There are certain cards that repel us more than others - maybe because we don’t like their message in relation to the question we’ve asked, or because we don’t quite grasp the concepts they represent, or they just seem too “out there” - not at all relatable to everyday life.

The other day we opened up a poll asking others what card challenged them most, giving 4 options to choose from, as follows: Judgement, The Hierophant, The Tower, and The Hanged Man. I can’t say I was surprised that The Hierophant rose above the rest, even if it wasn’t by any huge margin. But what specifically about The Hierophant put it in top place? Why do we find this particular archetype so difficult, and what can be done to reconcile this?

This is the second edition of what I hope to be a regular feature on this site - Reading In The Flow: Cards in Combination. If you missed the first post, “Reading In The Flow” is a term I use to describe taking a bird’s eye view of a spread to observe all the ways in which the cards interact.

Earlier in the week, I shared the first post in this series which looked at The Tower, the 8 of Swords, and the 10 of Pentacles in combination. Today, with the help of my partner Tim, we will be breaking down another 3 cards in combination. I’m pulling Tim into this because a) we love to look at this stuff together and b) he brings a depth of knowledge that will allow for some advanced exploration and another layer of understanding.

The three cards we’ll be using for today’s exercise came by way of a suggestion on Instagram. They are The Hierophant, The High Priestess, and the 2 of Cups. I have arranged them in triangle formation like last time and have not ascribed a question or positional meanings. This is a general reading where the cards are meant to be read in tandem.

Did you know that 2021 is a Collective Year 5 (corresponding to the The Hierophant) and that each of us, based on our month+day of birth, enter into a new personal number each year? If you want to find out where you are for this coming year, simply add your birth month + birth day + 2021. Keep adding and reducing until you get a single digit!

For example, if you were born on Dec. 22, like myself, the formula would look like this:

1+2+2+2+2+0+2+1 = 12
1+2= 3

What does this mean though? Below I will provide a VERY brief overview of the themes for each year, but for a comprehensive outlook you’ll need to grab the guide!