This is the third post of the Astrology of the Major Arcana series, in which we will delve into the astrological associations of the tarot. In the first post, we briefly reviewed all of the rulerships of the Majors. Then, we tooked a look at The Emperor & Aries. Next: The Lovers & Gemini.

The Hierophant & Taurus
Learning to Live in Manifest Reality

When I first learned of The Hierophant’s relationship to Taurus, I found it rather obscure. I still think this is a complex rulership for the High Priest, but here I will share one of the ways in which I make this connection, and we will take a brief sojourn through my budding theory of evolutionary astrology. I see the wheel of the zodiac as a metaphor for Spirit’s journey through creation, manifestation, evolution and awakening to Itself as us. In that journey, Taurus is the first manifestation of Spirit in the material realm, or in manifest reality. That is because Taurus is the first Earth sign of the wheel. Whereas Aries represents the pure, unmanifest fire of Spirit; Taurus is the Divine’s first burst through the physical Cosmos. Aries is the initiating spark; Taurus is the tangible birth.

Taurus teaches us how to live masterfully in this Earth plane. In Genesis, in the Hebrew scriptures, after God created the world, they said that creation was “good, very good.” It is history’s first statement of value, which is a key feature of Taurus, a sign that is correlated with the Second House, the house of value. Taurus sees the world in a Venusian way, appreciating the natural creation, its tangible things, and finding delight and comfort in them.

 But evolved Taurus sees beyond the impermanent nature of material reality. It enjoys them, delights in them, but pierces through the fickle nature of tangible things, connecting us back to greater cycles of life that have always been, and always will be. In spiritual life, that is a fine balancing act: living in the world, but not being of it. Including and transcending manifest reality. Enjoying what’s here, without being beholden to it.

That Tauran path of enjoyment yet detachment from impermanent reality has been the journey of mystics since time immemorial, and the subject of spiritual and religious traditions to this day. This connects us to The Hierophant, a tarot card often associated with spiritual traditions and social conformity; but in a more upgraded sense, with our own spiritual teachings and to our inner teacher.

Moreover, The Hierophant is Key “5” of the Major Arcana. Number 5 is a number that can represent contraction and conflict, often heralding challenges. It speaks directly to the difficulties of operating in manifest reality, and of the obstacles we encounter as we, as Spirit, move through the material, through the earth plane. When pulled in a reading, The Hierophant can indicate that not only contractive or challenging periods are up ahead, but calls upon us to connect to our spiritual teachings, to our ancestral beliefs, and to our inner guidance as we navigate the conflicts that are inherent to living on Earth.

So, there we have it: Taurus is connected to The Hierophant as both teach us how to live masterfully in the manifest realm; how to enjoy but practice detachment; how to value but observe impermanence; and how to tap into our spiritual lineage and teachings as we face such realities. Thanks for staying with me through this winding road.