Hierophant archetypal image (Tarot)

The encounter of the psyche with the images of a patriarch, ecclesiastical supreme dignitary, or lord-mayor type with keys to the city; or with porters, janitors, custodians, sextons and similar "key" figures, as well as with other roles connected with the power of entry, expresses one of the archetypes that lies deepest within the psyche. Most versions of the Tarot express this as the fifth emblem, which is the Hierophant (also called the Pope). The hierophant is represented as having the power to sanctify the temporal world, and two figures seen genuflecting or kneeling before him may be taken as the King and Queen in the following Tarot emblems, or psychologically as the ego and its desires and driving power.

In the Kabbalistic tree of sephiroth this emblem is said to correspond to the path between Chesed (kindness or mercy) or the pillar of mercy and Chokmah (wisdom).