Card of the Week: The Hierophant

When seeking knowledge, always be aware of its source.  A school, a church, a professional speaker, a guru or just a friend, even if their information is correct, may have a larger agenda.

The Hierophant is a teacher whose words emphasize tradition and conformity.  He is not a lone voice, but the representative of a large and well-established institution.  He might be able to direct you to important knowledge, but can also be rigid and opposed to change.  Even when his moral guidance seems sound, be wary of rules and edicts that are expected to be obeyed unquestioningly.

Inverted, this card suggests that a healthy doubt should be kept in mind.  Be aware of the difference between knowledge and dogma.  Look for facts to support teachings.  Question authority.

In “The Return of the Archons” the Enterprise searches for any trace of the starship Archon that had disappeared near planet Beta III a hundred years earlier.  A landing party meets a population mindless and vacant until a town clock strikes the Red Hour.  The entire village suddenly turns raucous, rioting wildly until the clock chimes again and the rowdiness ends as abruptly as it had begun.  When the landing party does not follow “the will of Landru,” robed Lawgivers accuse them of being Archons and take them into custody.  They implore, “Landru, guide us.”  Landru appears to them as a projection, eventually found to be recordings of the original leader from six thousand of years earlier, driven by an ancient computer system keeping the population docile.  Kirk destroys the computer, freeing themselves as well as the entire population.