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.

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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