TAROTThe Hermit
Upright
Seeking a new perspective through solitude and intuition.
Personal growth and development to the exclusion of everything else for a short period; finding your own way.
Taking a time out of a busy lifestyle to reflect on what is really important.
Trusting your own inner voice.
Intuition
The hermit in this deck is not old, showing that the journey travelled is more important than age.
This hermit has travelled a long distance as he looks to be ancient Egyptian yet he is on a snow covered peak.
Reversed
Lack of direction, stagnation.
Isolation and detachment, prone to delusion through lack of balance or clarity.
Obsession with esoteric concerns at the expense of the here-and-now.
Astrologia
Analytical and practical with high discipline. Highly loyal with strong humanitarian traits. Perfectionist. Can be over-critical of others, prone to anxiety.
The Hermit
Unlike other cards so far, the Hermit does not represent an emotion or state of mind, nor does it even represent a physical journey. It represents a period in the natural cycle of life; rejuvenation.
The card graphic implies a spiritual awakening after a long journey or isolation. A more usual modern situation would be called ‘give yourself some me-time’.
The Hermit is about taking stock of where you are in life based on your own values not those of others. It involves repair or refocus. It does not mean retail therapy or a family holiday or break, but time on your own. If seclusion is not possible, it involves some internal soul searching and less time spent engaging with others.
What the Hermit finds on his journey may however be earth shattering for others. He holds a torch that lights his way, but this may also be a beacon for others to follow the path he has trodden.
Vague and new-age perhaps, but the reality is that the Hermit often signifies a very important period when you reappraise your old life so far and then move into a new lifestyle. It can preclude major and far reaching changes in your life through thinking through your purpose and goals.
Hermes Trismegistus
The Hermit card typically shows an unnamed old man on the peak of a mountain signifying reaching the highest level of enlightenment.
This deck takes a different approach; it does not use nameless archetypes, instead finding and using the earliest well known and distinct named archetypes, on the basis that they are root archetypes.
The Hermit in this deck is one of the most influential ancient names in western occult thought; Hermes Trismegistus (Hermes thrice-great). He is a syncretic character that is the combination of the Gods Hermes and Thoth, and a Hellenic period author of many source occult texts.
The core concept that brings together Hermes, Thoth and Hermes Trismegistus is that they are all messengers between the Gods and humans.
Hermes Trismegistus is particularly associated with The Hermetica. The Hermetica is not one book, but several different texts written at different times and brought together over time. This presupposes that Hermes Trismegistus is actually a placeholder name for many writers and prophets from antiquity.
These texts are fundamental to western occultism because knowledge of several occult practices are based upon them, including Hermeticism itself, astrology, early astronomy, alchemy and hermetic kabbalah. The last one of these was practiced by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Both Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Coleman-Smith were members of this order at the time they created the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck.
Another thread that connects the practices of astrology, Tarot, Alchemy and Kabbalah are that all represent the journey of the soul towards immortality. The 12 signs of astrology, The Tarot and the Kabbalah Tree of Life all represent this journey. Less well known is that Alchemy is also related to immortality; the ability to turn base metals into gold was a way to become very rich, but that was not the main reason to find it. It was also seen as an important intermediate step in the true end goal; knowing how to transform a mortal soul into an immortal one.
As well as being a named person, the Hermit on the card is not old, although he looks to have travelled far in his search. This shows that the journey travelled is more important than age; anyone can take the journey the Hermit takes, and although enlightenment may take years, depending on how receptive the person is, it could come quickly.
Description and Symbology
A figure stands in a snowy, mountainous scene. Looking closely at the character’s face, we may initially suspect that it is a woman as there is eye makeup, but closer inspections reveals the makeup matches that seen in ancient Egypt and possibly other ancient cultures around the Levant and further east, and that the character is male.
As this style of makeup was common this could be one of several characters from ancient history or from the early history of mainstream monotheistic religions.
If the man came from Egypt or the Levant, then he has travelled a long way to come here, as the area is snow-swept and rocky.
The man holds a torch in one hand (the period is too early for lanterns). The image contains numerous references to both Hermes and Thoth:
- For Hermes, the man wears a traveller’s cloak, carries a caduceus, and there are crocus plants growing through the snow around him.
- For Thoth, the man appears to have Egyptian features and has an African sacred ibis near him. There appears to be a moon in the sky, but this moon does not have the depth of focus the rest of the scene has, meaning it must be directly above the man’s head. This is in line with depictions of Thoth.
- Both Gods are known to be messengers between the Gods and humans, suggesting the Hermit’s end goal involves connecting to a higher, divine knowledge.
- Both Gods are also known to be involved with the afterlife. Hermes was a guide for the souls of the dead. Thoth was involved with judging of the souls of the dead. Thus the Hermit’s journey may also touch on the soul’s path after death and reflection on self-worthiness for that journey.
The man is looking down at a stone slab in the ground. The stone looks to be the goal for the man’s journey. The stone can be one of two things.
- The stone has strange and very old glyphs on it, which appear to be ancient knowledge. The goal of the man’s journey was finding this knowledge, and this is the message of the upright card.
