I watched an interesting interview recently with Robert Falconer, author of The Others Within Us: Internal Family Systems, Porous Mind, and Spirit Possession. The conversation took place on the podcast Life with Ghosts, so naturally there was a fair amount of discussion about spirituality and the spirit world.
One statement in particular really caught my attention.
Falconer noted that in roughly 80% of human cultures, spirit possession is not feared — it’s actively sought out.
In other words, what we usually think of as something terrifying was historically considered a sign of spiritual ability and authority.
That sounds strange to modern ears, doesn’t it?
Yet this idea connects directly to the deeper meaning of the Tarot card known as The Hierophant.
Spiritual Possession in Human History
Falconer’s observation is supported by a long history of spiritual traditions around the world.
In ancient Greece, the Oracle at Delphi entered trance states to channel messages believed to come from the gods.
Many Native American traditions included vision quests, in which individuals sought altered states of consciousness in the wilderness to receive spiritual insight.
In the Vodun religion, practitioners are said to be “ridden” by the Loa, powerful spiritual beings who temporarily inhabit the body and communicate sacred knowledge.
Shamans in many cultures likewise enter trance states in order to commune with spirit animals and guiding entities.
In each of these traditions, the ability to enter such states was not seen as madness or danger. Instead, it was considered a spiritual skill—one that brought wisdom and prestige.
Even in modern times we still see echoes of this idea. For example, Esther Hicks claims to channel a collective group of spiritual beings known as Abraham. Meanwhile, in certain Christian traditions, believers seek spiritual ecstasy through speaking in tongues.
Across cultures and centuries, the basic idea remains the same: direct contact with the spirit world is a form of spiritual authority.
“Just the Tarot,” by Dan Adair – available on Amazon
The Hierophant and Religious Authority
This is where The Hierophant becomes particularly interesting.
In Tarot, the Hierophant represents traditional spiritual authority—the priests, teachers, and religious leaders who guide communities in matters of faith and morality.
Today, we tend to imagine these figures as scholars or counselors. They sit in offices, wear ceremonial clothing, and offer guidance based on established teachings.
But historically, that wasn’t the original source of their authority.
The earliest priests and priestesses were valued because they were believed to have direct experience with the spirit world. They entered trance states, communed with divine forces, and returned with knowledge that helped guide their communities.
Their authority came not from books or institutions, but from experience.
When Authority Becomes Control
Over time, however, something changed.
As religious institutions grew more powerful, the priestly class began to guard their spiritual authority carefully. Communication with the spirit world was increasingly presented as something that only certain sanctioned individuals were allowed to do.
Ordinary people were discouraged—or even forbidden—from seeking those experiences themselves.
Those who attempted to bypass the system could be labeled heretics or dangerous mystics.
At the same time, organized religion often promoted the idea that interacting with spirits was extremely risky. The spirit world, people were warned, was full of malevolent entities waiting to corrupt or destroy unwary seekers.
Modern horror films have reinforced this idea beautifully. The classic movie The Exorcist is perhaps the most famous example: a child possessed by a demon and saved only through the intervention of religious authority.
The True Meaning of the Hierophant
When the Hierophant appears in a Tarot reading, it often represents a teacher, mentor, or spiritual authority figure.
But the card invites us to ask an important question:
Is this person acting as a guide — or as a gatekeeper?
True spiritual teachers help others develop their own connection to the sacred. They share knowledge, offer guidance, and encourage personal exploration.
Authoritarian figures, on the other hand, demand obedience and insist that spiritual truth flows only through them.
The difference is crucial.
As Ram Dass once said:
“The second that you think you’re spiritual, you aren’t.”
The best Hierophants understand this. They see themselves not as masters, but as teachers and guides—people who have walked a path and are willing to help others walk it too.
Their role is not to control spiritual experience.
Their role is to help others discover it for themselves.
Just the Tarot 