Tag Archives: five

The Hierophant

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The number 5 is for man. The mediating number. a figure between the worlds. On one side is the spiritual. The other is the physical. Like man The Hierophant is a bridge.
Like the figures we have met already this one sits on a thrown. They sit between two columns. A neutral force in the world. No someone come to lead you. But a friend to guide you.

The Hierophant brings tradition. We met his partner as the High Priestess. Hers was a lone spiritual bond. Finding the truth alone.

With this card we see a shared believe. This is the first card with more than one person. The two monks in the card share a bond. Not just with each other. But a shared set of rituals for connecting with a greater wisdom. Every religion has its own path. You live in your own culture. From it springs a tradition. As well as many customs. These are ideas and lessons sent down through the ages.

In many beliefs a link is needed to set man right with God. The Hierophant is this link. In the east it may be a guru. The wise person who brings you God’s love. For millions this is the Pope in Rome. And we write these guides off to quick at times. The ego wants you to believe you don’t need God. But if it fails, it wants you to believe you don’t need any wisdom but your own. While I believe we can find God on our own. Why stumble in the dark, when someone is offering you the light. The ego wants you to stay in the dark. But the guru is a temporary guide. God’s love is all we need. And once we learn how to open our hearts, we don’t need the teacher. But the teacher will assist us to this point.

Likewise for some a community of believers isn’t valued. But we all struggle with our faith. Whatever ever faith we practice. There are moments when we feel weak. And moments when we are strong. I don’t personally believe in dark forces hunting us down. But I do believe in the weaker forces we carry in our souls. We form teams in sports. We form military units to defend our homelands. A church is a spiritual team. An army of fellow believers to support your soul. And you give your own courage when it is needed.

But the true guru is inside of you. A wise guru doesn’t promote them-self. They promote you. They know the path and they can help you. But they can’t and won’t walk the steps for you. Listen to your heart. Pause in meditation and listen. What does it tell you is the right path. God is love, and so are you. So every breath you take is an expression of love. And when you follow this love it takes you home.

Finding your own path and being a part of a group do not have to be at odds. Though weak gurus have tried to bend fellow travelers to their will. When you listen to your heart you know your truth. If the group you’ve joined doesn’t share this truth. Then find one out there which does. There are many churches. Many faiths. Many names for the same God.

This card is asking us to think about ritual. In some cases it is holding back. In other cases we may gain from a ritual in our lives. And it doesn’t have to be grand. Before bed I write in my journal. This is a ritual. Will not doing it send me to hell. I don’t think this is the case. But it gives a few moments of my life meaning. By making it a ritual it becomes a part of my day. The end product enriches my life. And to be honest I don’t do it every night. But this is okay, true ritual has room for flexing and not breaking.

Do we have a network supporting us? While we can serve love by loving ourselves. Any faith is harder alone. If you can find a group, find one. If you have one to join, do it. This card is telling you to listen to tradition. Not as a force to obey. But as another source of guidance. A community of believers can also be a source of guidance. Many times other people have dealt with the same issues we face. They can share empathy. They can share the steps they took on their path. But the group is not there to tell you where to step. They should be a source of love and not of fear.

If you can’t find the right community. Then going it alone may be the best choice. We are lucky now to live in the internet age. This makes connecting with others much easier.

The word hierophant comes from a Greek word. It relates to the one who brings the light. And the light is love. Remember only love is real.

Five of Wands

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There is a path starting in peace. And it can take us to our dreams. But it passes through struggle. The Five of Wands.

Wands is a card about energy. And the energy in this card is in conflict. There are four figures who appear to be fighting. They each hold a wand. But a fifth wand is taller.

Five is about change. We struggle from the peace we experienced in the Four of Wands. To gain the victory in the Six of Wands.

This may be a simple argument about which is the right choice. It could be a group looking for a leader. It could be a new idea being resisted. These five figures though are not connecting to each other. And none of them see the greater wand in the background.

