REVERSED MEANING

When reversed, the Emperor is power-hungry and excessive in his demands, and
represents the negative traits associated with traditional masculinity, such as
being domineering, controlling, and even cruel. Greed is another aspect of the
Emperor reversed. Whereas the upright Emperor knows his boundaries, the
reversed Emperor does not know where to draw the line and may use excessive
force or persuasion to get what he wants. This card therefore shows issues with
authority figures and other potentially domineering individuals who are run by
their egos.

HIS WISDOM MESSAGE

Take control; you are protected.

THE EMPEROR’S SYMBOLS

In the Rider-Waite tarot, the Emperor appears with these magical symbols. Some
of them reappear in other major arcana cards, so learn to recognize them and
you’ll soon find you can apply your knowledge throughout the deck.

The rams’ heads: There are four ram’s heads on the card, echoing his number
IV: two forward-facing on the front of his throne and two in profile on the top
corners. They are the symbol of the Emperor’s sign, Aries the Ram. In
Egyptian mythology, Khnum, an aspect of the sun god, Ra, was depicted with
the head of a ram. Khnum was a god of creation, also known as the Divine
Potter, who molded children from the clay of the Nile.
The golden apple and ankh: The stylized ankh, the Egyptian symbol for life
and reproduction, stands for masculine virility. The Emperor holds the ankh
in his right hand—the hand associated with giving. In his left hand, he shows
what he receives: the golden apple, symbol of love and sexuality associated
with the Roman goddess Venus. Venus’s symbol appears on the Empress, the
Emperor’s partner. In this way the ankh and apple denote their relationship
and the male and female archetypes.
Armour: The armour is a symbol of strength, defense, and action in the world.
Battle is a quality of the planet Mars, ruler of the Emperor’s sign of Aries.
 See this symbol on card VII, The Chariot.
The red cloak: energy and action; being in the material world
See this symbol on card I, The Magician; V, The Hierophant; and XI,
Justice.
The crown: A power symbol, the Emperor’s crown sits on the crown chakra
of the head, the connection point with the higher self. It shows autonomy and
self-direction. The crown is closed, showing the Emperor’s self-containment
and self-reliance.
See variants of the crown on II, The High Priestess; III, The Empress; V,
The Hierophant; VII, The Chariot; VIII, Strength; XI, Justice; XVI, The
Tower; the Six of Wands; the Ace of Swords; the Four of Pentacles; and
the Kings and Queens of the minor arcana suits.
 THE HISTORICAL EMPEROR: WENCESLAS
AND CHARLEMAGNE
One of The Emperor’s historical emblems is the black eagle, which
appears on his hat in the Visconti-Sforza tarots (see page 10)—the bird was
an insignia of the Visconti family and the Holy Roman Empire, which gave
the family official permission to bear it. The historical Emperor may be
Wenceslas of Bohemia (1205–1253), who married into the family of
Roman Emperor Frederick I; other sources suggest the original Emperor
may be Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor (c. 742–814). The
Marseilles tarot (1701–1715) shows the Emperor side-on, just as we would
see the profile of kings and other dignitaries on coins and playing cards.

THE EMPEROR’S REFLECTIONS

We can see aspects of the Emperor in these minor arcana cards:

The Four of Pentacles, for for financial stability

The King of Cups, for love and intuition—the heart aspect
The King of Pentacles, for generosity and security—the physical body
The King of Swords, for the intellect—the mind aspect
The King Wands, for creativity and communication—the soul aspect

TRY A READING WITH THE EMPEROR: KNOWING

YOUR BOUNDARIES
Take the Emperor from your deck and lay him before you in the center of the
spread, as shown. Now shuffle the remaining cards and cut the deck or fan the
cards out facedown. Choose four cards with your left hand and place them
around the Emperor, as shown. You could ask, “Should I consider moving
house?” or “How can I feel more secure?”
Card 1: You/your situation
Card 2: Past issues
Card 3: Hopes or fears
Card 4: Outcome
 V THE HIEROPHANT

