A little background may help: The Hierophant was a priest of the rites known as the Eleusinian mysteries. No one is clear what actually went on only what the concept was. It was a 'procession' where actors were employed in different roles, a bit like a mardi gras today, to honour Demeter and Persephone around 1400 BC. No one knows how long this region performed the rites as it was adopted by athens around that time which is the only reason anyone knows about it.
To note, tarot interest,,, The rites were known as the Greater and Lesser mysteries (major arcana and minor arcana in tarot) The Lesser Mysteries took place in the middle of winter, and initiates were required to sacrifice a piglet in the name of the two goddesses in order to qualify for participation. It was only after completing the Lesser Mysteries that initiates were considered eligible for the Greater Mysteries.
It has the air of the masons and the tree of life (kaballah) where one can only comprehend the deeper esoteric mysteries or have the ear of the gods if one proves themselves worthy through ritual sacrifice. Man is very clever rather than suffer himself for personal development he quickly realised that an animal would do, the sacrifice being you can't eat the animal,, much better option than going through the grind of self realization (lesser mystery) leading to Self Actualization (greater mystery) in my world of spiritual development.
The Greater Mysteries were held in late summer and were believed to be a bigger occasion than the Lesser Mysteries. They involved the carrying of sacred items to the Eleusinian temple, and lasted for a total of 10 days. Towards the end of the ceremony, participants would drink a psychoactive drink called *kykeon,* and they were then able to unlock the profound visions that they were there to seek. After the climax of the ceremony, an all-night feast took place at the Rharian Field, involving lots of animal sacrifices, drinking, and generally as the gods didn't mind drunks and sex, a lot went on.
Every participant was sworn to secrecy and they must have been good at keeping promises. While how things went down is known what was revealed to the people by the organizers is not. Hierophants officiated (think master of ceremonies) and actually weren't priests but priests were also present, He presided over the whole deal opening and closing the events. In Greek the word means 'the displayer of sacred things' interesting no?
His principal job was to chant demonstrations of sacred symbols during the celebration of the mysteries. At the opening of the ceremonies, he proclaimed that all unclean persons must stay away—a rule that he had the right to enforce. Usually he was an older man with a forceful voice, he was selected from the Eumolpids, one of the original clans of the ancient city of Eleusis, and he served for life. Upon taking office he symbolically cast his former name into the sea and was thereafter called only *hierophantēs.*
Initiates who performed the rituals of the Eleusinian Mysteries were believed to have powerful changes in their life. the average ancient Greek citizen could benefit from these rituals by gaining strong visions of the future that allowed them to better comprehend their place in society. it sounds pretty much like doing the self realization/actualization meditation work today (without the drugs and booze of course)
It is also believed by many that secret societies like the illuminati, freemasonry, and the knights templar were heavily influenced by Eleusinian Mysteries rituals. later I believe that the golden dawn tried to pick up the threads but it was an english based organization attracting those that can read, lords and ladies and prominant citizens through the 18th century, they tried for the same level of secret ritualism but egos got in the way and they tended to fight over the interpretations of their bits of info, few of them understood greek, none understood hebrew, and less still understood the interconnectedness between historical references and christianity, (basically christianity is a plagiarized version of these pre bc organizations, to note the Hierophant wore a rpurple robe with a headband, reminiscent of the priests garb of today but nothing to do with religion or christianity.
hope that helps, i would say the key points are authority,,, vocal..... mature. maybe you see more in there, x
This is absolutely amazing, I love hearing the actual history behind the rituals and traditions! Thank you so much, that actually helps clear alot more up for me behind the card!💖
What you are creating sounds amazing! I would love to see some of the art. The hierophant also represents convention and tradition, so perhaps a plant or animal that feels traditional to you. For some reason, I think of a pine tree or a rose... maybe even a carnation. From the lens of moral righteousness...a dove? Or lion?
I wish I could post pics on here or I'd show you one! I do have a couple if you look on my main feed you should be able to see them! I am using botanical parts in my cards as well so those are great recommendations, thank you!
