The Hierophant

[viciousviolet]

From Tarot Oils

 

Something like mallow with a resin scent similar to frankincense. I can’t describe this one at all. It has a regal, distant quality to it, totally genderless. A commanding, regal perfume.

[Nadirah]

Mmm theres gotta be cinnamon in this, like a peppermint candy almost, with some hot spicey cinnamon in the backround. Maybe a bit of lemon, or even maybe almond?

Your right about it being genderless, its applicable to men and women and everything inbetween.

Mmm

[Electra]

The Hierophant is the bastard love-child of Hamadryad and The World.

 

Wet, I smell something strongly reminiscent of Hamadryad's woodsy cinnamon.

 

It dries down into The World's confusing but lovely cool-greenness-and-warm-spices combination (BTW, if you like the smell of Florida Water you should like this - it's a very similar scent) - it's pretty much a dead ringer on my skin, actually - BUT without turning into pencil shavings as The World does.

 

Fantastic. The Hierophant is one of my favorite cards, so I'm thrilled that I like the oil. A definite winner.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Astroabe kindly gifted me with an imp of this.

 

First sniff:

 

I can't remember what everyone else has said about this, but for me The Heirophant is soft and warm and comforting smelling. I smell cinnamon and maybe cloves...warm, cozy spices at any rate. This is so gorgeous. It's familiar somehow, too, but I don't know why...

 

Wet on skin:

 

I know why this smells so familiar now. It's smells like a very close relative of Three Witches. I never really got the pepper note from Three Witches, so it was just cinnamon and clove on me and that's almost exactly what The Heirophant smells like on me.

 

Dry down:

 

If I didn't know better, I'd swear I was wearing Three Witches. This is extremely close on my skin although there's something else here, too, something slightly woody smelling, although I can't pin it down. I love this and I like it even more since it's a damn good stand-in for my beloved Three Witches.

 

The bottom line:

 

I need a bottle of this, pure and simple. This would make a great winter scent for curling up with a good book in front of a fire. Gorgeous; just gorgeous.

[scourgeotheseas]

The Hierophant

 

In the bottle: Green, herbal – sharp but not unpleasant.

 

On me: It warms up to a spicy blend on my skin. It seems to share a base note with the World(?). Even though it’s sharper in the bottle, it’s not like that on the skin at all. Over time, this turns to Oriental spice and then sweetens up. Wow! Lovely!

 

I need to get more of this.

[brownbat]

Cinnamony, but very sweet and light cinnamon. I almost feel as if there is some lotus in the blend giving it that lighter, watery sensation. This is a very pleasant, not in your face kind of cinnamon scent.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle it is very herbal, like a cousin to the lion

 

as soon as it touches my skin it becomes very cinnamony, and cloves, and pepper, and possibly a hint of i think lime but almost like lime pith not the flesh i agree w/ holly, it is a relative of three witches altho it has a wee bit something else.

[Jessica]

Is there cinnamon in this? I'm allergic to cinnamon, and I'm not getting any reactions, thus far. I can vaguely smell what might be a cinnamon note, but its isn't distinct enough for me to pin point.

 

This reminds me of Gluttony. Not so much a warm, foody smell as Gluttony, but they have to share something in their makeup.

 

The smell, over all, is pleasant and comforting. It might be a little too strong and spicey for me. I'm glad I got to try this one out - thanks shelldoo!

[isyche]

The Hierophant is spicy-foody. Another Tarot with cinnamon, but it's like cinnamon cookie dough or something – there's another note backing it up that gives it a sweet heaviness. Almond maybe? It makes me think of an orangey-brown color; there's no green in this on me.

 

I can't think of an association to the card at present, but it's a nice enough scent.

[Nepthys]

The Hierophant is not what I expected - it's always seemed such a dour card to me and yet this scent is warm, mysterious and regal; something I'd associate more with the Strength card perhaps. Anyhow. In the imp this smelled vaguely woody and dark. But on my skin it turned just gorgeous - a warm spicy cinnamon and wood scent that married my favorite parts of Eclipse and Three Witches and Cathedral and Tushnamatay. All of the BPAL cinnamon scents thus far have been likeable at first and then too much for me; the Hierophant strikes the perfect balance.

[Witch's Dagger]

The Hierophant

 

This was a part of the Tarot swap - since I need to review all of them in a very short time, this will be a brief review.

 

Preconceived notions: Frankincense and myrrh...

 

In the vial: Cinnamon, and yes, I think there’s incense (unfortunately, despite my “preconceived notions”, I really don’t know what frankincense or myrrh smell like on their own)

 

On me: Lots and lots of cinnamon, and of the Red Hot variety, not the dry spice.

