Discipline and Delight: On the Hierophant Card in the Tarot
Wed Jan 28 2026
In this episode of Weird Studies, we turn to the fifth Major Arcanum, the Hierophant, symbolizing tradition, instruction, and the exoteric aspect of spiritual practice. Drawing on Meditations on the Tarot and other sources, we question the easy opposition between tradition and revolution, exploring instead how inherited forms can foster genuine inner growth, and how an interior revolutions may renew traditions from within.
To reserve seats for Weird Academia events, visit the website of the Center for Possible Minds.
References
Johann Sebastian Bach, F# minor Fugue from The Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 (played by Rosalyn Tureck)
Richard Wilhelm (trans.), The I Ching
J. R. R. Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings
P. D. Ouspensky, The Symbolism of the Tarot
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Our Known Friend, Meditations of the Tarot
Plato, "The Seventh Letter"
Alejandro Jodorowsky, The Way of Tarot
Dogen, Instructions for the Cook
Gilles Deleuze, Difference and Repetition
Weird Studies, Live at Illuminated Brew Works
Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist
G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Biographia Literaria vol. 1
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In this episode of Weird Studies, we turn to the fifth Major Arcanum, the Hierophant, symbolizing tradition, instruction, and the exoteric aspect of spiritual practice. Drawing on Meditations on the Tarot and other sources, we question the easy opposition between tradition and revolution, exploring instead how inherited forms can foster genuine inner growth, and how an interior revolutions may renew traditions from within. To reserve seats for Weird Academia events, visit the website of the Center for Possible Minds. References Johann Sebastian Bach, F# minor Fugue from The Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 (played by Rosalyn Tureck) Richard Wilhelm (trans.), The I Ching J. R. R. Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings P. D. Ouspensky, The Symbolism of the Tarot The Catechism of the Catholic Church Our Known Friend, Meditations of the Tarot Plato, "The Seventh Letter" Alejandro Jodorowsky, The Way of Tarot Dogen, Instructions for the Cook Gilles Deleuze, Difference and Repetition Weird Studies, Live at Illuminated Brew Works Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Biographia Literaria vol. 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices