Exploring the Tarot Pillars: Guardian of the Earth Gate
Well, it’s taken half a year but we’re back with another installment of our Tarot Pillar series. If you’re new to this, you may want to check out the introductory post where we lay the groundwork for the elements we’ll be exploring.
To summarize what has previously been written, we essentially began this journey by supposing that the pillared cards in tarot have something to tell us about the unfoldment of consciousness (individually and collectively). There are 3 apparent pillared cards in the Major Arcana which are The High Priestess, The Hierophant and Justice. Each of these cards represents one of the 4 elements and contains a different background colour. Given this, we speculated a fourth (hidden) pillared card also existed to fill the gap. We figured it was The Emperor because that would account for the missing element (fire) and also supply our 4th unique background colour (red).
So, we’ve already approached The High Priestess’ gate which we labeled “The Reluctant Journey”. Using the Major Arcana cards with a matching background to that of The High Priestess (blue), we unveiled a very biblical tale including one’s descent into karma and the subsequent redemption via experience and growth.
The second gate we approached was that belonging to The Emperor. Here, we explored a story through the lens of The Devil and The Tower, telling a tale of sudden illumination, perhaps one through shock or scare.
Now, we’re coming up to The Hierophant, gate 3 of 4. Keep reading to learn what we’ve put together in examining this key and the ones we have linked to it. It tells a different story than the two shared above, but it is a story of awakening nonetheless. As always, these are just explorations and ideas and nothing here is concrete or set in stone.
The Hierophant Gateway - The Conscious Journey to the Centre
Element: Earth
Faculty: Inner Hearing
Colour: Grey. Grey is quite symbolic as it demonstrates the blending of black and white, and thus represents balance and the middle path.
In our previous posts, we proposed that behind each set of pillared characters, lay a handful of other Major Arcana cards detailing a unique unfolding. Those cards could be located by observing the background colour of the gated card and then finding the ones that match. In this case, we’re looking for the Major Arcana cards that have the same grey hue as The Hierophant, leading us to The Hanged Man, Death and Temperance. With that in mind, let’s take a moment to explore how these three cards connect; visually and symbolically.
Each image places emphasis around the head region, crowns and illumination. This all points to an elevated state of consciousness. In The Hierophant, we see the hierophant’s triple crown. In The Hanged Man, we see an illumined halo. In Death, we see the rising run, hierophant’s crown and toppled king’s crown. In Temperance, we see an illumined halo but also the rising crown shaped image in the distance.
Surrender, sacrifice or bowing down are themes in 3 of the 4 cards. In The Hierophant we see the two kneelers poised to receive. In The Hanged Man, the central figure is surrendering to a state of stasis. In Death, we can observe multiple figures bowing down or having to surrender to impending transformation.
Symbols of The Hierophant, Temperance and The Hanged Man show up in Death. For example, there is an actual Hierophant figure ushering death in. In addition, we can see a young woman in a white gown on her knees to the right of the hierophant (a white gown similar to that of Temperance). And finally, note the small child to the left of the hierophant wearing a blue tunic, similar in style to that of the figure in The Hanged Man.
Balance is a theme evident in 3 of the 4 cards. The Hierophant sits between two pillars, indicating moderation. The Hanged Man hangs in balance, and Temperance moderates the alchemical fire and water between two cups.
Crosses show up in 3 of the 4 images. There are multiple crosses in The Hierophant, The Hanged Man hangs from a T-shaped tree while crossing their legs, and in Death, there is a cross on the hierophant’s glove.
The three cards associated with this gate are chronological; 12 (The Hanged Man), 13 (Death), 14 (Temperance)
So what exactly is happening at this entryway? What faculty is The Hierophant here to help us unlock, and where does it all lead? Unlike The High Priestess, which spoke to a natural but subconscious awakening process, or The Emperor which alluded to a sudden shock out of status quo, The Hierophant asks that we neither toil nor tread urgently. When we approach The Hierophant, what we are doing is working deliberately and consciously with our own inner channels to awaken to what we know exists above this realm, even if we’ve yet the words or knowledge to fully articulate it.
