- The Post
- Thinking About the Hierophant: Questions for Journaling or Reflection
Lots of attention the past couple of weeks, if you follow this sort of thing, to the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. Inseparable from that is Diana’s funeral, and here is where we see the Hierophant on full, blazing display.
When her sons walked behind Diana’s coffin in the funeral procession, opinions were split (and still are) about whether this was an appropriate custom, or a traumatic exercise unsuited for young boys.
“Great idea or not,” says the Hierophant, “Everybody understood it.”
When you pull the Hierophant card in a reading, it signifies the greater cultural Establishment. It’s a structure and framework that holds society in place. It is expected, and people don’t have to like it for it to do its job. This is a perfect example; one of Diana’s sons absorbed the memory of that day, however unbearable it must have been, and folded it into the blend of elements that have shaped his successful life. The other apparently didn’t.
Same Hierophant, same energy, two different outcomes. The Hierophant does not create the results; the Hierophant simply holds up the tent. Individuals decide how they experience it, or what they take from it.
Look at what the Hierophant is supporting, but don’t offload the responsibility for whatever issues come with it onto him. Outcome is still decided by the people experiencing Hierophant systems, and what they tolerate within them.
Questions for Journaling or Reflection:
When have I encountered a strong “Hierophant” moment, and what mark did it leave on my life? Did I use the experience in a positive way or did I reject it?
Where have I seen identical structures produce very different results? What personal factors seemed to make the difference?
Which current “tents” (family expectations, workplace norms, cultural rituals, institutions) am I living under, and how consciously am I choosing what to take from them versus what to leave behind?