The Hierophant is the fifth card of the Major Arcana. This card appears perplexing in feelings readings, because of the nature of the Hierophant archetype itself.
This tarot card originates from the Pope card in playing decks.
The Hierophant is a bit mysterious card. The term hierophant describes a person who interprets arcane principles and sacred mysteries.
In Ancient Greece, this was the office of the chief priest. This card is associated with religion, tradition, education, spiritual guidance, but also marriage.
As feelings, this card may offer great insights to those who can read it properly.
On the surface, this card does not appear to have much to do with love feelings, emotional connection, etc.
However, any tarot card can reveal something about the feelings we have for one another.
Let us explore The Hierophant tarot card in our search for answers regarding feelings and relationships of various sorts.
The Hierophant As Feelings Essentials
The Hierophant is represented as a beardless man wearing a long priest’s red robe, a triple cross, and a triple crown.
He sits calmly on his throne between two thick pillars. The pillars symbolize liberty and order, obedience, and disobedience.
Beneath the feet of the Hierophant are the Keys of Heaven. What do all these symbols stand for together and what the card has to do with the feelings?
The Hierophant card symbolizes convention, tradition, order, and law.
This card stands for learning, education, religion, and guidance. When it comes to love, The Hierophant card represents marriage.
However, it does not stand for any marriage.
The Hierophant represents an arranged marriage, in the first place. The meaning could be taken more flexibly.
In that case, this card stands for a conventional marriage. The Hierophant represents relations and connections that suffice the given order, tradition, and convention.
The card of the Hierophant depicts two male persons looking upon the priest on the throne.
They seek guidance, advice, and education. The keys before him symbolize two realms – the physical existence and the spiritual domain.
The figure of the Hierophant is a tutor to everyone. He offers spiritual guidance, support, and rules to live by. His views are conventional and orderly.
The Hierophant is the chief representative of institutions and ideas that have proven stable over the long course of time.
Religion and marriage are institutions the Hierophant stands for. His power is in keeping these intact and lasting.
As feelings, this card is more about the spiritual connection, than the physical. The Emperor represents the physical domain and connection, while the Hierophant stands for the spiritual.
The Hierophant As Feelings in a Love Reading
Lover readings are probably the favorite readings for the majority of questioners. Love makes this world go round. We cannot live without love.
Naturally, we would like to know if someone loves us.
The Hierophant tarot card is curious. This card is not necessarily about romantic feelings and relationships.
There is no passion or attraction in the Hierophant like in, say, the Emperor, or the Empress. The Hierophant operates on a spiritual and philosophical level.
In love readings, this card represents a deep spiritual connection and different types of relationships.
The Hierophant, for example, may indicate a master and apprentice relationship, or, better, the teacher and the student relationship.
When it comes to love, this card indicates a connection reaching beneath or above the physical attraction, carnal desires, etc.
It could represent a relationship between partners of different ages. The guides, the other learns.
The Hierophant card is, as we have said, the card of the conventional or even arranged marriage.
Therefore, emotions overall, and especially love feelings do not have to be involved. This card is about keeping the tradition alive.
To those seeking to fulfill their role and follow the tradition they live by, the Hierophant promises a great opportunity.
You will meet an ideal partner ready to start a life with you. This relationship would be based more on your mutual principles than emotions.
Of course, there has to be a certain level of attraction.
However, the core of the attraction lies beneath the surface.
The intentions of someone you are interested in are clear, the Hierophant suggests.
There are no hidden intentions, trickery, affairs, or games. With the Hierophant, relationships (of any sort) are clear, solid, and stable.
The Hierophant As Feelings – The Hierophant Upright
The Hierophant is not a very ‘emotional’ tarot card, to say the least.
However, it can still reveal much about someone’s feelings for you. We often identify the term feelings only with romance and amorousness.
This card reveals a deeper level of connection, beyond attraction, butterflies in the stomach, etc.
Moreover, it does not have to be related to a romantic connection. The Hierophant card indicates someone sees you as a guide, guardian, a tutor.
This person feels they can trust you and rely on your words and guidance.
For them, you are a wise teacher, a master, or a mentor. They fully trust you, and their intentions are clear and honest.
You enrich their life and they feel they can develop and grow by your side, spiritually and mentally in the first place.
In addition, you can offer them a frame and boundaries they cannot establish themselves.
The upright Hierophant card tells about a mentor-student type of relationship, confidence, trust, guardianship, guidance, role models, rules, order, and tradition.
This relationship is balanced and fruitful for both parties.
The Hierophant may represent the other person, as well. In that case, they feel the great potential in you.
They are willing and happy to direct you toward the best outcome. They want to help you grow and progress.
This person wants to be your guide and your mentor. They are very fond of you and have gentle feelings for you. They inspire you, but you inspire them too.
The Hierophant is about convention and marriage. This card may also imply someone is very serious about their intention with you, judging you as their perfect partner.
Although they approach it more from a traditional and conventional point, they love you.
The Hierophant As Feelings – The Hierophant Reversed
The reversed Hierophant represents unconventional ideas, a daring spirit, original solutions, unclear intentions, abuse of power, and fanatics.
When it comes to feelings and relationships, the reversed Hierophant appears to be a tricky card.
We have seen that the upright card stands for the convention, tradition, well-established and lasting institutions, and order.
With the inverted card, everything is turned upside down. This is especially important in relationships.
An unconventional relationship and marriage are likely to occur if you pull the inverted Hierophant.
