The Messenger is an alternative way we can think of the Hierophant or High Priest in older decks. It holds the energy of teaching, educating oneself, questioning traditions, and finding inner meaning by following/ learning from traditions/ authority figures you actually trust.
How does the truth get passed down through the centuries? What leaders do you trust right now?
Who would you give your time and energy to study with/ learn from? Where does discipline and routine have a huge payoff for you?
What communities feel hopeful and loving/ supportive yet also have something to teach that has a lot of weight/ gravitas to it and you can’t deny it’s based in truth?
For me that community is a classical tantra community I started learning from last year. The teacher is fully transparent and clear about the lineage he teaches from (dating all the way back to 600 C.E.!). The tradition was one of the few that allowed women to be leaders/ gurus in the community way back then. This teacher wrote a 500 page book on his findings from these ancient cultures and their spiritual practices. He shares this information freely and openly via fb group, youtube, zoom, and his website. I feel this is a modern day example of the Hierophant or Messenger.
This card is very much a pull toward leaning from the past in a way that gives you so much truth & inner clarity that you devote yourself to the past’s teachings (through a messenger you trust) and emerge with a vision for the future.