9. The Hermit
i. The Nutshell
Upright
The Hermit cancels plans without guilt, takes long walks to think about everything and nothing, and somehow always knows the exact book you need to read. The Hermit puts their phone on flight mode to commune with their inner peace and is transparent about that. Contrary to popular belief, The Hermit is not antisocial. This archetype is discerning about their solitude and withdraws without ghosting you to maintain their equilibrium. They’re the sage, the mentor, the teacher and they walk a profoundly spiritual path which is normally life-long. The Hermit represents self-reflection and important routines. It suggests being kind and reminds you that sometimes you need to look within yourself for the next step, so go and get your lantern.
Keywords: Solitude, introspection, wisdom, guidance, self-inquiry, discernment, teaching, mentoring.
Translation: You’re mid-conversation with yourself so keep going.
Reversed
When The Hermit is reversed, it means you are isolating yourself instead of seeking meaningful solitude. Maybe you’ve retreated so far inward you forgot how to re-emerge, or maybe the silence you’re sitting in has turned from reflective to avoidant. This reversal typically shows loneliness masquerading as independence, leading us to think of self-reliance and strength. Independence is not just about having no outside limits, it means having the freedom to choose our own way and shape our identities. In this space, we develop a sense of self-worth that allows us to make choices true to who we are. Embrace independence through self-awareness. Knowing your values and strengths enhances confidence and boundary-setting. Avoid spiritual bypassing. The Hermit reversed indicates disconnection or fear of change. Withdrawal aids reflection, but avoidance hinders, so open your cave door.
Keywords: Isolation, avoidance, perfectionism, withdrawal, lost direction, disconnection.
Translation: Solitude can heal unless you’re using it to hide.
ii. Illus-traits
A quick glance at The Hermit’s symbolic traits in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck - what's hidden in plain sight?
Lantern with Star – Truth lit from within. Enough to see the next step.
Grey Cloak – Neutral observer. Detached but engaged.
Staff – Wisdom earned supports forward movement.
Snow-Capped Mountains – Isolation at the peak. Perspective comes from solitude.
Downward Gaze – Looking inward but not ahead.
iii. Influences
Planetary: The Hermit is ruled by Mercury, but not the fast-talking, inbox-clearing version. Think Mercury in do-not-disturb mode - contemplative, precise, and brutally honest when necessary. This is Mercury as the internal analyst, discerning signal from noise. It's the part of you that rewrites your own story in the margins of your journal for your eyes only. Saturn’s influence suggests wisdom comes slowly, so reflect, and let silence communicate.
Natal House(s): The Hermit aligns with the Sixth House, Virgo’s domain, where daily rituals meet deeper purpose. This is the house of practice, and where healing happens through structure, small choices, and learning what’s essential. The Twelfth House evokes mysterious dreams and solitude. Combined, these houses create definition and integration essential for daily discipline.
Astrological Sign(s): The Hermit walks with Virgo: mutable earth, detailed editor, and the one who questions everything including their own questioning. Virgo retreats to refine; to pare down the noise until only truth remains. It's helping others without losing yourself; healing while setting limits. Pisces offers surrender, reminding that analysis without empathy leads to alienation.
Numerologically: Nine is the number of The Hermit; the threshold before completion. It’s the solitary seeker, the integrator, the moment before the cycle closes. Nine encourages you to reflect on what you’ve learned before sharing it. It combines past wisdom with the understanding that there’s still more to learn. Nine is generous, humanitarian, egalitarian, wise, multi-talented and lives in service to others.
Element: Earth provides stability and support, making the invisible visible. It offers a calm base for The Hermit's reflection. Being present encourages productivity, and Earth demonstrates that understanding grows slowly, like moss, when left undisturbed.
iv. A Day in the Life of The Hermit
Well That Escalated Quickly
You ghost your own needs and cancel plans you were never going to show up for anyway. ‘Processing’ equals six hours of scrolling and dissociating. You confuse isolation with introspection, and wonder why you're still tired after so much ‘rest’. Nothing has moved and everything feels heavy.
Adjusting the Knobs
You retreat, but with a notebook. You light a candle, stare out the window meaningfully, and journal something that’s insightful. You’re searching for truth but keep getting distracted by existential dread… and the laundry. You’re trying to be with yourself, but also avoiding the parts of yourself that might talk back. You’re present, but not yet available to yourself.
Unsubscribed from Self-Sabotage
You turn inward with intention and know that ‘No.’ is a complete sentence. You realise solitude can be structured, and that maybe inner work doesn’t always need to feel like emotional jury duty. You take a walk without your phone, and your nervous system briefly remembers what peace feels like. You’re beginning to distinguish rest from avoidance.