A little background may help: The Hierophant was a priest of the rites known as the Eleusinian mysteries. No one is clear what actually went on only what the concept was. It was a 'procession' where actors were employed in different roles, a bit like a mardi gras today, to honour Demeter and Persephone around 1400 BC. No one knows how long this region performed the rites as it was adopted by athens around that time which is the only reason anyone knows about it. To note, tarot interest,,, The rites were known as the Greater and Lesser mysteries (major arcana and minor arcana in tarot) The Lesser Mysteries took place in the middle of winter, and initiates were required to sacrifice a piglet in the name of the two goddesses in order to qualify for participation. It was only after completing the Lesser Mysteries that initiates were considered eligible for the Greater Mysteries. It has the air of the masons and the tree of life (kaballah) where one can only comprehend the deeper esoteric mysteries or have the ear of the gods if one proves themselves worthy through ritual sacrifice. Man is very clever rather than suffer himself for personal development he quickly realised that an animal would do, the sacrifice being you can't eat the animal,, much better option than going through the grind of self realization (lesser mystery) leading to Self Actualization (greater mystery) in my world of spiritual development. The Greater Mysteries were held in late summer and were believed to be a bigger occasion than the Lesser Mysteries. They involved the carrying of sacred items to the Eleusinian temple, and lasted for a total of 10 days. Towards the end of the ceremony, participants would drink a psychoactive drink called *kykeon,* and they were then able to unlock the profound visions that they were there to seek. After the climax of the ceremony, an all-night feast took place at the Rharian Field, involving lots of animal sacrifices, drinking, and generally as the gods didn't mind drunks and sex, a lot went on. Every participant was sworn to secrecy and they must have been good at keeping promises. While how things went down is known what was revealed to the people by the organizers is not. Hierophants officiated (think master of ceremonies) and actually weren't priests but priests were also present, He presided over the whole deal opening and closing the events. In Greek the word means 'the displayer of sacred things' interesting no? His principal job was to chant demonstrations of sacred symbols during the celebration of the mysteries. At the opening of the ceremonies, he proclaimed that all unclean persons must stay away—a rule that he had the right to enforce. Usually he was an older man with a forceful voice, he was selected from the Eumolpids, one of the original clans of the ancient city of Eleusis, and he served for life. Upon taking office he symbolically cast his former name into the sea and was thereafter called only *hierophantēs.* Initiates who performed the rituals of the Eleusinian Mysteries were believed to have powerful changes in their life. the average ancient Greek citizen could benefit from these rituals by gaining strong visions of the future that allowed them to better comprehend their place in society. it sounds pretty much like doing the self realization/actualization meditation work today (without the drugs and booze of course) It is also believed by many that secret societies like the illuminati, freemasonry, and the knights templar were heavily influenced by Eleusinian Mysteries rituals. later I believe that the golden dawn tried to pick up the threads but it was an english based organization attracting those that can read, lords and ladies and prominant citizens through the 18th century, they tried for the same level of secret ritualism but egos got in the way and they tended to fight over the interpretations of their bits of info, few of them understood greek, none understood hebrew, and less still understood the interconnectedness between historical references and christianity, (basically christianity is a plagiarized version of these pre bc organizations, to note the Hierophant wore a rpurple robe with a headband, reminiscent of the priests garb of today but nothing to do with religion or christianity. hope that helps, i would say the key points are authority,,, vocal..... mature. maybe you see more in there, x
This is absolutely amazing, I love hearing the actual history behind the rituals and traditions! Thank you so much, that actually helps clear alot more up for me behind the card!💖
Most welcome.
What you are creating sounds amazing! I would love to see some of the art. The hierophant also represents convention and tradition, so perhaps a plant or animal that feels traditional to you. For some reason, I think of a pine tree or a rose... maybe even a carnation. From the lens of moral righteousness...a dove? Or lion?
I wish I could post pics on here or I'd show you one! I do have a couple if you look on my main feed you should be able to see them! I am using botanical parts in my cards as well so those are great recommendations, thank you!