Let’s face facts about the Hierophant. He can be a controlling jerk. Before I delve into why, let’s talk about this card briefly.

 The Hierophant tarot card is the fifth card in the Major Arcana, symbolizing education and learning through experience, ruled by Taurus.

It is representative of morality issues derived from socially acceptable or unacceptable behavior. It can also rule the law, traditions, and customs.

The term "hierophant" comes from the Greek hieros (priest or holy) and phainomenon (that which means shown). A religion teacher who explains the sacred mysteries is called a hierophant.

Another thing that the Hierophant tarot card represents is an established religion or belief system. It stands for all faiths whose focus is on rules of behavior and conduct of people within society.

But the fact that I no longer follow any naturally organized religion is another reason I am going against the Hierophant’s expectations, but this is not what this is about. Hmm, maybe I'll write about this another time!

But anyway, if you believe that there is only one truth, then that truth must be followed by all who want peace and acceptance of others into their religious structures.

The Hierophant tarot card represents conformity, not individuality, like its counterpart, the Lovers, as that is the next.

However, it tells us to conform to society, think in the same manner, and not deviate from the norm.

The tarot card of Hierophant can represent any organization trying to convince its people of one way of thinking. It also means education.

You learn how to think, act, dress, etc., by being around those older than you or having more knowledge on a particular subject than you do.

By studying the tarot card meaning of the Hierophant, you will understand how important it is to follow wiser and more experienced others.

That is because it helps you grow as individuals and in groups; if everyone were an individual in their own right, there would be chaos, which is understandable. 

The Hierophant also represents any person in authority, such as a police officer, a president, or even a teacher.

Another thing is that the Hierophant tarot card stands for institutions that enforce beliefs and rules onto you. So again, the Hierophant is a control freak. 

I Went Against the Hierophant’s Expectations for the Sake of Myself and Family

What does the Hierophant advise families to do? Take care of one another because that is the "right" thing to do. He is all about conformity and going with society's expectations, right?

Sometimes, you have to pull a Hierophant reversed. I did, and it was the best thing for everyone involved. 

I have spoken about this before, but I have two kids, as one has complex special needs with severe ADHD and mild to moderate autism combined, and likely ODD, even though it has not been formally diagnosed.

And dammit, I did my very best to give him what he needed - at the expense of my wellbeing, my daughter getting what she needed from me, and my marriage. 

He had all of the necessary therapies because that is what the Hierophant would have advised to do, to help my son get to his best, but it was failing miserably.

I was failing as a human miserably, as I struggle with depression as it is, and at that time, I had so much suppressed trauma.

It manifested in me becoming a morbidly obese caregiver at 300 lbs, which was the highest I ever was. 

Yes, I was a comfort eater, but the cortisol levels in my system were sky-high too. The complications of PCOS explain why I am diabetic today. The only way to break away from that was to tell the Hierophant where to go!

I went through hell and back to do that by going through rigorous steps to transition my son at the age of 13 to a residential school and group home, and that was in 2017. That was the best move ever, as he is doing well now. He got what he needed. 

Now, I can take care of myself and my daughter. It was not instantaneous, but I got to a much healthier place. I am nowhere near 300 lbs again, nor do I ever want to be. 

On this note, I have a brand new newsletter about my experience with special needs parenting, but it will cover the ugly aspects, as so many sources love to gloss over it, which only causes those who are struggling to hide how they truly feel. 

Some argue that the Hierophant would have advised me to do what I did, as they would have said I did not go against him since everyone's wellbeing was in dire straights. 

However, I have to think hard about that. Since the Hierophant can be controlling in so many ways regarding wanting you to conform to society's expectations, I see myself pulling a reversal on the Hierophant. 

At one time when institutions were a thing, he would have advised parents to surrender their disabled kids in an institutional setting. 

However, times have changed, and families are expected to care for them for the rest of their lives. If the parents no longer can, the expectation is that the sibling takes over unless there are no siblings or if they are also disabled. 

Sometimes, the Hierophant really does not know what is best!

And I created a new newsletter documenting the ugly truth about special needs parenting and how it affected my family.

Confessions of a Parenting-Trauma Survivor Here, you will get the truth, the entire truth of the ugly side of special needs parenting, which so many often gloss over. By Miriam Rachel

What Other Cards Relate to the Hierophant on an Esoteric Level?

Taurus is associated with the Hierophant, which is unsurprising since Taurus is all about stability and control.

Venus rules Taurus, and Venus is related to the Empress and Justice since it also rules Libra, and Libra is associated with Justice. Therefore, those cards are indirectly related to the Hierophant. 

The Empress is about nurturing family, which is what the Hierophant expects, and Justice is all about creating balance, as the Hierophant attempts to do that by placing the expectation of others to conform to society (though that rarely works. That will always be the intention). 

The Hierophant is indirectly related to Temperance for numerological reasons since Temperance is the 14th card in the Major Arcana, which reduces to five. The Temperance is also about creating balance and going with the flow. 

Additionally, the Hierophant indirectly relates to the Five, Six, and Seven of Pentacles.

The Five of Pentacles is associated with Mercury in Taurus, which is the card that represents worry due to lack of money, health, and other materials. Therefore, it prompts you to seek financial assistance, which the Hierophant will guide you in. 

The relation to the Six of Pentacles is that it is associated with the Moon in Taurus, as this card represents giving (and reciprocity).

The Hierophant would want someone better off to donate to others who are not, and at the same token, the Hierophant would guide you to accept someone's donation to get you on the right foot again, as mentioned with the Five of Pentacles. 

Finally, the association with the Seven of Pentacles is that the card is associated with Saturn in Taurus.

Taurus is about growing slowly and steadily, which the Seven of Pentacles represents. The Hierophant would want you to take your time with everything. 

There you have it! The Hierophant is a control freak even though he thinks his actions are best.