The Hierophant
Modern Witch Tarot
by Lisa Sterle
I hope you're enjoying our CARD OF THE WEEK! Now, here's a bonus Reader Request post!
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I was thrilled to hear from internationally celebrated performance artist Gabrielle Civil who sent a request for a look at The Hierophant in comic illustrator Lisa Sterle's Modern Witch Tarot. Gabrielle loves consulting Tarot with her women's writing group as they launch each new year of exploration, and Sterle's Hierophant has blessed this one.
Old school interpretations of The Hierophant associate the central, enthroned figure with religious authority--a pope to The High Priestess's papess, if you will. So let's revisit the familiar Rider-Waite image by Pamela Colman Smith for contrast with Sterle's depiction.
The Hierophant
Rider-Waite Tarot
art by Pamela Colman Smith
Papal imagery, to be sure. But in Sterle's Modern Witch Tarot, you'll find archetypes embodied by contemporary, racially-diverse characters. The "charioteer" of The Chariot straddles a motorcycle. The High Priestess sits with her open laptop, not a mysterious scroll, resting on her lap. And The Hierophant--here a tattooed, barefoot woman of color--is visited not by two monks but, instead, two apparently everyday people about whom we can discern little because they face her, not us. These humans could be anybody--not specifically two Roman Catholic monks--and that's a useful update.
Along with a variety of visual revisions, Tarot's Hierophant, like most classic Tarot images, has undergone evolutionary changes in how it is interpreted and utilized. Sterle has chosen to simplify and civilian-ize the Hierophant's garments, and even her scepter now becomes a quartz crystal at the end of streamlined wand. With her right hand, she makes the same gesture of blessing, though--because she can.
For me, the Hierophant is not a Roman Catholic pope but any central entity who bridges the communication/exchange gap between two different and differing entities. Because of the Hierophant's extensive knowledge of the realities, experiences, and languages of both sides, the Hierophant can explain one to the other, identify commonalities, and help forge potential connection and cooperation.
Think about this, and you can see how the role of this archetype might manifest in a wide variety of situations--from internal conflicts to external ones we experience or witness.
For a group of women writers, there are so many ways in which this could play out. But, as a lifelong writer myself, I know the struggles that women--especially women of color--can face as they seek to find and make meaningful space for their visions and voices in this world. Some of those struggles are indeed internal but all are impacted by external history and society.
To all for whom this message resonates, may The Hierophant help you find a powerful peace and pathway for your expression. May you find support and nurturance within community. And may you discover the many ways in which you can be a transformative Hierophant for others.
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You can suggest a Tarot or other oracle card for me to write about! Just send me a clear jpg along with:
- the name of the card
- the name of the deck
- the name(s) of the deck author and/or artist
- and--if you have it--a URL for the deck or author.
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