Ruled by the star sign Virgo and the planet Mercury and the element earth.
The Hermit leans on his staff of authority and wisdom which he needs on his spiritual journey. He holds his lantern in front of him to illuminate his path on his journey. Notice the six pointed star within his lantern, this is the seal of Solomon which represents wisdom.
He is standing on solid ground with his eyes facing south as he confidently makes his journey, and leaning on his staff of wisdom. The hermit is a wise man not given to foolish whims, years of wisdom and experience have taught him well.
His lantern stands for illumination and wisdom and the light of reason. His cloak is the mantle of self possession, his staff is for the everlasting forces of nature, life, faith, strength and comfort, to lean on in hard times.
The white under his feel stands for spiritual purity, the squiggly line at his feet is a snake which alludes to spiritual energy of the kundalini energy which resides coiled like a snake in the base chakra and rises up the spine.
The number 9 on the card is the number of initiation, completeness, male energy and aggression, courage, conflict, originality, intuitive action and penetration.
Arthur waite put a lot of phallic symbology into the Tarot deck, (wands suite) via the Cabala and psychology, it is male dominated energy.
The Hermit as his title suggests has shunned the company of man to live a life of seclusion and hardship. He is on a spiritual journey so he needs to connect with his higher self and seeks solitude and grounding. He is a beacon of light and hope and the still centre in times of uncertainty. He represents the need to withdraw from the harsh world when things get too hectic.
Now for the month of January this is a good card and rather timely too. It is the end of a turbulent decade and the start of a new one, and we are still reeling from the chaos of the past few months.
Now we need to go within and examine what has happened, some of us are traumatised from the bushfires here in Australia and the inaction or late actions of the government in times of crisis has many people upset.
January needs to be a time to sort out our priorities in life and our core values on a spiritual level.
Are we truly happy with our lives at present? What can we do to make life better for ourselves and others?
Only by turning inwards and not turning to rage and anger can we find the answers that we seek. We need a calm and rational mind and a good firm grounding to find our answers to our current situations, both on a personal and universal level. Patience grasshopper! 😁
The Hermit does not rush things or he will miss the message, we need to be patient and diligent this month, communication may be slow or misunderstood too.
