THE HERMIT

"A Solitary Light"

Rider Waite Tarot

Pamela Coleman Smith

1909

Earth – Virgo

- upright -

· Solitude

· Withdrawal

· Knowledge

· Maturity

· Assistance

· Self-Reflection

· Soul Searching

· Introspection

· Contemplation

· Quiet Retreat

· Deep Intense Study

· A Teacher

· Immaturity

· Avoiding Responsibility

· Fear of People

· Loneliness

· Isolation

· Anti-Social

· Return to Society

· Involve with People

· Hyper-Social

· False Teacher

· Ignoring Inner Voice

· Working Alone

- Reversed -

Earth – Virgo

Rider Waite Tarot

Pamela Coleman Smith

1909

- upright -

· Solitude

· Withdrawal

· Knowledge

· Maturity

· Assistance

· Self-Reflection

· Soul Searching

· Introspection

· Contemplation

· Quiet Retreat

· Deep Intense Study

· A Teacher

- reversed -

· Immaturity

· Avoiding Responsibility

· Fear of People

· Loneliness

· Isolation

· Anti-Social

· Return to Society

· Involve with People

· Hyper-Social

· False Teacher

· Ignoring Inner Voice

· Working Alone

Indication:

You are at a pivotal moment in your life where you are re-evaluating your personal goals and purposes.
You are no longer satisfied by the transient superficialities of the external world.
It is time to set out to search for the answer in the wealth of your own inner realm.
Discover your inner guide and become well acquainted with your inner healer.
The goal of your path is to find your own inner voice and learn to listen to it.

Question to Ask:

Have you spent time with yourself, away from people and social engagements?
What message is your inner voice conveying to you now?
Can you find the answer that you are searching for within yourself?

Affirmation:

I enjoy my solitude.
I find the answer to my question in the search inward.
When I listen to no one but my own voice, I can hear the truth of my heart.

If the Hermit seemed about to plunge into the nether world of the unconscious, he was certain to encounter many of his own thought forms, even if they hid behind conventionalized symbolism. Like contemplation in the wilderness hermitage, solitude contemplation of the Tarot could lead to new kinds of insight.

— BARBARA G. WALKER, The Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History, and Symbolism (1984)

The Fountain Tarot

By Jonathan Saiz & Andi Todaro

2014

01. The Hermit is both a seeker and a guide. He searches for solitude, taking the lonely path. He asks for intentional isolation for solitary meditation. He wanders without fear of the dark and treacherous trail through the mountains of inner discovery. He holds his lantern up to the blackness of his subconscious, revealing what was once hidden.

The Hermit demands reflection, space for growth, the clearing of a cluttered mind. He requires all actions to be authentic and aligned with one’s own truth. His lamp casts only a small circle of light, indicating that both moving forward and sitting still are demanded in the search for a higher self.

He asks for seclusion and contemplation. He encourages pilgrimage, retreat, and a journey to sacred lands. He is guided by his own North Star – the voice within.

02. Like the six-pointed star within the Hermit’s lantern, the idea of the Hermit goes in two directions; one inner, one outer. Primarily, the card means a withdrawal from the outer world for the purpose of activating the unconscious mind.

But the Hermit also signifies a teacher who will show us how to begin this process and will help us find our way, who might be an occult teacher, a therapist, our own dreams, or even a spirit guide evoked from within the self.

As an emblem of personal development, the Hermit signifies the idea that only by withdrawing from the outer world can we awaken the inner self.

The Carnival at the End of the World Tarot

Nicolas Kahn & Richard Selesnick

2018

Waite Trinick Tarot

John B. Trinick

1921

03. The Hermit is on a cold lonely peak. He has left the world of the senses to enter the mind. This image of the mind as stark and chill conveys only a partial truth, or rather, an illusion. The mind is rich with symbols, with joy, with the light and love of the spirit.

Before we can apprehend these things we must first experience the mind as a silent alternative to the noisy world of the senses. The Hermit signifies a transition. Through the techniques of meditation, or psychic discipline, or analysis, we allow the hidden parts of the psyche to begin to speak to us. He symbolizes maturity, and a knowledge of what really matters in a person’s life.

04. The Hermit often appears when you are at a pivotal point in your life and considering a new direction.

Through meditation, contemplation, and self-examination, you may begin to re-evaluate your personal goals and change your overall course. You will look at your life with a deeper, more spiritual understanding and your priorities will change as a result.

The Hermit invites you to retreat into your private world and experience a deep sense of seclusion and introspection.

Tarot of Ceremonial Magick

Lon Milo DuQuette

1997

Thoth Tarot

Aleister Crowley & Lady Frieda Harris

1943

05. The Hermit’s appearance in a reading can also denote the appearance of someone who will come into your life to be your mentor.

He can be a spiritual teacher, who can raise your vibration and enhance your consciousness. The beauty of this mentor is that, while he may be an expert in his own right, he will teach you how to find your answers within you.

Alexander Daniloff Tarot

Alexander Daniloff

2010

Re-Imagined Tarot

Ohni Lisle

2018

- Turn Around -

06. The Hermit reversed can indicate you are not taking enough time for personal reflection.

If you struggle to connect with your spiritual self, he encourages you to create more space to meditate, reflect, and rediscover your greater purpose. The Hermit asks you to search deep within your soul to focus on rebuilding yourself on a spiritual level.

07. On the other hand, seeing the reversed Hermit can indicate your seclusion may become harmful to both yourself and others. You must learn to balance your need for truth with connection to your fellow human. Be mindful of other people’s needs. You do not want to become too absorbed in yourself and shut out your family and friends. It’s time for you to become involved with your loved ones again.

08. The Hermit reversed can sometimes indicate a Peter Pan attitude to life, an immaturity. You may hang on to meaningless activities, or imitate childlike enthusiasm as a way of avoiding the responsibilities of doing something truthful and meaningful with your life.