Tarot 5 - The High Priest

Upright - The High Priest or Hierophant is the moral and social conscience of the deck. He offers spiritual guidance, and stands for that favored spiritual leader who guides us all through troubled times and ethical dilemmas. At his best, he is about humility and teaching, about getting people through deeply frightening and difficult situations. He also represents the wider rules of society, what we teach each other in order to get along and fit in, everything from common courtesy and social graces to laws and rules.

Upside-down – Now this card is very reminiscent of spiritual institutions who control information, maintain earthly power, where the leaders are rich and living in luxury, while their flock is poor and in need. They offer up rules for the purpose of being in control, rather than helping the community morally and spiritually. There is a strong pressure in this card to conform...or else.

Creature – As the Emperor and Empress are counterparts, the High Priestess and the High Priest are counterparts too. So it only made sense to make the Manticore the Priest. The Manticore was know as having the body of a red lion, the face and ears of a human and a tail ending in a sting like that of a scorpion, some have wings, some don’t. The mouth contains three rows of teeth and poisoned spines along the tail could be shot, like arrows in any direction. The Manticore is reputed to roam in the jungles of India, and is known to have an appetite for humans. Like the Sphinx it would often challenge its prey with riddles before killing.

Card Back [link]
0 The Fool [link]
1 The Magician [link]
2 The High Priestess [link]
3 The Empress [link]
4 The Emperor [link]
5 The High Priest [link]
6 The Lovers [link]
7 The Chariot [link]
8 Strength [link]
9 The Hermit [link]
10 Wheel of Fortune [link]
11 Justice [link]
12 The Hanged Man [link]
13 Death [link]
14 Temperance [link]
15 The Devil [link]
16 The Tower [link]
17 The Star [link]
18 The Moon [link]
19 The Sun [link]
20 Judgment [link]
21 The World [link]