05-The Seer – Upright Salem Deck

When upright, the High Priest is a wise, spiritually oriented guide to whom the querent has recourse. This person may be a kindly teacher, a mentor, or a spiritual adviser, not infrequently connected with a religious or academic setting. One role of the Hierophant is to perform sacred rites that pass traditional wisdom on to the next generation. The High Priest often officiates at ceremonies such as weddings, baptisms, bar mitzvahs, funerals, and the like. Because this priestly figure has authority to unite (‘hook’) couples in matrimony, this card can be a harbinger of marriage. In any case, when the Hierophant appears in a reading, you are likely to be dealing with the traditional values of your family, culture, or religion.

Keywords Upright: Traditional values, wise teaching, the ultimate religious authority, spiritual guidance, helpful advice, divine revelation, good counsel, the Ten Commandments, learning, teaching, formal education, instruction, mentoring, listening to a higher authority, kindness, sacred rites, church ceremonies, the sacrament of matrimony, established organizations, conventional social norms, conforming to orthodoxy, conservative views, mediation with the divine, seeking information, caring for the soul.

Key V: The Hierophant (Pope, High Priest)
Myths/Archetypes: The prophet Moses. Pontifex Maximus. Hierophant. High Priest. The deity’s spokesperson. The Holy of Holies (which housed the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments). Emily Post. The Wizard of Oz.
Dates of Taurus: 21 April–21 May (tropical); 14 May–14 June (sidereal)
Astrology: Taurus, the Bull (an Earth sign ruled by Venus)
Numerology: 5 (Hierophant) = 1 + 4 (Temperance)

Hebrew letter: Vau, Vav, or Waw (a tent peg; a Hebrew word meaning to hook, add, fasten or secure something to prevent it from slipping; the hook, peg, or nail that is used to secure the curtains of the tabernacle). The Hierophant often ‘fastens’ people together in matrimony.

When The Seer is upright you can pretty much take it that life is going well but that’s when life takes us by surprise.  If The Seer is unclear it may help to choose a card from the Major Arcana to provide more insight into what it is The Seer is trying to tell you.  If you had a particular issue in  mind, or want to seek clarification on something else, you can also choose again to get more guidance.

This chosen card is part of your upright card reading for The Seer using cards from the Salem Tarot Deck. You will find many more tarot pages that will be of great help if you need tarot card meanings. Use the search at the bottom of the page. We have some amazing tarot books for you to browse. Please see below.

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Here are some snippets from a few of my favorite books

Portable Magic: Decks of smaller tarot cards produce a more manageable ritual layout, and are to be preferred in Tarot magic. In my own work, I use the miniature Rider Waite deck because it can be laid out on a very limited surface area such as a desktop or end table. The size of the tarot cards has no effect on the potency of the magic.

Tarot Books

Complete Book of Tarot: Sign 2: Taurus and the Hierophant (Pope, High Priest)—How are you seeking guidance from tradition or a higher authority to inform your sense of values and your search for meaning in life?

Tarot for Beginners: Hierophant means ‘high priest’ in Greek, and this card is somewhat of a masculine compliment to The High Priestess.

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Tarot for Beginners: Hierophant means ‘high priest’ in Greek, and this card is somewhat of a masculine compliment to The High Priestess.