The Hermit
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Upright Meaning
There's wisdom available right now that can only be found by going inward. The Hermit doesn't isolate out of fear. It withdraws strategically, to find clarity that the noise of daily life obscures. A period of deliberate solitude, even a short one, could illuminate a lot.
Reversed Meaning
Withdrawal has tipped from reflection into avoidance, or you've been isolated longer than is good for you. Solitude is useful when it produces insight. When it produces more confusion or loneliness, it's time to re-engage. The light you carry is meant to be shared eventually.
The Hermit in love
Single? The Hermit suggests a season on your own, and that time is useful. Get to know what you really want before you let someone new in.
In a relationship, one of you may need some space, and that doesn't spell disaster. Respect the quiet and talk about what you're each working through.
Drew it reversed? See The Hermit reversed in love below.
The Hermit as feelings
As feelings, they think about you deeply but may hold back. They need time alone to understand what they feel before they say it.
The Hermit in career and money
CareerAt work, The Hermit favors deep, independent work, study and expertise. It is a good time to specialize, research or step back to reconsider where your career is headed.
MoneyFinancially, The Hermit asks for a careful, private review. Go through your accounts with Virgo precision before you commit to anything.
Is The Hermit a yes or no card?
Yes, in time. The Hermit agrees, but asks you to sit alone with the question for a while before you move.
Ask your own yes or no question →The Hermit as advice
Step away from the noise for a little while and think it through. Your own lantern is bright enough to show you the next step.
What answer are you looking for externally that you might already have within you?
What the Hermit card shows
An old, bearded man in a grey cloak stands alone on a snowy peak, holding up a lantern with a six-pointed star inside and leaning on a long staff. The darkness around him is quiet rather than threatening. The lantern is the wisdom he has found by himself, and the height of the mountain shows how far he climbed to find it.
Astrology and symbolism
- Arcana
- Major, card 9
- Element
- Earth
- Astrology
- Virgo
The Hermit corresponds to Virgo, so it carries that sign's earth energy. Read more about Virgo.
The 22 Major Arcana cards trace the Fool's journey, from the first step of The Fool (card 0) to the completion of The World (card 21). The Hermit is card 9 of that journey, and when it appears it points to a significant life theme rather than a passing mood.
The Major Arcana
The Hermit questions
Is The Hermit a good card?
Mostly, yes. The Hermit is one of the more welcome cards to draw, bringing solitude, inner guidance, reflection and seeking truth. Reversed, that same energy can slip into isolation, loneliness, withdrawal and lost, so the cards around it still matter.
What does The Hermit reversed mean in love?
Reversed, The Hermit in love shows solitude that has turned into isolation, or a partner shutting you out. It can also mean you are finally ready to come back out and date.
What zodiac sign is The Hermit?
Virgo. In the Golden Dawn correspondences that most modern decks follow, The Hermit is assigned to Virgo, which makes it an Earth card.
Is The Hermit yes or no?
Yes. Drawn upright, The Hermit answers yes. Reversed, it turns to no, usually because something has to change first.
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