The Hierophant

The Hierophant is Major Arcanum V of the tarot, known as The Pope (Le Pape) in the Tarot de Marseille. It shows a pontiff blessing two smaller figures placed before him. Upright, it embodies transmission, teaching, tradition, counsel and the link between the earthly and the spiritual. Reversed, tradition reads it as dogmatism, conformism, a poor adviser or words that no longer get through. It pairs with The High Priestess: knowledge handed down set against inner knowledge.