TRUMP V "THE HIEROPHANT"

The common theme linking the card with the kua is that of the religious function. Different cultures will perform different rituals and emphasize different concepts; but the social purpose of religion remains a trans-cultural constant. It is a way to unite the people in common goals. The function of the high priest is to interpret the will of heaven and aid the ruler in promoting enthusiasm in the people for the execution of that will; thus bringing heaven and earth into harmony.

Crowley: But the main reference is to the particular arcanum which is the principal business, the essential of all magical work; the uniting of the microcosm with the macrocosm. (BT p. 78)

Kua 16 presents the ancient Chinese technique for accomplishing this important task.

Kua 16, The image: THUS THE ANCIENT KINGS MADE MUSIC IN ORDER TO HONOR MERIT, AND OFFERED IT WITH SPLENDOR TO THE SUPREME DEITY, INVITING THEIR ANCESTORS TO BE PRESENT. (p. 68)

Wilhelm: (kua 16) ... from immemorial times the inspiring effect of the invisible sound that moves all hearts, and draws them together, has mystified mankind. (p. 68) ... It fell to music to glorify the virtues of heroes and thus to construct a bridge to the world of the unseen. ... Religious feeling for the creator of the world was united with the most sacred of human feelings, that of reverence for the ancestors. ... The ruler who revered the divinity in revering his ancestors became thereby the Son of Heaven, in whom the heavenly and the earthly world met in physical contact. ... These ideas are the final summation of Chinese culture. Confucius has said of the Great Sacrifice at which these rights were performed: "He who could wholly comprehend this sacrifice could rule the world as though it were spinning on his hand." (p. 69)

In the booklet which accompanies Crowley's tarot deck, there is an additional concept included in the meanings for this trump: "Occult force voluntarily invoked."

Crowley: Offer thyself virgin to the knowledge and conversation of thine holy guardian angel. (BT p. 255)

Whether one contacts the invisible realm through the medium of one's ancestors or one's holy guardian angel seems irrelevant to the religious process in general. What counts is the simple recognition of the spiritual need and the respectful performance of the appropriate rituals.

Kua 45, The judgement: THE KING APPROACHES THE TEMPLE. ... WHERE MEN ARE TO BE GATHERED TOGETHER RELIGIOUS FORCES ARE NEEDED. (p. 174)

One of the things I find personally difficult to understand regarding the institutions of religion, is their close association with war and other forms of conflict.

In Crowley's card there are images of the church militant. One of the symbols in the card is of a woman girt with a sword.

Crowley: This woman represents Venus as she now is in this new aeon; no longer the mere vehicle of her male counterpart, but armed and militant. (BT p. 79)

Crowley: Be thou athlete with the 8 links of yoga: for without these thou art not disciplined for any fight. (BT p. 255)

Kua 45, The image: THUS THE SUPERIOR MAN RENEWS HIS WEAPONS IN ORDER TO MEET THE UNFORESEEN. (p. 175)

Kua 16, The judgement: ENTHUSIASM. IT FURTHERS ONE TO INSTALL HELPERS AND TO SET ARMIES MARCHING. (p. 67)

Crowley: toil, endurance, ... help from superiors (BT p. 255)

Crowley: (I Ching, kua 45 lines 1-3) Alone, art helpless; call thy right ally; with him, even small prayers earn heaven's swift reply. Baffled, yet struggling, thou shalt cease to sigh.

In Crowley's card there is an image of Horus, the lord of the new aeon, dancing. This is to demonstrate the law of the new aeon.

Kua 16, The image: THUS THE ANCIENT KINGS MADE MUSIC ...

The component trigrams of kua 16 symbolize movement, obedience and devotion.

Wilhelm: (kua 16) This begins a movement that meets with devotion and therefore inspires enthusiasm, carrying all with it. Of great importance, furthermore, is the law of movement along the line of least resistance, which in this hexagram is enunciated as the law for natural events and for human life. (p. 67)

The english translation for the Chinese title of kua 16 is "ENTHUSIASM." It should be noted that the linguistic root of that word is the Greek en-theos, which means, "in god."

A summing up presents a rather interesting but at the same time disconcerting picture. Religious forces, military imagery, music, dance, athletic enthusiasm, union of heaven and earth, ancestor worship and guardian angels, organization or massing of the people. All of this speaks of the historical phenomena of the militant spread of newly founded religions. The rising tide of magical modes of thinking and the backlash of increased fundamentalism within the established religions of our current age present all the earmarks of a population primed for the manifestation of a new religious mythology.

Crowley warns: ... in the expression of the initiator (the hierophant) is something mysterious even sinister. There is a distinctly sadistic aspect to this card; ... (BT p. 79)