The Major Arkana card, marked with number nine.

Card description

The Hermit, associated with the number nine, is a card of seclusion, introversion, and silence, but not only that. The Hermit, like the numerological nine, has many opposing meanings. The figure of a bearded man with a wanderer’s stick and a lamp lit on the card is the embodiment of someone who does not seek applause or publicity. Nevertheless, his inner light draws people to him and can draw the attention of those around him. The hermit on the card stares at the flame of the lamp, which may mean looking deep inside your own interior. The hermit wants to understand himself, he wants to know in depth his behavior and the motives that guide him. The lamp in his hand is therefore a symbol of enlightenment achieved through developed self-awareness. It is also a light that can guide other people in the future, providing them with a source of inspiration. Therefore, the hermit can also be a symbol of a man who works in silence, concentration and loneliness in the service of other people, for example as an artist, writer, social worker or scientist.

Card meaning

In the most general sense, Eremita means the need to rest, calm down and focus on yourself: on your own needs, dreams and aspirations. It may indicate a recovery period following a period of strenuous work when our energy has been spent on behalf of other people. Eremita reminds us that only through getting to know ourselves and accepting who we really are can our self-development and personal fulfillment take place. For this reason, the card with the image of the Eremita speaks of the need for absolute honesty with oneself. It happens that we compromise too easily, which may lead to the fact that instead of pursuing our own dreams, we unconsciously actually make other people come true. We sacrifice ourselves for others by draining our own energy, but we get little in return. Therefore, through the energy of the Eremita, the Tarot commands us to calmly analyze the situation in which we find ourselves and to look again at our own light, that is, our vocation. What gives us wings? What makes us truly happy? What kind of work or other activity brings us genuine fulfillment? Is the relationship we are in surely functioning properly?

With regard to questions about our activities or projects, The Hermit Tarot Card advises to temporarily refrain from acting and wait for further developments. The advice from the Eremit’s card can be easily compared here to the traditional Chinese principle of Wu Wei, i.e. to the principle of non-action. This is the basic principle of Taoism, which says that things should be allowed to exist in accordance with nature, and events should run spontaneously, at their own pace, without unnecessary interference and imposing ready-made solutions. In this way, The Hermit in Tarot points out that our ideas apparently take time to mature and to take proper form. The implementation of our projects requires thorough preparation and we should not take any decisions hastily. Haste, carelessness, and impulsiveness can lead to trouble and conflict that we might otherwise have easily avoided.

If we are waiting for a decision or a solution to a case, the Tarot recommends patience and greater humility through the energy of The Hermit. The card advises us to protect our own energy, not to waste it on trivial matters of little importance, but to focus on our long-term goals – just as the man on the card focuses all his attention on the light of the lamp. In this way, he is able to find the right path and reach the places he secretly dreams of.

When you cant find the solutions just focus on the goal.

Loneliness either makes us find ourselves or makes us lose ourselves.
(Roberto Gervaso)

Reversed Card

The Inverted Card speaks about fear of people, loneliness caused by your previous decisions, avoiding confrontation with problems, fear and paranoia.