Writing the TED Talk
You listen to your inner wisdom before crowd-sourcing your next move. You hold space for complexity and resist the urge to shush emotions before they’ve finished speaking. You spend time alone and come back clearer. You remember that solitude is a portal and today, you’re choosing to walk through it because you know that what you’re gaining now shapes what comes next.
v. Working with these Energies
Re-centering Through Solitude and Self-Honesty
The Hermit guides you to a cave for truth, encouraging inner listening. When reversed, reflect if solitude is nourishing or numbing, and if your values are your own. Growth occurs through reflection so consider what you bring back from retreat.
1. Clean out the echo chamber
– Where are you retreating to reflect and where are you retreating to hide?
– What insights keep repeating but you keep avoiding?
– Who’s talking the loudest in your head… and do they pay rent?
2. Make solitude useful
– What truths only show up when you're alone?
– Are your daily habits aligning with your inner values, or just filling time?
– What would it mean to create space as a tool and not to escape?
3. Get honest about your style of avoidance
– What are you avoiding under the label of ‘processing’?
– Where does stillness become stagnation in your life?
– What conversations with yourself have you been postponing?
4. Let Virgo and Mercury guide the edit
– What are you ready to refine because it’s cluttered?
– Where does discernment serve you better than dramatic change?
– How can you practice daily presence?
5. Don’t confuse isolation with insight
– Who, or what, are you trying to protect yourself from by ‘going within’?
– Unlearning others' authority takes time. How can you start honouring your own?
– What would your life be like if you listened to yourself?
vi. Building Skills
Right Now, It’s Like This
Solitude is a space where truth can be heard. The Hermit doesn't avoid discomfort or seek out clear answers. Instead, he stays still, holding a lantern, and observes what is already present.
Practice the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy acronym, TEAMS by noticing what’s presence:
Thoughts
Emotions
Associations
Memories
Sensations
Then quietly say to yourself: “Right now, it’s like this.”
Observe and describe your experience simply and honestly with no judgement or solution.
This is the Hermit’s wisdom in action: Awareness creates freedom. By naming what is, you stop being ruled by what you’re avoiding. You reclaim the quiet power of witnessing without reacting. The Hermit sees the landscape clearly.
vii. Embodiment
Embodiment transforms The Hermit from a card into a compass, prompting reflection on your inner space. The Hermit is the calm pause, the deep breath taken in solitude, and the posture of understanding without needing validation:
Smell:
If The Hermit had a scent, what would it be? Your tent on the mountain before sunrise? Old books and candle wax? Something ancient?
Body:
Where do you hold the tension between withdrawal and avoidance? Is your spine curled inwards or upright and aware? What changes when you retreat with intention, instead of disappearing out of habit?
Soundtrack:
What song feels like a lantern in the dark? Enya? One that doesn’t rush, doesn’t demand, but walks with you steadily?
Action:
What can you do today that’s deliberately quiet but deeply felt? A slow walk without distraction? Leaving a question unanswered on purpose? How might you choose stillness as a practice instead of a break?
Nature cue:
Step outside. What mirrors The Hermit’s essence? The lone bird perched on a branch, surveying everything without needing to be seen? A partially shaded path?
Notice what settles you:
The Hermit teaches that wisdom is there if you take the time to listen. What you discover alone may be the most truthful thing you do today, and that is perfectly fine.
viii. Your Impressions
Look at The Hermit card in your own deck if possible. Take a moment to notice without overthinking.
Depending on the illustration, what pulls your eye first, the lantern, the cloak, the path behind, the emptiness ahead? The way the figure is turned away… or waiting?
How does this card register in your body or mood: still, solitary, quietly alert, slightly uncomfortable, like you’ve just been asked a question you can’t Google?
If the Hermit could talk, it would ask what part of you wants to be heard once everything quietens down.
ix. Intuitive Meaning
Use this space to explore what The Hermit means to you as a lived experience. Let it reflect where solitude becomes clarity, where withdrawal is a return, and where your own inner knowing asks to be heard:
When have you stepped back to see more clearly?
Where are you looking for answers outside of yourself?
What would it look like to trust your timing, even if no one else understands it?
Applied insight with a three-card reading using The Hermit as your anchor:
What am I being called to turn down, or tune out, in order to tune in?
Where is solitude serving me and where might it be slipping into avoidance?
What truth have I known for a while, but haven’t yet made room to follow?
Pull or shuffle-fling your cards and note your feelings. Take your time and let the answers unfold. Write three ‘you’ words that relate to your current experience:
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x. Closing Reflection: Track Your Evolving Lens
Your relationship with each card will grow over time because it’s meant to shaped by your life. Consider the prompts below to revisit and reflect.
What I thought this card meant when I first pulled it: —————————————————
A recent experience that changed how I see it: —————————————————
How I feel about it now, in my body or life: —————————————————
What surprised me as this card kept showing up: —————————————————
One way this card is living in my life right now: —————————————————
If this card visited me today as a guide, what would it want me to remember? —————————————————
Revisit these after a week, a moon phase, or a meaningful moment. Let the card evolve as you do.
If you feel a quiet sense of recognition, curiosity and want to explore it, browse the sessions page for what feels right.