Could there a uniting force? Is the group forgetting the vision? And the idea which unites them as one? Maybe a leader is present, but no one is listening.

If we are to win. The path has to be together. We need to put aside our petty problems. We need each other. The Five of Wands is a reminder our fears are small. And our love can be larger.

Love is the force which unites. It helps to smooth the path to a true victory. One in which we all win. But we have to let go of what pushes us into these fights. Our small egos.

In the Five of Cups we suffer a loss. And here we also suffer a loss. The loss of our egos. The ego says fight. The spirit says unite. We are all one how can we fight?

The wands is a suit of energy. From the Ace all the way to the Ten. The strongest energy is love. Because it allows all things to be real. And the most real expression of love is forgiveness.

People have hurt us in the past. We have hurt others. People have hurt themselves. And we have hurt ourselves. So we all suffered pain. And we all need love. Put down the wands of ego and hold hands. Forgive them, forgive yourself and be free.

In the Six of Wands there is only one figure. There is only one victory.

The most important person to forgive can be ourselves. We are at conflict with our past. Our fears for the future. Guilt and shame over sins from the past can linger. They must be forgiven. We did what we understood was best then. And now the best thing is forgive ourselves. Forgive who we were then and who we are now.

This card could be a sign we need to evaluate our inner struggles. Think about the ways we battle ourselves. Which side are we on in this inner struggle? Are we missing the big picture?

The figures in this card aren’t connecting. They don’t even look like they care about the battle. Maybe because they know it is pointless. But going back to the peace of the past doesn’t work. The conflicts need to be resolved. The whole made one. A peace cannot endure made of pieces.

Five of Cups

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Something has been lost. And it is all we can see. Our minds run over the loss like a worry stone. Our hearts are drowning in the emotions of loss. But, something remains. It isn’t all lost.

Fives are about changes. And cups are about emotions. Our relationships with others. And at times with ourselves. It speaks to a spiritual side of our being as well. Water is the element of the deep mind. We are mostly water. And we are mostly spirit.

Five is a number of change. And we feel the change deeply. If we were wise we took the rest recently provided by 4 to prepare. But, change comes if we are ready or not. And we should embrace the change, and allow ourselves to change. Because six is coming to offer us growth and rewards.

In the card for five of cups we seen a figure. The person is downcast. In front of them are three cups spilled on the ground. Contents from the cups are flowing on the ground. We cannot see the figures face. But their back with hunched shoulders and downcast head suggests sadness.

In the sky are seven birds. Maybe suggesting the loss is a lesson. Or a message.

What the figure doesn’t see, but we do are two more cups. They are behind the figure. They are standing upright, and have not been lost.

If the figure could change their focus they would see not all is lost. There is still life, and life and the future is present. But like many of us in life, the loss is demanding more attention. And it is okay to focus on loss. But at some point it is time to move on with out lives. The next opportunity is within reach.

In the previous card we saw the four of cups. A serene figure is at rest. You can see a stillness in their eyes. And something new appears to be offered. And the figure doesn’t pay attention. Maybe the changes we see in five are the offerings from four. The universe works tirelessly for our growth. And sometimes when one tactic doesn’t work, another must be employed.

The five of pentacles represents a material loss. But overlooking all we have which isn’t material.  The five of swords represents a victory, but one which comes at a great loss. A friend of mine suggested the tarot is calling us to live more from our hearts. And fives may be demanding a change in focus more than any other cards. In the five of rods we see four figures and five rods. Where is the fifth person?

In the next card. The six of cups we see our cups bringing forth life. Our emotional and spiritual investments resulting in life. This may be a difficult moment on our journey. But around the corner a new hope await. A new life is already present. And it isn’t a new life. It is a life we have been developing for ourselves the whole time.

The five of cups is asking for a change in focus. But it is also providing us with hope. We need to have patience and understanding. Loss is a part of life. Leonard Cohen famously said, “there is a crack in everything, that is how the light gets in.”

Often the loss is not a loss. And the gain can never come into our hearts and lives without releasing what we never held.