The Hermit is a card of growth and personal development. An old bearded man in a cloak stands alone on a snowy mountain top holding a stave and a lantern. This card doesn’t mean that you need to spend time alone in the wilderness, but it is an invitation to take a step back and do some soul searching without the distractions of the outside world. It is in this solitary process that you are able to grow.
The Tempest Tarot Deck by Maisy Bristol literally depicts a hermit - a hermit crab in his shell. He sits alone on the sea bed, guarded and unassuming in his protective shell, as the sunlight shines through the surface of the water to illuminate him. The hermit crab can hide in plain sight. He can withdraw into his shell, but in order to grow, he must move into larger shells. A great representation of personal development, the crab can turn inwards, do some soul searching, figure out how to become a better person and when he’s ready he knows where he needs to move to.
The Mindscapes Tarot by John A. Rice shows what we might consider to be a classic hermit scene. In a cave high in the mountains at the end of a steep and stony pathway right at the cliffs edge, a warm fire glows. The sun is on the horizon, the only other source of light in this dark, cold scene. Navigating this tough path is a solitary process, with the warmth of the fire and shelter of the cave being solace at the end of the journey. The glyphs and symbols carved into the rock faces are signs of wisdom, and who knows what other discoveries may be made in the depth of the cave. If you take the time alone to reflect, meditate and seek inner guidance, then the answers may be yours.
The Hermit Tarot card can also represent a guiding teacher or therapist or even the guidance of our own dreams. The figure in The Field Tarot by Hannah Elisabeth Fofana shows a figure in the darkness, leading the way with a lantern. She is alone in the woods under the stars in the night sky, symbolic of searching without the distractions of the outside world. This card can also represent a pivotal point in our lives, where a new direction is being considered.
The Hermit card asks us to step back, leave the world of the the senses and step into the mind. To meditate, reflect, and spend time in quiet solitude. It’s in these moments that the answers come and our way forward can become clear, whether by our own means, or with the help of someone guiding us.
