Episode 013: The Hermit Tarot Card

Pixabay: falco

The Hermit tarot card can suggest that it's time to take some time for yourself – to reflect on your life and what you want to achieve.

This could mean taking some time out from your routine or even traveling to a place where you can be alone and have some peace.

The card implies introspection, solitude, and self-reflection.

Additionally, the card represents several different things, including wisdom, reflection, and guidance.

It is a popular card for meditation and contemplation.

Now, before going into the meaning of the Hermit, let's delve into the history of the card.

The History Of the Hermit Tarot Card

The Hermit tarot card is one of the most mysterious cards in the deck.

It has a long and complex history that is still being studied today.

Here is a brief overview of the Hermit tarot card's history.

The Hermit tarot card first appeared in the Marseille deck, created in 1760.

The Hermit was depicted as an older man with a staff and a lantern.

He was often seen as a symbol of wisdom and guidance.

In the Rider-Waite deck, created in 1909, the Hermit was depicted as a young man with a cloak and a lantern.

This deck became very popular and helped to popularize the Hermit tarot card.

In addition, the Hermit card is often associated with the tarot's Hermit trump, numbered nine.

Let's further find out what it means when the Hermit is reading.

What Does It Mean When The Hermit Comes Up In A Reading?

The Hermit is a solitary figure, and his appearance in a reading often suggests that it's time for some introspection.

He can help you find the answers you are looking for, but only if you are willing to listen to what he has to say.

If the Hermit card appears in a reading, it might also suggest that you need to look within yourself for answers rather than searching outside yourself.

You may need to go within to find your authentic inner voice. This can be a complex process, but it can also be rewarding.

The Hermit is often seen as a symbol of wisdom, so if you see this card in a reading, it may tell you to seek advice from those who have more experience than you.

It's also a sign that you should take your time before making any decisions because there's no need to rush into anything.

So if you're feeling lost or uncertain about the direction your life is taking, the Hermit tarot card may be just what you need.

He can help you find your way, but only if you're willing to listen and learn.

So how does the Hermit apply to Risa's life?

Based on what you know about her, she is not taking control of her life and is instead allowing herself to be walked on.

Therefore, she has not applied the Hermit into her life at all.

Because if she did, then she would have found a way to stop her echoism, manage and find coping skills for her trauma and mental illnesses, and would have found the strength to delegate responsibilities so she could begin to learn about her true purpose.

Her true meaning is not taking care of everyone else because everyone has some purpose that does not involve taking care of others and putting your needs on the back burner.

And making that realization does take a lot of introspection.

Risa is scared to do that, and I can understand how that is, as I was too.

But eventually, you do get pushed past the brink where you have no choice but to begin to look within.

So instead, Risa represents the Hermit in reverse, 100 percent. She does as I did too for a long time.

That was yet again until I was pushed past my brink.

After all that Risa deals with in her life, you would think that she would have been pushed past that brink a while ago.

So what does Risa deal with?

Once again, this is what is on her plate, and that is depression, complex PTSD, caring for her abusive and controlling parents, a child with moderate autism, no friends, a neighbor that takes advantage of her, a loveless marriage, an unfulfilling job, and money constraints.

She is also very unhealthy physically. And yet, she has not looked within to see how she can make better changes in her life.

Instead, she allows her rage from everything to sit inside and stew in her.

But everyone ends up breaking at some point, especially those like Risa, who have all of the responsibilities that she has in addition to her demons.

So you can say the Hermit in reverse represents her, and let's talk about that now.

Hermit In Reverse

When the Hermit comes in reverse, it does not mean ignoring the need to be introspective by hanging around with others.

It means that someone could be a misfit or be lonely and sad.

It can also represent exile as well as withdrawing from loved ones.

It may be a sign of depression or going through the Dark Night Of The Soul.

We know that Risa does not have friends, so she does not hang around others, but she does ignore the need to be introspective.

And we also know that deep down, she is lonely and sad, but she is also angry, and that is where the Hermit can help her.

The Hermit can help her make sense of her anger.

As you know, I was once like Risa, especially back in high school, as I was the bullied outcast, the misfit, and you could say I was the Queen of Misfits, and I wanted more than anything to be the popular one.

Because I believed that if I were the popular one, I would matter.

But here is the thing, sometimes you have to go through the Dark Night of The Soul, an existential crisis.

Something puts you there, and I had gone through many of them, including the most recent one when everything was in lockdown last year in the middle of winter.

That is when I realized how much trauma I had been suppressing for decades.

Not a pretty thing to come at you at once. And yes, I became feral at the time.

But here is the thing. I knew the anger that I had for so long was justified and used it to do a lot of advocating for mental health.

Now, I have been doing that for almost a decade, but I became a lot rawer than I used to be.

I realized that I was triggering people, which was not my intention, but that was the feedback I got.

I will not stop, though, because the truth needs to be told. How else will you smash the stigma?

And another realization I made was that being a misfit is a-okay!

I don't want to generalize because it does not apply to everyone who falls into this group, but here is an observation, and forgive me for appearing judgmental.

Many in the popular crowd are superficial conformists.

No thanks. Anyway, let's talk about how to apply the Hermit into your life.

How To Apply The Hermit Into Your Life

Well, everything that I said states that. If you are not happy with a situation you are in, or if something unreal happens to you, you need to take a step back and reflect on it.

You need to reflect on all of it to find out how to improve things around you.

You can meditate, hire a trusted therapist to help sort out what is bothering you, and the Hermit can also represent therapists, too, by the way.

And some of us have to do that for life one way or another.

If you have C-PTSD, you may find that you are managing your life exceptionally well and may not need therapy or help for a while.

However, triggers happen, life will happen and will bring you back to needing that help again.

The next card I will go over is the Wheel of Fortune. Almost halfway through the Major Arcana.

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