 

In 20 minutes: Still very cinnamon, with a syrupy cherry note.

 

Overall:

This is not me, nor does it seem very much like the Hierophant. I’m glad I got to try it.

[slave1]

THE HIEROPHANT: Tarot Oil

 

In Bottle: Frankincense?

 

On Skin: It smells very incensey but also piney. Light and soft with a nice green note. The incense gives it spice but it’s not overwhelming. Also maybe pepper, clove or cinnamon in the background?

[sarada]

A very high, light, airy cinnamon -- it's not burning my skin the way Three Witches, Mercury or other cinnamon-containing blends did, but I'm still not wild about cinnamon and that makes me draw back a little. I've always drawn back a little from the Hierophant card though as it looks very religious and makes me feel a little uncomfortable. But I love "churchy" smells -- wood and resin. Cathedral and Penitence are just about my favorite things on earth. I can smell a bit of that incense in here -- the light, airy resins of Cathedral, overlayed with a very bright but not-hot cinnamon. It's very nice, but I know I wouldn't wear it because I don't really feel the need to get closer to this card and I am turned off by cinnamon in a lot of blends. It tends to overwhelm everything else and just always smells "cheap" to me even though I know that the lab's cinnamon is of high quality. My brain just doesn't interpret cinnamon favorably.

 

The resins certainly remind me of the Hierophant imagery though and I imagine this would go over very well if you like cinnamon!

 

ETA: Tried this again and I have a better idea of the notes now. BAM! Pure frankincense and cinnamon. The cinnamon still turns my skin red but you know what? It's working for me this time. Maybe this is a fresher imp (it's fresh from the BPTP!). Oh yes this is the lab's frankincense and I love it! I'm becoming more open to cinnamon once I get past the burning stage but wow, this is nice in every stage. I suddenly want a bottle of this!!! It smells like some of the Japanese incense that I like, where resins/woods and cinnamon are combined to delightful effect.

Edited December 25, 2005 by sarada

[vyvyan]

I've got two notes in my file, from imps I got in the same swap. Severin says "Lemon? There's lemon in this?" The Hierophant says "Cedar? There's cedar in this?"

 

Oooops.

 

There must be cedar here; my skin is *merciless* when it comes to cedar in blends. Instantly, as soon as I put it on, the cedar and the cinnamon are grappling in a fight to the death. Sadly, it's not a fight either of them are going to win, and they slowly sink to the floor, fingers still locked in chokeholds on each other's necks.

 

Which is a quick way of saying - *wow* with the wood and the spice, and it really doesn't last very long on me. It's nice enough, and I can see really liking it on specific days in winter, but I'm picky and only keep stuff I utterly love. Glad I got to try it, as otherwise it would have haunted me *Forever*. Off to swaps!

[PurringPulsar]

The Hierophant

 

In the imp: soft cinnamon and a soft floral scent which I've noticed in many tarot oils.

Wet on skin: mm, this is a nice, comforting cinnamon and sweet floral scent. There's also a hint of orange, something like orange sherbet warmed by cinnamon.

Dry on skin: the cinnamon is lovely in here, and there's still that sweet fruity or floral scent- I still don't know what it is, but it's lovely. This reminds me of a more down to earth version of the Sun. I think there's sandalwood in here as well. There may also be cloves here, it's sweet-spicy and warm.

After a while: now the blend changes, the sweet floral gives way to a deeper, woodier scent. It's possibly a blend of cedar and sandalwood, with warm cinnamon, and maybe some incense, as there is a wonderful smokiness here, and it's slightly green as well. It feels calming, grounding and meditative, almost sacred. It has a similar vibe to the World, but not as deep and earthy. This one is more smoky and spicy.

Verdict: at first, this is a soothing, sweet, lightly spiced fruity-floral scent, but then changes to a lovely warm smoky smell of wood and cinnamon with a waft of incense. This is a nice blend of wither sandalwood or cedar, maybe both, with cinnamon, and possibly sweet incense. This feels grounding, soothing and warming, almost meditative, mysterious and sacred with a regal air. I am impressed with these tarot oils, and this one is another one that I really like.

[tempete]

The Hierophant is initially all about the cinnamon, and then a woody note creeps in during the drydown. I don't like smelling like cinnamon or wood, so this decant is no longer with me.

[allidavie]

The Heirophant is my soul card and also my personality card, I guess someone's trying to tell me something. And considering I'm a lawyer I guess that it's appropriate.

 

The Heirophant was the first tarot imp I ever smelled and I remembered disliking it, because it was too heavy and spicy, but I hung onto it because it was "my" card. Now that I'm retrying it as part of my I've got all the tarots imp decantorama I really like it.

