The Hierophant

I just finished my morning prayers on the front balcony of my apartment when a barely visible speck of dust captures my attention as it floats aimlessly along with the breeze. However, when it flits about in a zigzag trajectory its true nature is revealed. This teeny, tiny flying insect made an impression on me. My previous focus had been on the divine and then to watch the comings and goings of a mundane mini-moth, seemingly oblivious to my presence, solidifies my insignificance. With this humbling thought in mind it’s the perfect time for Torah studies. The Zohar, an ancient Kabbalistic text, and Deuteronomy engross me for about an hour until a strong sense draws me to turn on the news. “White Smoke”. "We Have A Pope." 

A few nights ago, I watched the movie, “Conclave”. It brought me to tears and today is the same. I am not even Catholic, nevertheless, with great anticipation I await the grand reveal. Who is he? 

“Peace be with you all” are the first words Pope Leo XIV said from the papal balcony to the throngs congregating at the Vatican, plus the billions of people who watched the broadcasts from Italy. The whole world needs to hear his words.

I am reminded of the tarot card, The Hierophant, an archaic term for the high priest of the Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece. In some decks this card is known as The Pope and is 5th or V in the suit of Trumps. Generally, the tarot takes a limited view and interprets it as a teacher, keeper of traditions, or the need to consult a priest, rabbi or other religious person. However, The Hierophant represents the reveler of the mysteries, a mortal’s link to the divine, and the great teacher of spiritual tradition, it's rituals and symbolisms. I have a strong connection to this card. For decades it signified my desire to know the divine and mysterious aspects of life. Of course, I make no claim to be a Pope or even a pious person. At best, I am a minor prophet. In biblical times there were thousands of us, and these days there must be millions.

Anyway, I prefer the tarot’s association to the Hebrew alphabet whose numbering is 1-22, although the numerical value of a letter might not coincide with its alphabetical order. In a traditional deck the suit of Trumps go from 0-21. The Hierophant corresponds to the 6th Hebrew letter, Vav. She means a "hook," "nail," or "peg," as in to attach or secure something. Grammatically, Vav usually operates as a conjunction, such as the English word "and”. Symbolically, she represents the connection between heaven and earth, and us to God. 

The Holy See is a sovereign city-state of the Roman Catholic Church, with its capital in Vatican City. The Pope is its premier official and also the spiritual leader to millions of people around the world. Now ordained as a divine being, he is no longer a mere Cardinal. The King or Queen of England is also the ordained spiritual leader of the Church of England and sits on the throne, the center of the global British Commonwealth. Meanwhile, the movers and shakers in the Republican party try to insert Donald Trump into this special class of superior beings. Probably it’s to distract from his criminality and corrupt regime. They are certain his voters have moved past the teachings of Jesus, who they view as weak and too woke. Instead they elected a swindler and a deeply flawed man for President of the United States, who pretends to be a pope and posts photos of himself in pope-ish costumes on his social media platform.

Ah, I find myself once again contemplating the divine to then thoughts of an insect. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking but maybe a do-over, a real life adaptation of Franz Kafka's book, "Metamorphosis" and a name change from Gregor Samsa is in order. This time the pest is Donald Trump. These days, it is imperative to know the distinction between the sacred and a bug, those who are supremely dignified and those who bring shame to our everyday work world.

Street Tarot

The Willing Isolationist

Some of us are called to leave the ordinary, everyday, work world and isolate from others. History is replete with individuals who find it necessary to live outside of their

community, even if it's only for awhile. Whether it is to create a space to think, make music, meditate, paint, or write, some folks are not exactly social beings everyday, all of the time. As a twin, I personally had a fascination with aloneness from a young age and developed a deep inner universe full of questions, wonder, and where books kept me company.

Stick your head in the sand about politics, or prefer to not watch the news about Hamas' sadistic massacre of Israelis; although it's understandable because many reading this post are empathetic and we feel it, are not types of social isolation at focus here. Rather, of interest is a particular kind of isolating that hinges on one's intention. I'm reminded of the tarot card The Hermit. Traditionally, he is depicted as a contemplative, hooded old man who holds a shinning lantern atop a mountain. He's not up there because he hates people. Quite the opposite. He will become a beacon of light in the darkness for many. You see, The Hermit willing isolates but has a simultaneous ethical and moral obligation to return to the city he once seemingly abandoned to share the light of his recently obtained wisdom.

