Confusing History and Stories

From the Alchemical Tarot Renewed, the Hierophant; from the Oracle of the Radiant Sun, 'Sun in Cancer:'

When we cease to confuse history and stories, when we look at traditional stories outside the context of literal truth and sectarian debate, we are freer to appreciate the imaginative truths they convey.

—Rita Gross 

          An honest scientist will tell you that truth is never set in concrete - the atom was once thought to be the smallest particle in the physical world, for example. The Hierophant has his own set of symbolic truths, but over time these ideas can move from metaphorical to literal. Tradition becomes not a meaningful, passed-down way of doing things, but Truth. Yet as Iris Murdoch reminds us, "We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality."
          The Sun in Cancer represents the need for emotional connection and a desire to securely protect it. That connection may come in the form of things or people, and it may veer into attachment rather than sentiment or care because we see the object as a resource. We might need it so we don't want to let it go. Yet in order to avoid hoarding traditions, things or people, we need to take a closer look at the fearful 'why' behind the behavior. Do these things or people help us or hold us back from making beneficial progress? Perhaps true resourcefulness would be in letting go of what no longer is useful to make room for what could be.