The Hierophant reversed does not care about traditional values and rules followed by generations; he creates his own.
This card is a daring one. It indicates relationships the society or surroundings do not approve of, for instance.
Romantic relationships are not the only type of connection this card might tell about; it all depends on what you ask.
Alternatively, the reversed Hierophant indicates someone’s misuse of power.
The Hierophant is by default a person of great knowledge, wisdom, authority, and power. The inverted card tells about a person abusing their power.
They may use their knowledge and their position of authority to manipulate others.
Also, a certain level of toxic zeal and fanatic ideas may occur. Be cautious around people who too ardently defend what they consider the proper order of things.
The inverted Hierophant indicates a person who finds their proper right to judge others.
You may feel overly criticized and controlled by such an individual. The root cause of their need to control lies in their insecurity.
The reversed card may also indicate the disproportion between two sets of values.
You and your (potential) partner (or a friend, etc.) do not share values. There is a lack of willingness to align your values, so you cannot connect on a deeper level.
This often happens in relationships that start miraculously, in a flame of passion.
Over time, partners realize their worldviews completely differ, their goals have nothing to do with one another, and they either find a way to compromise or split.
The Hierophant As Feelings – His Feelings
The Hierophant could represent a man who is serious in his intentions with you.
He has high moral standards, he follows tradition, and his ways are conventional, and by the book. He does not want to experiment.
This man feels drawn to you. He sees you an ideal partner, and can imagine life with you.
Being a traditional and conservative type of man, he would like to have a family, a steady career, comfortable and safe home.
To him, romance is not the first thing on a list. He is not particularly romantic, but he is not a brute. He will clearly state his mind.
You should not play games with this man because it will repulse him and make him take you as an immature person.
His feelings are deep, and he feels connected with you more on a spiritual and intellectual level than physical or purely romantically emotional.
He wants to offer you guardianship, nourishment, support, and guidance. He sees a lot of potential in you and he is willing to help you grow.
Well, a good relationship means the partners can nourish and enrich one another.
Depending on the opening or the position of the card, he could be a bit too conservative and traditional.
Alternatively, he can be everything the opposite. It is up to you to decide whether he is the right one or not.
The Hierophant As Feelings – Her Feelings
The lady you are interested in you sees you as her guide, guardian, and her partner, the one who can help her develop her greatest potential.
On the other side, she feels she can offer you support, love, and guidance.
This woman is very into you and ready to commit. The Hierophant indicates she is ready to get married or to start a family.
If you are single, this card indicates a determined, conservative woman entering your life.
Her feelings for you are deep, and the connection is more spiritual and mental than physical.
Her intentions are straightforward and clear. If you are interested in a relationship, marriage, or something else with her, go for it.
If you doubt you can fulfill her expectations, do not mess around, just tell her the truth.
This type of woman (or a man) appreciates honesty, justice, and order.
Things could appear quite different with the reversed card. The same thing happens as in the above example.
This lady has an unconventional perception of married life, relationships, and relations overall.
Maybe she is too daring for your taste, or maybe she is exactly like you imagine a perfect match.
The Hierophant is overall a perplexing card when it comes to feelings.
It requires good personal judgment and listening to the inner voice to decide how to proceed.
The Hierophant As Feelings – Ex’s Feelings
The Hierophant card is related to conventions and tradition, but also zeal and fanatic ideas.
In terms of an ex’s feelings, this is quite a challenging card.
It indicates your ex still has intense emotions when it comes to your relationship and these emotions are not always nice.
Your ex likely feels the tumult of anger and resentment within their breasts.
The relationship was probably passionate, but full of conflicts, and fights. You did not share the same values and things fell apart.
This card indicates the ex has negative feelings toward you and the relationship you had.
They do not want to get back together with you. They need time to process their anger and calm down; or vice versa. With time, the two of you may establish a friendly relationship.
The Hierophant As Feelings – How They See You
The Hierophant card suggests people around see you as a role model and a mentor.
They admire your great knowledge and appreciate your attitude as a teacher. They know they can seek advice and guidance from you.
People find you an admirable character, but maybe a bit inflexible.
They are familiar with your standards, moral principles, conventions, rules, and conservative worldviews.
The Hierophant card means people know they can learn from you.
They deem your great knowledge, spiritual depth, and dedication impressive.
The Hierophant As Feelings Combinations With Other Cards
Tarot cards can offer more detailed answers when combined.
Let us look into a couple of interesting Hierophant as feelings combos with other cards.
The Hierophant + The King of Wands As Feelings
The Hierophant and The King of Wands cards indicate someone’s intense emotions and passion.
The person you are interested in feels they can rely on you and trust you. You fill their heart with passion.
This combo indicates they find you incredibly attractive. They cannot explain it by chemistry alone. There is a deeper connection between the two of you.
The Hierophant + The Queen of Cups As Feelings
This combo indicates sensitivity and vulnerability associated with love feelings.
Someone is sensitive about you, but they cannot articulate their feelings clearly. You should pay close attention to non-verbal signs.
The Hierophant As Feelings Conclusion
The Hierophant as feelings is a complex card. This tarot card covers a variety of relationships, starting from mentorship to romantic partnerships.
What marks this card are the convention, tradition, law, and established, lasting set of values.
When it comes to feelings, the Hierophant indicates the need for honesty, rules, order, and convention.
This is not a romantic card. The inverted card indicates the opposite – unconventional relationships, the ability to break rules, and a new set of values.
