"depending on the context. In the case of the Hierophant, the positive side is that he is to be understood as the gatekeeper of the mysteries. He teaches divine wisdom to those prepared to receive and understand it; he opens the gate for those who are eager to find the god in themselves. In the negative sense, he is the gatekeeper of the mysteries who refuses to do his job. Instead he keeps the gate tightly shut and locked so that none can enter."

This would be also my interpretation of the Heirophant, I would LOOSELY associate him with highest aspect of the archetype of Jupiter/Sagittarius in astrology.

VI (Lovers)

i've always been confused by this card.

does this mean romantic love or something else?

"Tower often means change. It urges us to clear the slate and rebuild on that experience. Clearing the slate when the Tower card comes about can be very painful as we often place an attachment on what had been destroyed. Some examples of the Tower card in an individual's reading could point to a divorce or the loss of a job, all of which might seem unwarranted and destructive."

I often find the Tower to be a very humbling card. It basically shows that no matter how much materialism and security we draw around ourselves, 'God' can still destory it in a heartbeat, because it is less real than he is. Perhaps an esoteric interpretation. It reminds me of the Tower of Babel, where the people sought to be able to reach heaven by material construction. They failed.
For me it warns against too much materialism, and too much attachment to what you've built up. Never let it distract you from spirituallity or God, the side-effect is painful change.

Temperance, called Art in the Thoth deck, refers to an old alchemical formula, "Visita Interiora Terrae, Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem." From its initials, this is known as the formula of Vitriol, the "Universal Solvent". But this refers to alchemical or occult vitriol, not to common or mundane vitriol.

Technically, the word vitriol means "the sulfate of of any of various metals," ( copper, iron, zinc, etc.). This sulfate often displays a glassy luster, which explains the derivation "vitriol" from "vitrum", the Latin for "glass." The more exact connotation in alchemical terms is to sulfuric acid, which is not really the Universal Solvent (a term with a more spiritual referent), but is a symbol of the Solvent. The Universal Solvent is presumed to dissolve any material form whatever. It is a formula for self-initiation.

In English, the term translates as, "Visit the Interior of the Earth, by Rectification Discover the Hidden Stone." Each of these terms must be understood in a metaphoric or spiritual sense, if we are to understand what the heck the formula means. First, what is the "Interior of the Earth"? In alchemical terms it is the interior of the soul of the alchemist himself. In this view, each person, each human consciousness stands at the exact center of his/her own private universe, since modern science has demonstrated the truth of the old mystical statement that "the universe is a sphere whose center is everywhere and whose surface is nowhere." As we sit in meditation, on planet Earth, the universe spreads out around us in all directions, so that if we were to set out in any given direction and follow it in a straight line, we would eventually come back to where we started but from the opposite side. So the instruction means to penetrate to the center of one's own mind and awareness, a meditative technique. Once there we are to engage in "Rectification", whatever that might be. To an alchemist, this refers to a process of repeated distillation and condensation. A liquid is distilled by application of heat to convert the liquid to a vapor. Then it is condensed by cooling to become a liquid again, in a purer form. In alchemy, this process is to be repeated over and over, bringing the original liquid to a more and more pure form. The liquid in this case is the human soul, often represented by liquid mercury. It is also recommended that the heat used should be a low, steady heat, continued for a long time, not a fiery, violent heat, but gentle, persuasive, calm and comforting. In terms of the soul, this is to be understood as a process of slow, careful refinement of the thoughts, feelings and sensibilities of one's own mind and soul.

And by this process, we are to find or discover the hidden stone. Which stone is this? Why, it's the philosopher's stone, of course, the Stone of the Wise, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness. The formula suggests a lot of very careful, steady, continuing work on oneself if we want to become true alchemists. Needless to say, this has nothing to do with making gold from lead, except in the sense of making a god from the weak human material we are forced to begin with. It is the way to become "more than human." And it takes fierce dedication and an incredible amount of work.

I can testify personally to the effectiveness of the formula. There was a time when I was experimenting with brainwave entrainment and hemisphere balancing. Using a theta rhythm DVD one day, I sank deeper and deeper into meditation. After a while, I suddenly realized with something of a shock that I had just experienced a period of no thought whatever. I only knew that some time had passed during which I was wide awake, but completely void of thought. How much time? No idea. This was the creation of the Universal Solvent that dissolved even the seeker himself. From that time on, I knew from experience that I do not, in fact, exist--or as I like to put it, "I am a product of my own imagination." This is the goal of alchemy; it is a realization of complete independence, perfect freedom. This is the Stone of the Wise by which every experience of our souls is translated into the pure gold of Perfect Happiness. Now the only problem is how to bring that gold back from the inner parts of the earth to illuminate our lives. But that is a lesson for another day. All you really need with today's technology is a tape or disk designed to entrain Theta rhythms and balance the brain's hemispheres, plus some experience in meditation and a dose of patience. Slow and steady wins the race at last.

In a reading, it may (rarely) mean the querent is advised to undertake this most sacred quest. More often, it reflects the promise that whatever project the querent may have underway will achieve success, but only after a complicated process of effort, stratagem and circuitous manouever. In these circumstances, the direct route will fail, the querent must approach his/her problems from a fresh angle and be prepared for a long, winding road to success.

I hope these notes prove useful,

With love under will,

Bob, Adastra,
The Wizzard of Jacksonville