Generally, a hermit is a person who lives in solitude or isolation from society, usually for some religious reasons.
Table of Contents
Description
The Hermit is the 9th Major Arcana card among all the 22 Major Arcana cards of Rider-Waite Deck. On this card, the Hermit wears a dark grey coloured cloth and stands alone at the top of the snow-covered mountain which symbolizes his achievements and growth. In his left hand, he holds a long wand to balance himself. Generally, a wand is a symbol of power, authority, command, and control. In his right hand, he holds a lantern to light his path, only up to some steps. In the background, the rest of the mountains are covered with the snow and the sky is completely dark, which means that only the lantern in Hermit’s hand can help him to see the directions.
Keywords
- Isolation
- Introspection
- Soul-searching
- Self-actualization
- Inner-guidance
- Spirituality
- Logical Thinking
- Patience
General Meaning
This card suggests that the person has to go for introspection to understand the realities of life. Usually, this phase is often associated with self-reflection, self-examination, and soul-searching. The person needs to keep patience and think logically to find his path, as things will be revealed in their respective periods. It suggests that the person may take a break from his current situations to recover from it. It symbolizes the time for meeting one’s own needs.
Upright Position
When the Hermit appears in your spread in the upright position, it suggests that there is a high time to take a break from the current situation to regain the lost energies and directions. The break is needed to go for introspection for self-discovery. Impatience, impulsive decisions, and anxiety will only lead to destruction. It also suggests the perfect time to go for solo trips or a trip to some religious places. The right directions will only be revealed if the person goes for introspection. If the person is confused regarding any situation in his life, this card suggests to have patience and putting the right efforts based on logical thinking is the only key to be successful.
Reversed Position
The Hermit card in the reversed position can be defined in two ways, depending upon its placement and other cards in the spread.
It represents that the person has completely ignored himself due to his busy schedule. He is not paying any attention to his health, his decisions, his directions, his goals, and also to his family. It suggests the high time to look for real-life purposes rather than going after the materialistic things.
Alternatively, it also suggests that you are taking a long break from the daily routine and it’s the high time to go back to the work. Introspection is important in life to understand the directions and purposes, but it doesn’t mean that the person starts ignoring the realities of life. It suggests that taking time for personal reflection is important, but it doesn’t mean that you start ignoring your friends and family, as a man is a social animal and can only survive in isolation up to a limited period.
The Hermit in Past Spread
You were very confused. The things in your past were delayed because of the lack of direction. You were not able to understand the real facts and were not taking correct decisions.
The Hermit in Present Spread
You are still confused, however, the introspection, self-actualization, and self-awareness will help you to find the correct paths of life.
The Hermit in Future Spread
It suggests that in the coming days, you may feel a b