The Hierophant

How did the word “orthodoxy” become one that people shy away from? And how is that the word “dogma”, the concept of a “rule of life”, or any sort of mystical and/or religious hierarchy become so completed rejected and derided in our western world?

Perhaps this is even more true for Americans than for other westerners, with our love of rejecting systems and overthrowing the establishment (though we arguably re-install the establishment even while cheering its demise). But, at the root of it, humans are tribal animals- we are dependent on the creation and maintenance of certain social structures in order to survive. Orthodoxy is only bad when the set of rules or beliefs which are being conformed to are bad. Dogma is not at all inherently evil; it just means a set of ideals or codes which are agreed upon.

While the Hierophant can also be taken to mean sorts of general social authorities or authority structures (in school, at work, in social clubs, etc), we cannot escape the underlying association with the unknown/unseen/ineffable. There’s a reason that this card is often called The Pope or, sometimes, The Shaman. Mysteries of life and the universe must be received and translated by someone; that someone is the Hierophant.

Where could you benefit by seeking out an established orthodoxy and consulting its wisdom? What could you learn by submitting yourself to a righteous authority? What mystery has come to you, but needs a wider context and more thorough translation? What changes could you encourage by taking on a rule of life?