Major Arcana
An old man stands alone atop a snow-covered mountain, lantern held aloft in the darkness, staff in hand. He has retreated from the world to seek inner truth and now illuminates the path for those who follow. The Hermit embodies solitude, inner guidance, wisdom earned through introspection.
Upright
Reversed
Quick meaning
The Hermit represents an old man stands alone atop a snow-covered mountain, lantern held aloft in the darkness, staff in hand. He has retreated from the world to seek inner truth and now illuminates the path for those who follow. The Hermit embodies solitude, inner guidance, wisdom earned through introspection.
Use the symbol
In a yes or no tarot reading, The Hermit is best read through its condition. Upright, it points toward Spiritual enlightenment, Soul searching, Self-reflection, Introspection. Reversed, it suggests Loneliness, Paranoia, Isolation, Bring reclusive. The answer depends on whether the situation is moving with the upright lesson or stuck in the reversed pattern.
As advice, The Hermit asks you to work with the card's main lesson rather than react from fear. Start with the upright meaning: The Hermit Tarot card in an upright position generally indicates that you are entering a period of soul searching, self-reflection and spiritual enlightenment.
As feelings, The Hermit can describe someone experiencing the card's emotional tone. In love readings, its upright energy is: In a love context, if you are single The Hermit Tarot card represents coming out the other side of a period of loneliness and solitude that may have been needed to...
Reversed, The Hermit points to what may be blocked, avoided, or expressed in a harder way. Use the reversed meaning as a prompt to slow down and address Loneliness, Paranoia, Isolation, Bring reclusive.
Energy in motion
The Hermit Tarot card in an upright position generally indicates that you are entering a period of soul searching, self-reflection and spiritual enlightenment. You may find that you need time alone to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, to remove yourself from the daily grind in order to discover your true spiritual self, contemplate your existence, your direction in life or your values. The Hermit can also indicate isolating yourself or withdrawing into oneself in order to recover from a difficult situation. This Major Arcana trump card can suggest that you may be going through an anti-social phase where you just don’t want to interact with people as much as you normally would. The Hermit is wise, mature and knowledgeable and may be an indication of someone seeking the services of a counsellor or psychiatrist. This is a time to focus on yourself and meeting your own needs.
In a love context, if you are single The Hermit Tarot card represents coming out the other side of a period of loneliness and solitude that may have been needed to recuperate from past heartbreak or a bad breakup. You will soon be ready for a fresh start. It can also indicate celibacy or chastity. If you are in a relationship, The Hermit upright can represent an older wiser partner. It can also suggest that you may need to make more of an effort to connect with your partner. It can indicate that you and your partner are too focused on doing your own thing rather than spending quality time together.
The Hermit in a career context can indicate may suggest that you are putting too much focus on your career or money and materialistic pursuits, rather than sharing your attention between activities that will leave you feeling fulfilled on all levels. It can also indicate that you are wondering if you are in the right career. Money and materialism may no longer be enough to motivate you and you may find yourself seeking a new more satisfying career path. Financially, now is a time to be mature in your approach to money and investments.
The Hermit in a health context indicates overdoing things may lead to health issues. If you find that you’re rushed off your feet, never having a minute to take a breath, The Hermit suggests that if you don’t make time for yourself to rest and reboot your health may suffer. Take a break. Even taking a few minutes every day to meditate or just clear your mind and connect with how your body is feeling would benefit your health at this time.
Use tarot for reflection only; it does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or care.
The overall theme of The Hermit is spiritual enlightenment so now is the perfect time to engage in spiritual activities. Whether it’s meditation, energy work, psychic development or connecting to your own spirit guides you are coming into a time of incredible spiritual growth. You may find yourself seeking solitude or isolating yourself in some respect. However, you should use this time to focus on evolving your spiritual side and allow yourself to take this time out to listen to your inner guidance as it will be very rewarding for you on a spiritual level.
Energy under tension
The Hermit Tarot card reversed suggests that you have withdrawn too much from the world or are becoming too reclusive. Solitude might have been necessary or good for you at one point but The Hermit reversed is telling you that it is time to come back to the world and the people around you. Taking time for soul-searching and self-reflection can be a great thing in moderation but too much can be damaging. At some point, you do need to draw a line under things and move forward, this Major Arcana card in reversed position indicates that now is that time. It can also indicate that you may be feeling shy or apprehensive about being in social situations. Don’t be afraid to get back out there. Alternatively, The Hermit in reversed can indicate that you are avoiding self-reflection completely as you are afraid of what you’ll discover if you look inside yourself. It can be an indicator of becoming too fixated with someone or something or too rigid and restricted in your views.