Alternative Names: The High Priest, The Pope

Number: V
Numerology Link: IV, Temperance
Astrological Sign or Planet: Taurus the Bull
Element: Earth
Hebrew Letter: Vau (Vav, Wav)
Symbol: Nail or connector
Meaning: Kindness
Tree of Life Pathway: Sixth, Chesed and Chockmah
Chakra: Causal, or fourth eye, for spiritual connection
Key Meanings: Education, unity, spiritual and direction
UNDERSTANDING THE HIEROPHANT
The Hierophant appears as a figure of religious orthodoxy. Wearing the papal
crown and holding the scepter, he makes the hand gesture of blessing to two
supplicants kneeling before him. He is the leader of the Catholic faith and
symbolizes unity. One of his titles, Pontifex Maximus, means “The Great
Bridge-Builder”; he is the bridge between heaven and earth. He shows us the
potential for integrating our internal and external worlds, bringing together body
and soul, as well as our male and female self-aspects. As the priest, he officiates
at weddings, joining two people together in physical and spiritual union.
The Hierophant is also a symbol of education. Also know as the Priest or the
Pope, in the Rider-Waite tarot, he is named Hierophant after the hierophantes, or
priests who guarded the Eleusinian Mysteries (see The Historical Hierophant).
Through him, we may find and follow a higher path through learning. He may be
a lecturer or inspiring leader, priest or magus, shaman or established esoteric
teacher.
In the major arcana sequence, the Hierophant appears between card IV, The
Emperor, and VI, The Lovers. We are moving from the Emperor’s worldly
domain to an encounter with the spiritual through a teacher-priest. After the
Hierophant, we meet the Lovers and see God’s messenger, Archangel Raphael,
and then—through the sequence of these three cards—sense a progression from
the earth realm to a glimpse of the divine.
The Hierophant’s number is the indivisible V, the number of mankind, which
indicates that he is the communicator between man and God, which is also
shown by his hand gesture, symbolizing heaven and earth (see The Hierophant’s
Symbols). He is numerologically linked with card XIV, Temperance (14; 1 + 4 =
5, or V). The Angel of Temperance and the Hierophant are both channels for the
message of God.

THE HIEROPHANT’S ASTROLOGY

The Hierophant’s sign is Taurus, the Bull the second sign of the zodiac (April
21–May 21), ruled by sensuous planet Venus and the element of Earth, which is
also represented by his red robes (see The Hierophant’s Symbols). This fixed
sign of the zodiac has the attributes of commitment and loyalty, groundedness,
and practicality.
THE HIEROPHANT AND KABBALA
The Hierophant’s kabbalistic letter is Vau, meaning nail or connector—the
Hebrew letter resembles an I with a pen stroke to the left. Vau’s esoteric meaning
is kindness.
On the Tree of Life, he is placed on the sixth pathway between the spheres of
Chesed, meaning mercy and divine love, and Chockmah, or wisdom and the
male principle. Chockmah is also known as the Father of Fathers and points to
the Hierophant as the eternal father-god, spiritual counterpart to the mother-
goddess embodied in card III, The Empress.

UPRIGHT MEANING
In the upright position, the Hierophant shows support, self-realization, and
expansion. This is a time to develop emotionally and spiritually—to commit to
relationships; to think and philosophize; and to become more spiritually aware.
In this way, the Hierophant offers an opportunity to integrate mind and spirit and
ascend to a higher plane of awareness. Day to day, this means nurturing your
talents through learning and heeding good advice.
While the Hierophant offers wise counsel, he does represent institutions and
traditional values—which may be a comfort to you or a test of how much you
are willing to conform. Even if his conventions are not for you, the Hierophant
offers an opportunity to question and define your values.
As a spiritual leader, the Hierophant shows you the path to follow in a
community, such as joining a study group or class through which you may learn
a new skill. He also represents good judgment and fairness: The Hierophant asks
you to tune your moral compass, so if you have been questioning a decision, it is
time to do what is right.
Here’s what else the Hierophant can symbolize:

Home: Expanding your current property; inviting people into your home to
share your interests
Relationships: Committed partnerships; marriage; celebrating the sacred in
your relationship
Career and money: Progress in your organization; direction and decisions;
inspired leadership and growth
REVERSED MEANING
When reversed, the Hierophant shows poor leadership. You may be mislead by
an incompetent or egotistic individual at work or on your spiritual path. This is
the card of the bad guru—the judgmental teacher who is more interested in
furthering his ambitions than supporting you in yours. In work, the Hierophant
reversed can also show institutions that need restructuring: poor advice, mistrust,
and wrong decisions with moral repercussions. It is better to seek your own path
than to stay with a mentor or plan that doesn’t suit your needs. Be a free spirit.

HIS WISDOM MESSAGE

Make the most of your gifts.

THE HIEROPHANT’S SYMBOLS

In the Rider-Waite tarot, the Hierophant appears with these magical symbols.
Some of them reappear in other major arcana cards, so learn to recognize them
and you’ll soon find you can apply your knowledge throughout the deck.

The papal crown: The triple crown is the symbol of papal authority. Its three
layers stand for the holy trinity.
The papal staff, or crosier: The three crosses on the Hierophant’s staff stand
for the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; earth, heaven, and the
spirit world; and the self, higher self, and the Christ/fully actualized self. We
also see the three crosses on the Hierophant’s papal robes, which are red, for
earth, while the crosier is gold, for heaven.
The crossed keys: The golden crossed keys represent the keys to the kingdom
of heaven given by Jesus to St. Peter. Jesus said to Peter, “Whatever you bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven.” Heaven and earth are as one, a reminder
of the Hierophant’s key meaning of unity.
The hand gesture of blessing: The blessing shows two fingers bent and two
extended, representing what is seen and what is hidden from view—our
visible earthly existence and the invisible heaven. The fingers are part of the
same hand and, like the crossed keys, illustrate how our known and unknown
worlds unite.