Moses comes down from Mount Sinai, sees the Golden Calf, goes back up the mountain where the hand of God engraves the Ten Commandments, then Moses goes back down the mountain, deals with idolators, and moves the Tent outside and away from the the Israeli encampment, away from any further impurities due to the idolatry. Now it is called the Tent of Meeting where Moses speaks to the Lord God face to face . (Exodus 33:6-11)

Moses is an archetype for the isolationist who seeks to purify himself, to receive knowledge and then becomes a guiding light for others. For our purposes, of course the mountain is a metaphor, but purification rituals and isolation for a time can be real. In this context: Jesus in the wilderness; the shamanic practices of the Yanomamo in the Amazonian forest requires a period of social isolation, time to connect to the animal and plant spirits, and then heal fellow villagers; or a spiritual seeker doing an intense meditation retreat in Big Sur, California is Moses-lite when she returns to her Berkley neighborhood compelled to open an apothecary store selling supplements and vitamins. At it's best, even a period of depression coupled with loneliness can be a vehicle to connect with your spiritual core. Heal thyself before you can heal others. Often people turn to God in their darkest hour. As the famous Psalm 23 emphasizes, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

What we do with this divine guidance is a personal question to answer. It may include a greater-than-oneself purpose. However, it is understandable not everyone can achieve the mountaintop, or be like Moses, a great statesman who lead a group of people to become a nation. However, his example, which I term "Moses-lite" is embedded in the tarot card, The Hermit. In a traditional deck it is ninth in the suit of Trumps. In my humble opinion, never mind that useless sequencing. The Hermit correlates to the 10th letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which is Yud. She sometimes sounds like a "y" as in yes, or is used as a vowel. Her numerical value is also 10. Her symbolic meaning is perfectly fitting to our analysis since Yud is associated with the guiding hand of God.

As a meditation, use her sacred geometry to visualize sending blessings of wellbeing to yourself, and others, even your foes. Now, imagine the divine hand sprinkling many Yuds over yourself or others, as if the letters were tiny flower petals raining down guidance and protection.

In Psalm 23, it's not exactly a rod and staff that's imperative, rather, it is the symbolic hands holding those now sacred objects that leads one to safety. The Yud informs us the function of a guide and guidance is precisely the role of The Hermit when she comes down from the mountain, or returns after a silent retreat. This isolationist may be likened to a modern day prophet if she takes up the virtuous conduct to give back and share her new found wisdom. Frankly, not everyone can afford a luxury retreat facing the Pacific Ocean or is a shamanic initiate. In the hustle of our everyday, work world it is not easy being single and loneliness is rampant. However, the modern day Hermit pushes through negativity. He takes heed of his mystical calling and willingly goes it alone wherever. Later, he hopes to return to the hoi palloi and share what he has discovered.

There is a tale about a boy. The villagers thought him a fool because after school he would spend a long time alone in the forests. Children were usually afraid of these places. It was here, by himself, where he found the quiet time to contemplate the wonders of God. This boy was born in 1698, in the Ukraine, and would later be called, Rabbi Israel "the Baal Shem Tov", a famous Jewish mystic, healer, and the founder of Hassidism. One story tells of when he saw the Jewish people threatened by tragedy, the Besht (an acronym for the Rabbi) would go to a particular place in the forest where he lit a fire, recited a particular prayer, and asked for a miracle to save the Jews from the threat. Because of the Holy Fire and faithfulness of the prayer, the miracle was accomplished, averting the tragedy.

On October 15, 2023, the Jewish community and neighbors of many faiths followed the Besht's ritual when we gathered in the Santa Barbara town square. Although not a forest, we lit candles to memorialize the lose of innocent lives recently murdered by "Hamas" in Israel, and prayed to God for the miracle of Peace with the Palestinians.

Street Tarot

Zombie World

Listless, I could not write or read anything of substance except to do google searches about feeling flu-ish with a stuffed up nose, dry cough, an even drier throat, and loss of appetite. These symptoms put a stop to me smoking weed. Initially, I didn't want any, but a few days without marijuana or cannabis, I was living in a zombie world. My inner dialogue, which is helpful or prosecutorial at times, and that small voice of intuition and sagely wisdom were silenced. It’s as if the authentic part of me had annihilated itself. Creatively emptied and spiritually closed off a void had replaced my imaginative sources. In this state of non-being you'd think Donald Trump would be tolerable, but I stopped following the news about him, his crowd, their corruption and power grabs. I didn't want to talk to anyone, either. People began to get on my nerves, especially the narcissistic type. They act as if they're doing you a favor when the spotlight briefly drifts towards you. My solitude was a comfort. However, Valentine’s Day seemed an abomination. You cannot escape it. Symbols of our collective myth of romantic love are everywhere. Ugh! Nevertheless, love and to be loved have an extremely strong tug on your soul these days. Consequently, I knew the challenge was to find my way back from zombie into a more balanced life

