (and the hierarchies of value that grow from capitalism. For example:
Collecting interest on loans is forbidden, because it is charging people twice for the same thing.
In and of itself, selling a thing for more or less than what it is worth is unlawful (the 'just price' theory).
As for leadership, Aquinas notes:
The contemplative life is greater than the active life. What is even greater is the contemplative life that takes action to call others to the contemplative life and give them the fruits of contemplation.
Quite anti-hierarchal. Of course, all this while accepting (and even justifying) the hierarchies within the church and the many horrors that were inflicted by the church. Aquinas may have embodied the Hierophant Archetype, both the positive and negative aspects.
Cause and Effect provides a useful example of how blinding belief can be. A deeply held (and almost universal) belief is that of cause and effect. It is hard to imagine, and for most of us counter intuitive, that an effect could exist without a cause. Aquinas had deeply held views about the existence of a creator but also believed this could be proved via another belief; that every effect has a cause.
First Cause: Aquinas argued that,
We know, via perception, that every effect has a cause.
We know, via perception/investigation that every cause is itself an effect that must also have had a cause.
This cannot be an infinite regression so there must be a first cause.
For something to be a first cause (i.e. not, itself, needing a cause) it must be eternal.
God is eternal without beginning or end.
God must be the first cause and creator of everything.
By Aquinas' argument it need not be the Christian God, but it must be an eternal supernatural being with the power to create. Aquinas (a Dominican monk) believed the religious Christian tradition and so naturally he considered his argument as proof of the Christian God.
Aquinas had several other arguments but I have focused on this one as most of us would equally believe the chain of cause/effect regardless of any religious/spiritual views we hold. It is not the strength of the argument that is of importance in this instance, but the strength of the belief. Aquinas was driven to act by his belief and for his beliefs, and offered proofs to protect his beliefs. A true Hierophant Archetype.
Aquinas also displayed a much darker character (a negative outcome of the Hierophant Archetype). His beliefs not only self-confirmed his acceptance of papal-hierarchy and church authority but even led to his support of the Inquisition and the use of constraint, even physical, to combat heresy.
Beliefs, alone, are dangerous without the balance of reason and kindness.
Belief not reason: Aquinas's belief in God, and the certainty that the answer to the cause/effect problem must be God, clouded his reason. He argued from belief and for belief.
If the exception to cause and effect is something that is eternal then it is equally possible that the universe is eternal and in no need of a creator. Ultimately, Aquinas' belief that God was the first creator clouded his reason and created an imbalance.
Secondly, (though Aquinas could not have known) it is not necessarily the case that everything has a cause. The Big Bang may have no cause because time didn't exist before the bang.
As we travel back in time towards the moment of the Big Bang, the universe gets smaller and smaller and smaller, until it finally comes to a point where the whole universe is a space so small that it is in effect a single infinitesimally small, infinitesimally dense black hole. And just as with modern-day black holes, floating around in space, the laws of nature dictate something quite extraordinary. They tell us that here too time itself must come to a stop. You can’t get to a time before the Big Bang because there was no time before the Big Bang. We have finally found something that doesn’t have a cause, because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this means that there is no possibility of a creator, because there is no time for a creator to have existed in. (Hawking in Popova, N.D.)
But that brain-twisting aside,
Hierophant Archetype: Acts from belief, protects belief and enforces belief systems.
Belief alone provides sufficient motivation for action, and
Belief balanced with reason and emotion provides sufficient motivation.
Beliefs at their best lead to values, and value to morality. They should help us determine right from wrong, they should help build a better world.
Beliefs at their worst lead to artificial hierarchies, abuse of power, dogma, and an attempt to control others by subjugation to those beliefs.
Our Philosophers' Journey so far: Cards I - V
(I) The Magician has the courage to doubt all that is doubtable then rebuilds a view of the world on solid foundations without bias or preconception.
(II) The High Priestess brings balance and openness to the world. She reinforces the need for freedom from artificial hierarchies and false dichotomies so that all should be empowered through knowledge.
(III) The Nurturing Empress celebrates, presupposes and maintains difference, and acts to nurture and protect all of creation, human, non-human, and elements of the non-human world.
(IV) The Emperor brings wisdom to the world. The Emperor's reason adds balance to The Empress's emotion (caring) in the pursuit of a life worth living.
Our new Archetype:
(V) The Hierophant brings belief (and with it value) to the world. Values, together with The Emperors Reason and The Empress's caring, provide balanced motivation for action.
Thanks for reading,
Dr.T
Next up (VI) The Lovers
References:
Agatucci, C., 2010, Culture, Religion, & Myth: Interdisciplinary Approaches, https://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/CoursePack/culture.htm
Kesberg, R. & Keller, J., 2018, The Relation Between Human Values and Perceived Situation Characteristics in Everyday Life, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01676
Popova, M., N.D., Is There a God? Stephen Hawking Gives the Definitive Answer to the Eternal Question “The universe is the ultimate free lunch.”
Aquinas, 1947. Summa Theologica (reissue, 3 vols.). New York: Benzinger Brothers. – via Sacred Texts. IntraText edition (2007).
Waite, A.E.. "The Pictorial Guide to the Tarot"
Kenner, Connie (2009), Tarot Archetypes of the Major Arcana, https://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1951
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