- The stone looks like a gravestone. In this case, the man has come to a grave symbolizing a spiritual death; yours. This is the message of the reversed card.
The Hermit's Symbol
The Hermit's symbol is the symbol of his associated planet; Mercury. Mercury is the Roman version of Hermes.
The road less travelled
The Hermit has travelled a long way alone in search of something important.
Guide for others
The Hermit carries a torch that both paves his way and illuminates his path for others to see.
Symbols of Hermes
There are several symbols that suggest links with Hermes, including the travelers cloak, the Caduceus and crocus plants growing nearby.
Symbols of Thoth
There are several symbols that suggest links with Thoth, including the man’s ancient Egyptian features, his moon-halo, and the ibis near him.
The stone-tablet/soul-grave
The man looks at, or is contemplation of, a large stone tablet. The tablet has strange glyphs across its surface. It either represents hidden knowledge that the hermit set out to find, or the observer’s grave.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
A need to find yourself before considering relationships.
Relationships are not a focus, and for existing relationships there may be a need for a period apart.
You may also see your main relationship to be with a much larger group; the larger family group, a larger set of people, or even humanity itself.
This period will result in positive gains for the long term.
Retreating from others (or having goals that conflict with having or maintaining relationships) may be harming your chances.
This may not be a bad thing, but make sure your priorities are correct!
Work is either not a focus, or not your main priority.
You may be stepping sideways into a tutoring role at work or taking time out from work and have bigger personal goals in mind.
These may include education, charity, time out via a sabbatical or dealing with personal problems.
This card agrees that work is not your priority at the moment.
An inward looking mindset has made you a dreamer.
Lack of focus in any group activities, and reduced performance at work.
Suggests a period of removal from the everyday that results in rejuvenation.
This may or may not be planned, but it will eventually be for the good in terms of health and peace of mind.
You are ignoring the body in preference to the mind, meaning you have larger goals than personal health.
That is fine, but make sure you are not neglecting yourself!
A strong period of personal growth, and often the only focus of the period signified by this card.
You will most likely spend a period away from material, emotional and health concerns and think more about your inner growth (or the growth of others). This may involve spiritual leanings, but may also be a period of healing after a hard period in your life.
Recuperation and rest.
There may be a sense of helping others or leading others in a spiritual/teaching/tutoring role.
Delusional or lack of balance between spiritual concerns and the here-and-now.
Are you hiding into a world of idealism (or blame) vs reality? If so, it may be better to use the time recuperating on ‘lessons learned’ then wiping the slate clean rather than setting the world right!
Not an area of focus as there is a much lower focus on material concerns.
Avoid making decisions, but be aware of the cost benefit if you choose to ‘drop out’ for a while.
You will see money as irrelevant to the current aims (or current issues on your mind).
This may lead to waste and poor decision making.
Uncertain.
Uncertain.
Reading the Card
Hermes Trismegistus appears in his other forms (Hermes, Thoth) in two other cards; Judgement (as Hermes) and The Page of Wands (as Thoth). All three cards represent some sort of change to yourself;
- Finding your way through introspection for the Hermit.
- Judgement is looking at your own actions and their outcome.
- A thirst for knowledge and ideas, and their use in changing your life is the Page of Wands.
Looking at these three cards together may make learning them easier.
The upright card
The upright Hermit card suggests a time of inner reflection and finding your own truth. Although the Hermit on the card has embarked on a long pilgrimage to find a spiritual or religious truth, in modern life, there is no need for such a pilgrimage. The actions suggested by this card can be as simple as taking time off from a busy lifestyle or the day-job to reflect on what is really important.
The upright Hermit card suggests a time of inner reflection and finding your own truth.
It can also suggest spending time on addressing something very personal to you and affects nobody else, but that has been put off for a long time.
The core message is to take time to be on your own and your thoughts; re-analyze, re-charge and come back stronger with a new and fresh message or meaning to your life.
The reversal
The reversed Hermit represents the need to step back and find your own way or find your own inner voice, but indicates a lack of time or motivation to do so. It can also mean that you are listening to other people’s voices rather than your own, causing conflict with your inner self.
If allowed to grow, this situation leads to lack of direction or disillusionment. It represents the feeling when you have done a good job or task on someone else’s terms but you yourself are ‘just not feeling it’; the success doesn’t really align with what is important to you.
It can also be manifested by a feeling of hollowness; you just don’t know what the purpose of something is, or do know but it doesn’t really speak to you – a common situation in many jobs that are ‘just done for the money’!
The reversed Hermit tells you to stop running to keep up, and take some time to reflect. Is this really you? Is this what you really want?
It is a time to stop and think.
Card Design Process
This card was set aside until the Christmas period, and designed and implemented during that time.
Perhaps every Tarot deck should have its ‘Christmas card’!
Final Words
The Hermit is a reminder to trust in yourself and seek answers from within before making any major decisions or changes in your life. If the answers are not there, take time to retreat and find your authentic inner voice. You will then come back with real targets, goals and an understanding of what success and failure means for you.