A form of psychological equilibrium is when your inner universe pours into the everyday, work world, and vice versa. It is where the mundane meets the realm of personal archetypes in order for the miraculous to occur in daily life. Instead of being annoyed by people accompanied by self loathing, you now can love others and yourself in a wholesome, fruitful way. Presumably, this is the opposite of the dull life of the walking dead. I was finding out more and more about this in real time. I already knew something about the return from death. For most of my life I avoided zombie movies but did watch “The Night of the Living Dead” when it was first released. As a university student, I studied magic and the dark arts from an anthropological perspective. A few years later, I was left for dead when a perfect stranger violently attacked me. “My Random Death - A Memoir” is my story of being "twice-born" which is a different result than becoming a zombie. The book is available on-line through Amazon or Barnes & Nobles. Go to the Home page of this website for the links

Speaking for myself, marijuana is a vehicle to my creative sensibilities and it’s absence left me a zombie, and a "couch-potato". Go figure! Most people become a slouch after smoking lots of heavy pot. My only desire was to watch football games, film noir, martial arts or mysteries movies, and crime dramas. The good news is my night dreams became more vivid than vague. Some were melodramatic romances with attractive, somewhat familiar men, and the thriller-kind where I am lost in an unknown city and lose my wallet or cell phone, or people chase me through a strange building. However one dream did stand out. Whereas the others occurred as night scenes and indoors, in this particular dream it was dusk, the time between light and darkness and my favorite. Also, it took place outside in beautifully colored, yet melancholy landscapes as I traveled around a strange country in a car with a fat man and a former law student of mine.

Anyway, the relatively empty state of my inner being remained the same for about a month. Without too many distractions the isolation enabled me to listen to my body and heal. At the onset of the illness, breathing was extremely difficult. A humidifier was ordered and delivered at 8:30 the next morning and my stuffed up nose, the cough, and dry throat were gone, eventually. I figured "weed" will not harm me. In my head, I listed the reasons to light-up again; in California it is legal, during the Covid shut downs pot stores were declared essential and they remained open for deliveries and curb side services, and so on. This quiet pep talk assured me my inner dialogue was on the mend too. It made me happy and certainly ready for a puff.

Almost immediately after taking a toke my intuition kicked in and informed me there was a critical error in my previous Street Tarot blog, The Night Teacher. The final drafted was done well before my illness started and was posted on this website around three weeks ago. Sure enough, something needed to be fixed and I edited and republished the piece. In addition, the creative juices of mine started to trickle through and this zombie blog came into being. My inner world was coming more alive.

For sure, my attitude towards smoking marijuana has changed, somewhat, with the realization “pot” is a tool to bring my inner and outer states into balance. Before this epiphany weed was a constant companion. I over used it. Marijuana has a few down sides. For those people who are allergic to it one puff can be dangerous and even fatal. Some people get paranoid since smoking releases negative thoughts and memories, which can overload the emotions, drain you of self-confidence, and put you in a spin-cycle of rehashing bad decisions, sad experiences, and scary outcomes over and over again. We also have to discuss the "munchies”. Weed can fire up the taste buds. Unfortunately, it becomes a bottomless pit to feed the appetite. On the other hand, in zombie world you don't eat much and don’t desire sweet things, including desserts, which was one positive feature.

I am reminded of the tarot card, Temperance. It represents moderation, equilibrium, and when "death is no longer feared, body and soul can integrate with one another, creating balance and a centered self in the midst of moving energies" - from the Motherpeace Tarot Deck. Usually, it shows an angelic being pouring water from one jug into another. Alister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot deck addresses the deeper meaning of this card. He labeled it "Art", and in collaboration with the artist, Lady Frieda Harris, it highlights the creative process where something new emerges from a mixture of opposites demonstrated in the colorings and symbols. The image on their card is of a medieval alchemist dressed in green. There are two different sides to her face as she pours the elements of fire in one hand and water from the other into a large caldron. Whether the name is Art or Temperance this card represents the courage to be measured but also to try new ways of integration. Balance can occur when you couple pain and sorrow with artistic expression. For example; sadness if aligned with music can produce a tune in the "Blues"genre, or a country ballad, and so on.

A traditional deck is numbered from 0-21. The Temperance card is the 14th or XIV in the Suit of Trumps. However, I prefer the tarot’s association with the Hebrew alphabet which goes from 1-22. The 15th letter is Samech. She symbolically means psychological support, such as to help someone who falls into depression, which includes yourself. This letter can also refer to a physical prop such as a ladder. Access to your inner world can bolster you in the outer, everyday work world and provide guidance for transformative decision making or to develop creative ideas into successful enterprises. The way you access this internal universe is personal, subjective, and ultimately your choice, however, achieving harmony is a key.

Street Tarot