Major Arcana · V
The Hierophant — tarot meaning
tradition, teaching, belonging
Upright
Tradition, teaching and belonging. Meaning found in shared belief, and wisdom passed hand to hand.
Reversed
Dogma or hollow ritual — following rules that no longer carry meaning.
In the Papus Tarot, 1909
Le Pape — The Pope · Hebrew letter ה He
Papus: inspiration, the passage from the divine to the human world. The Martinist chain of transmission — man to man, without publicity — is exactly this arcanum.
In the Oswald Wirth Tarot, 1889
Le Pape — The Hierophant · Hebrew letter ה He
The initiator, in Wirth's reading: the raised hand teaches, and the triple cross marks the three worlds the teaching must cross before it reaches ordinary life.
Shown from the 1909 William Rider & Sons deck (public domain). A card is read in relation to the question and the cards around it; these meanings are a starting point, not a verdict.