 

Cinnamony, without being burny or too sweet, incense, resin, spices, its really gorgeous. Probably more of a winter perfume, but definitely one to try!

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Oooh woody.

 

Just On: Oh yes, this has wood in it, and I like it.

 

An hour or two later: Gosh, this is fading quickly. Hints of wood left, not much else.

 

Around 6 hours: Barely wood left, a hint sweet.

 

12 hours: It all went away now.

 

Overall: I like it.

 

After reading other reviews: What's with the cinnamon in tarot oils that I can't smell?

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Spicey, but not clearly cinnamon - just a round about spice

 

On me:

The Hierophant is the bastard love-child of Hamadryad and The World.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

This is PRECISELY what I was thinking about The Heirophant when I wore it today. It is strongly reminescent of The World at first - a sharp spice - cinnamon coming full force at first, but then back by something very green and herbally. It's a curious mixture, but not unpleasant at all. As it dries down, it becomes a more mellow, woodsy cinnamon - kind of soft - not candy like and sharp as it was at first. The herbal smell is still there, but it's also softened as well and now this reminds me a great deal of Hamadryad.

 

Final note:

Aside from the cinnamon, distinct notes are hard to pick out in this. But it is very nice. I'm not quite sure I need a bottle of this, given that I like Hamadryad more and it reminds me a lot of that. But I just might!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: almost sweet, but not quite. there's some sort of incense-like scent there, too.

on: i only put a tiny bit on because, well, cinnamon. this is strong and fiery. it actually hurts my nose a little to smell it.

1 hour later: cinnamon. this is making my hand itch a little.

1 hours later: lighter, but still all cinnamon.

overall: this is, clearly, not something i can wear.

[brownbear]

In the imp and wet on my skin: Warm, foody, a little woody, cinnamon. And a little bit of nut? like chestnut? and rootbeer?

 

As it dried it went through a very herby stage. Then it went back to the original scent, but much much lighter. It ends up being a very light woody cinnamon or cassia.

[QueenFae]

This is a very strong cinnamon scent. It's the sort of cinnamon smell that's like fresh sticks of it right out of your spice cabinet. There's something under the cinnamon, a little sweet clove perhaps? This is the blend for cinnamon lovers, it's like a bottle of liquid red hots.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Cinnamon and frankincense? It's definitely cinnamon, but with an incense edge and resin undertone.

On me: Cinnamon. Pretty much just pure cinnamon on me. That incense edge is still there, making the blend a little smokier, but mostly it is happy red cinnamon sticks.

[Little Bird]

First on this reminds me a bit of Kostnice. A sort of herbaly frankincense scent. Very nice. After a few minutes, there is definitely cinnamon coming out. And maybe some pepper. This is very spicy and I'm in love .

 

After about a half hour this is mostly cinnamon and clove, but with a definite woodsy scent underneath it all. Maybe some cedar?

 

This is a lovely warm scent. I'll probably keep my decant and use it up over the chilly winter months.

[Undine]

I got this card in a Tarot reading last night, so I decided to test this out today.

 

When I apply this, it's very woody and reminds me of Hamadryad, but (I think) with a bit less cinnamon and a little greener or more herbal, like a little touch of Yddgrasil. The greenness fades quickly, but this blend reminds me of leather, books, and church pews, perfect for the Hierophant: learning and knowledge, the old-school way. A little waxy, even, like burning candles.

 

It's interesting to me that some other folks get a lot of cinnamon from this, but I don't get an overwhelming amount. It's the first time that cinnamon hasn't kind of bugged me in a blend. It seems relatively faded compared to what Beth usually uses. I don't know if it's a different type, if it's aged (although I don't think it is, since OriginalWacky just decanted these), or if it's mitigated for me by some other element in the blend.

 

The only downside is that the waxy smell comes to be strong, so that on drydown I smell a lot like ... well, like a crayon. It's actually quite a good replica of a crayon, but not as Hierophant-y any more.

 

I didn't notice the frankincense on my own, but now that I think about it, I could definitely see there being some in here. Again, it's not a ton, so it doesn't really overwhelm me, as it can. And it blends quite nicely with the cinnamon.

 

I find this a very gentle, studious scent, if also slightly suggesting someone a little rigid at times, as the Hierophant can be. Its air of solitary study also reminds me a bit of the Hermit.

 

I think I may try this in a spray or with lotion to try to increase its throw and the lasting power of the non-waxy elements. As it is, the waxy portion is the one that throws and lasts the best. Still, it's quite nicely done. I find it soothing and a good companion to study. On my scale, a 4 out of 5.