This is working in concert with the divine. It is turning our backs to the common noise and news of the day, and instead leaning on our own inner wisdom to guide us along. In this way, The Hanged Man perfectly encapsulates the position we must take; a full reversal to what is, and a complete surrender to what could be. And if we can do this, then Death steps in to challenge us further. Are we ready to let go? Are we prepared to let the selves we knew die so that we may be liberated from that form? Do we have faith that what will replace this state will be one worth the work and seeking? If we respond with a resounding “yes” then the result is clear. We locate the keys at the hierophant’s feet, we unlock the door that was once invisible to us, and we enter straight into the kingdom of heaven.
So we kind of see two things playing out. First, a series of suggested actions to stir illumination, and second, a timeline of events leading to that awakening.
In terms of actions, the suggestions are as such: lean in to listen to the inner teacher, surrender to the wisdom that comes forward, be patient with ourselves and this process, give ourselves grace, allow the personality to pass away, and seek to live in harmony with our true inner nature.
In doing so, we find that surrender to higher forces, leads to transformation of inner lives, resulting in a return to the centre, or space of the heart.
It is possible that some of this terminology is a bit ambiguous, seeming to point to everything and also nothing at all. Perhaps we’ll take a moment to clarify what we mean some of the concepts we’ve included.
The Heart: Our connection to the truest part of ourselves - beyond personality or ego. Synonymous to this field may be compassion, grace, faith and hope. Another reason we link this path to that of the heart, is in Temperance’s relationship to its placement on the Tree of Life. Temperance is located on the path on the middle pillar leading from Yesod to Tiphereth, which is often attributed to the heart. It appears as a bow, shooting its arrow, straight to the center of this space.
“Jesus said, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.’ I think if he lived nowadays, instead of ‘kingdom,’ he would have said, ‘dimension.’ And ‘heaven’ refers to a sense of vastness or spaciousness.”
Surrender: To accept what is. To stop pushing or forcing. To allow. This is different from an act of tolerance for that which is “unacceptable”. Surrender is giving ourselves over to a force higher, letting go of the idea that our personalities are the be all and end all of knowing, and having faith that the true inner voice can be trusted.
Moderation & Harmony: This may look different from person to person, or moment to moment. It is a state which aims to find the middle way, achieve balance, and avoid extremes. This is not because extremes are inherently harmful in themselves, they can achieve productive ends, but it is to say that we may find ourselves more effective when living in a way that honors our nature and balances our inner elements.
Death: A term to describe change and transformation. Death is a natural occurrence that happens all the time, regardless of the overall state of our bodies. Our cells die, ways of being die, relationships die, opinions die. What we can learn from this never ending death is that a) our personalities are not static things and they are not us and b) the only thing that ever remains as a constant is the underlying being; consciousness.
This particular storyline isn’t that different from the idea of sacrificing oneself, only to be reborn again. But rather than simply rising from the dead, the individual moving through this pathway is transformed from the inside out. And in as much, while their physical bodies may look the same, and the world around them appear as it always did, their view of themselves and the life they embody is forever changed.
So to recap, the fundamental instructions to working with this gateway include listening, following instruction from a higher source, surrender, having faith, allowing death to occur (change/transformation), and embracing balance. This is ultimately about choosing to wakeup; a conscious cooperation with the divine.
But regardless of the path we take, whether it be along the watery canal of The High Priestess, the quick but fiery gate of The Emperor, or the deliberate approaching upon The Hierophant, evolution is guaranteed. In our next post in this series, we will explore just what one may expect as a result of moving into higher consciousness. We believe this can be summed up by examining the 5 cards that fall in line with Justice; the ones with the same yellow background. We’ll leave with that thought to ponder and be back soon for more discussion around tarot and its ability to open doors and transform perspectives.
Until next time…
Julia & Tim