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Tarot cards are much more than just a collection of beautiful cards designed for fortune-telling; they serve as a key to personal development. They expose us to spiritual and psychological concepts like balance, peace, equilibrium, and proportion, contrasted with opposing forces and ideas. Sometimes, these concepts align, and the path becomes clearer and more illuminated.
The strength of tarot cards lies in their holistic nature, connecting and balancing various layers of personal and collective existence. The cards engage in a dialogue with one another, and wisdom can be gained by understanding the communication between different cards. Pairings between cards can be found based on visual similarities, and one intriguing pairing is that of the Hierophant and the Devil.
The Hierophant and the Devil represent two sides of the same coin, both embodying the key to spiritual development. Understanding them allows us to solve the great mystery of life and achieve enlightenment. These are two opposing forces: awareness on one side and the absence of awareness on the other, the forces of light and the forces of darkness.
Understanding the power of awareness is crucial in the process of spiritual growth and enlightenment. Both forces are in constant struggle over the progression of human development.
According to Wikipedia, awareness is "the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects, or sensory patterns." The more aware we are, the better we can use this information for growth.
Enlightenment, as defined by Wikipedia, "is a concept originating in Buddhism that describes the liberation of a person from the eternal cycle of birth and death, which is common in Indian religions. This breaking of the eternal cycle of reincarnation results from a profound (often sudden and immediate) transformation that moves the individual from their normal state to a higher, transcendent state of consciousness, which is the central aim of enlightenment. In recent years, this concept has become widely accepted in New Age literature."
Enlightenment is a state where life is seen through the light, through complete awareness of oneself and the environment, connecting the two.
Just as there are forces that help raise awareness, there are also challenging forces that diminish awareness and obscure the light. When a person succumbs to a challenge, they lose the ability to control and lead their life. Challenging forces appear when one is not in the light, when one is not acting in accordance with their truth.
Life is a process of struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. While light raises awareness, darkness lowers it. Facing life's challenges increases awareness, while neglect decreases it.
The Hierophant card embodies the principle of learning, self-confidence, and morality through the recognition of values. Life is composed of a series of lessons, external challenges that lead a person to a place of inner learning and spiritual growth. The learning process involves both intellect and logic, as well as the heart and emotions.
The Emperor represents the material father, while the Hierophant is the spiritual father. The Hierophant guides the disciple, transforming them through the process of learning into a teacher. He teaches the disciple to ask questions in order to arrive at the truth.
The disciple learns that truth has a beginning, middle, and end—truth is a wholeness that encompasses the essence of existence and the universe. When truth confronts the disciple, they may turn away from it, or even be angry with it, but deep inside, it resonates, and they cannot ignore it.
The truth, like the teacher, can manifest in many forms—it could be a person, an animal, a billboard, a book, an event, or an inner realization. Once the disciple learns the truth, despite the pain and difficulty, the light of understanding and insight allows the process to continue.
The Hierophant represents the positive forces in life, the forces that initiate growth. A person connected to their inner voice knows how to read the signs on the path to spiritual development.
The Hierophant card signifies a period in which a person finds their path, their purpose—why they came into a physical body. The universe will work to assist the person in fulfilling their purpose. As a saying in Islam goes, "Allah helps those who help themselves."
The Devil card represents restriction, fears, and habits. It symbolizes situations of dependence, lack of awareness, failures, and uncontrolled sexuality. This stage confronts the individual with "the dark side of the soul." Throughout human history, various myths have depicted the battle between the forces of light and darkness. The awareness associated with the Devil brings a sense of power and control, an awareness that inflates the ego, which becomes an obstacle on the path to spiritual growth. This awareness can lead a person to be afflicted with hubris (the sin of pride, the desire to emulate God). The individual's task is to recognize these dark, destructive forces and, from a place of awareness, transform them into creative power.
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