The Hermit reversed in a love Tarot context is strong indicator of loneliness. If you are in a relationship it suggests that you may be feeling shut out or rejected by your partner. It can also indicate that you and your partner are so busy that you have no time to connect. This may be leading you to feel lonely even though you are in a relationship. It can also suggest one person withdrawing from a relationship while the other is still trying to hold on to it. If you are single, The Hermit reversed can indicate that you fear being left on the shelf or you feel you may have missed your window of opportunity to meet someone special. The Hermit in reverse can indicate that now is time to start looking for love after a being single for a long time. You need to put aside your fears and put yourself out there again. If you have recently broken up with your partner it can be a sign that you want to get back together with your ex.
In a career context The Hermit reversed can indicate that it’s time to start putting yourself out there career wise and making business connections after a period of working in solitude. You may be finding it tough to work alone and would benefit from doing some team projects or doing some consultancy work which will encourage you to interact with more people in your chosen field. Financially, now is a good time to seek the advice of a wiser, more mature person on investments or money. Don’t jump into things you don’t understand where money is concerned.
The Hermit Tarot card reversed in a health context can be an indication of mental health issues such as agoraphobia and paranoia. It can also be a stronger warning than the upright card that you need to take time out to relax or your health may suffer.
Use tarot for reflection only; it does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or care.
The Hermit reversed in a spiritual context indicates that you may be spending too much time alone. Your spiritual development would benefit if you got involved activities or groups. Maybe a meditation class, a reiki share, tarot reading circle or even a yoga class would be helpful now. Solitary spiritual work is great but you also need to connect with others.
Cards in conversation
Together, The Hermit and The Fool blend the lesson of the hermit with the energy of the fool. This pairing asks you to read the cards as a relationship between the central theme and the fool stands at the edge of a cliff, knapsack over his shoulder, gazing upward with youthful abandon.
Together, The Hermit and The Magician blend the lesson of the hermit with the energy of the magician. This pairing asks you to read the cards as a relationship between the central theme and the magician stands before a table bearing all four suit symbols — wand, cup, sword, and pentacle — one hand raised to the heavens and one pointing...
Together, The Hermit and The High Priestess blend the lesson of the hermit with the energy of the high priestess. This pairing asks you to read the cards as a relationship between the central theme and the high priestess sits between two pillars — boaz and jachin — at the threshold of the sacred temple.
Clarify the card
The Hermit Tarot card in an upright position generally indicates that you are entering a period of soul searching, self-reflection and spiritual enlightenment. You may find that you need time alone to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, to remove yourself from the daily grind in order to discover your true spiritual self, contemplate your existence, your direction in life or your values. The Hermit can also indicate isolating yourself or withdrawing into oneself in order to recover from a difficult situation. This Major Arcana trump card can suggest that you may be going through an anti-social phase where you just don’t want to interact with people as much as you normally would. The Hermit is wise, mature and knowledgeable and may be an indication of someone seeking the services of a counsellor or psychiatrist. This is a time to focus on yourself and meeting your own needs.
The Hermit Tarot card reversed suggests that you have withdrawn too much from the world or are becoming too reclusive. Solitude might have been necessary or good for you at one point but The Hermit reversed is telling you that it is time to come back to the world and the people around you. Taking time for soul-searching and self-reflection can be a great thing in moderation but too much can be damaging. At some point, you do need to draw a line under things and move forward, this Major Arcana card in reversed position indicates that now is that time. It can also indicate that you may be feeling shy or apprehensive about being in social situations. Don’t be afraid to get back out there. Alternatively, The Hermit in reversed can indicate that you are avoiding self-reflection completely as you are afraid of what you’ll discover if you look inside yourself. It can be an indicator of becoming too fixated with someone or something or too rigid and restricted in your views.
In a love context, if you are single The Hermit Tarot card represents coming out the other side of a period of loneliness and solitude that may have been needed to recuperate from past heartbreak or a bad breakup. You will soon be ready for a fresh start. It can also indicate celibacy or chastity. If you are in a relationship, The Hermit upright can represent an older wiser partner. It can also suggest that you may need to make more of an effort to connect with your partner. It can indicate that you and your partner are too focused on doing your own thing rather than spending quality time together.
The Hermit in a career context can indicate may suggest that you are putting too much focus on your career or money and materialistic pursuits, rather than sharing your attention between activities that will leave you feeling fulfilled on all levels. It can also indicate that you are wondering if you are in the right career. Money and materialism may no longer be enough to motivate you and you may find yourself seeking a new more satisfying career path. Financially, now is a time to be mature in your approach to money and investments.
The The Hermit is best read by context in yes or no questions. Upright, it points toward Spiritual enlightenment, Soul searching, Self-reflection, Introspection. Reversed, it suggests Loneliness, Paranoia, Isolation, Bring reclusive.
Put this symbol in context
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