Hermit: Retreat from the World, then Return to It
A Journey through the Tarot Major Arcana: The Hermit ~ Card 9
Dear Ones,
Thanks again for all the messages of care and support as I recover from my recent cardiac event. I’m doing well, all things considered. Very grateful.
I’ve heard from a few folks who pre-ordered the new edition of the Gaian Tarot that they’ve received their decks in the mail. Please let me know if and when you’ve received yours or are able to purchase it in your local bookstore. Thank you for your patience on the delay.
On to our study of the Hermit, Major Arcana #9.
Thanks for joining me on my quest to renew my tarot practice by taking a journey through the cards of the Major Arcana. This is the tenth post in the series, which is an offering for paid subscribers. We focus mainly on the Gaian Tarot and the Herbcrafter’s Tarot in this series, which includes a look at the card’s themes, card comparisons, creative sparks and crafts, journal prompts, and songs inspired by the themes of the card. These posts are longer than most of mine. Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your responses in the comments.
“The Hermit deepens their intimacy with themselves to deepen their intimacy with the world. Parallel to the Sun in Virgo, they commit to deliberate thought processes, devoted practice, and keen discrimination on their path toward enlightenment. The Hermit goes within, but they always come back.”
— Maria Minnis, Tarot for the Hard Work: An Archetypal Journey to Confront Racism and Inspire Collective Healing
The Hermit invites us to spend time in sacred solitude, withdrawing from the world to nurture our inner lives. We are invited to step away from noise and distraction in order to reconnect with Spirit and our own deep selves. The method for doing this could be a simple meditation practice or a silent walk in the woods. It could be an hour with a therapist, time spent with cards and journal, a weekend getaway, or a more formal retreat of some kind.
However we choose to quiet ourselves, the Hermit then asks us to return to the world, embodying new insights and wisdom. We hold aloft our lamp for others and ask how we can be of service to our communities.
In the RWS Tarot, the Hermit stands on top of a mountain, holding his lamp of wisdom high. In the Gaian, the Hermit is immersed in his experience of solitude, writing in his nature journal, communing with the spirits of place, his lantern set down for the time being. In the Herbcrafter’s image, the Hermit’s lamp is a small candle set inside a wreath of usnea, or “Old Man’s Beard.”
I created a new piece last year called “Elder Hermit,” which I have to say is my current favorite. I wanted to keep the elder aspect of the “wise old man” archetype, but give it a spin by making the Hermit female instead of male and dark-skinned instead of light-skinned. I deliberately chose the same essential posture and background of Pamela Colman Smith’s Hermit as a tribute to her legacy. I wrote about this piece as a work in progress here and here.
As I reviewed the text about the Hermit in various tarot books, I realized that for the most part it’s assumed that the reader lives a high-energy, busy life, and is in need of time away. This is true of the text I wrote for the Gaian Tarot.
But what if you’re in a stage of life where you’re already living at a slow pace, as I am? Perhaps you’re retired and can choose the shape of your days. Perhaps you’re coping with a chronic illness or period of recovery. What might the Hermit’s message be in that case?