Is the Hierophant Woke?
The card I drew for today’s card of the day – the Hierophant - took me down an unexpected philosophical path. If you are familiar with tarot, you know that in the classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the Hierophant looks very much like a pope. It reminded me of how, days after Pope Leo XIV's election on May 8, 2025, social media users began sharing a meme claiming the new pontiff had delivered a message embracing the concept of being "woke." More specifically, he was quoted as saying, “To be called 'woke' in a world that sleeps through suffering is no insult — it is Gospel.” It has since come to light that the pope did not actually say this; however, the meme has been shared and re-shared online so many countless times that it seems to have taken on a life of its own.
In modern parlance, the term woke initially meant being awake to social injustice, particularly around issues of racism and inequality. It signified a heightened awareness of systemic oppression and a commitment to addressing it. The word became a shorthand for progressive consciousness not only about race, but also gender, LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice, and other forms of social inequality. However, as the term entered mainstream usage, it began to shift and fragment in meaning. Critics—especially from conservative or anti-progressive circles—started using "woke" in a derogatory way to describe what they saw as overly sensitive or ideologically rigid activism. As a result, the word now carries a polarized connotation, simultaneously representing a call for awareness and justice for some, and a symbol of cultural overreach for others.
It’s interesting that the classic meaning of the Hierophant centers on conservative views of tradition, spiritual authority, and structured belief systems; “the shoulds and oughts in your life that link you to traditional values.”[1] It is closely associated with orthodoxy, conventional values, and the transmission of knowledge through established systems like religion, academia, or cultural traditions.
At the very heart of every spiritual ideology is there not a nugget of belief that spiritual growth results from transcending the material world by learning to serve others as a way of expressing love for God? And is not the leader of any spiritual group responsible of overseeing such spiritual growth? So, even though the Pope did not actually utter those words, I think the energy of a spiritual leader standing up to a world whose value system seems to have forgotten the very premise of spiritual truth – that we are here to love one another – is a actually the way things should be. IMHO, in a perfect world the Pope would, indeed, be ‘woke’.
[1] Tarot Reversals – Mary K. Greer
