The Hermit (IX) tarot card is the 9th card of the Major Arcana, and it represents introspection and virtue. When the Hermit shows up in a tarot reading, it suggests that you need to follow your own path and do some personal contemplation. This will help you understand yourself and discover whatever you are seeking.
The Hermit visual depiction and symbolism
On the Hermit tarot card illustration, a lonely man dressed in grey garment stands on top of a snow-covered mountain. In his right hand, the Hermit holds a lantern with a hexagram shaped star inside and a long staff in his left.
- The Lantern with a hexagram star inside represents understanding.
- The Lantern also symbolizes that knowledge and wisdom are revealed to us little by little. We can illuminate our journey to enlightenment only a few steps at a time.
- The long staff is a representation of strength and self-assurance.
- The mountain symbolizes achievement, progress, and success.
The dark blue-grey sky in the background of the Hermit emphasizes the solitude that surrounds him. He finds peace here, and this is where he can contemplate his thoughts.
The Hermit Keywords
Keywords are summarizations of the tarot card meanings and excellent ways to memorize them. So let’s look at them here.
UPRIGHT Keywords: Introspection, being alone, meditation
REVERSED Keywords: Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal
Now that we have gone through the Hermit’s visual components and keywords, let’s advance into its deeper meanings in love, relationships, career, money, health, and spirituality.
The Hermit Upright meaning
The Hermit tarot card upright presents that you are either taking or in need of taking a pause to contemplate. The issues outside distract your inner-thought, so you need to direct your thoughts inside and find your inner wisdom for guidance. In these moments of peace and quiet, you will gain a more profound understanding of who you are and what you want.
Love and Relationships
In love and relationship readings, the Hermit, at first glance, isn’t the most astonishing card to get. An old man in solitude doesn’t sound like the most favorable omen for love, but that doesn’t mean that this card is totally useless in giving you advice on love and relationships.
For the single ones, the Hermit Tarot card signifies that you are going through a time of loneliness required to move on from your past relationship. It can also be a sign that instead of looking for love, you should focus on yourself at the moment. Do some soul-searching of what is it that you are looking for and why?
For those in a relationship, the Hermit can suggest that now may be a time to focus more energy on yourself. Perhaps you have been neglecting the time with yourself and focused your attention on your relationship’s needs. When you have a balanced connection with yourself, you’ll also be able to pour more energy into your relationship.
Money and Career
When the Hermit appears in money and career reading, it suggests that now is a time to gather your thoughts about your financial and professional goals.
Regarding your career, the Hermit can be a sign that you are pushing your professional aspiration ahead of everything else. You shouldn’t get caught up solely in your professional path, but find balance and take some time to fulfill other areas of your life as well. The Hermit can also signal that you are not entirely happy with where your professional career is headed at the moment. You should do some soul-searching and figure out what it is that you really want. Do you want to do a job to satisfy your materialistic desires, or do you want to do something that fuels your spirit as well?
Regarding money, the Hermit is a simple and minimalistic man. Now is not the time for flashy purchases. Now is a time to look at your values and put spending aside for awhile. Focus your attention on understanding your financial goals and how do you want to reach them.
Health and Spirituality
The Hermit is a spiritual card. He invites you to practice meditation from time to time. Allowing your inner wisdom to speak will help you hear the answers you need. Let this spiritual experience give you guidance for your next steps.
Withdrawing yourself to contemplate different areas of your life is a spiritual sacrament in itself. It will improve your well-being both physically as well as spiritually.
The Hermit Yes or No Upright
In questions that can result in a yes or no answer, the Hermit is a relatively neutral card. It calls you to draw your attention inward to search for answers. Therefore if the card is upright, it is a Maybe.
The Hermit Reversed Meaning
When the Hermit tarot card is reversed, it represents the harmful sides of isolating yourself from others. The reversed Hermit could be a sign that you are taking your self-isolation too far and becoming a hermit literally. Taking time for yourself is essential and useful, but withdrawing yourself entirely from the people around you will do more damage than good.
Love and Relationships
In love and relationship reading, the reversed Hermit is an indication that someone feels isolated in the relationship. Either you or your partner might feel disconnected or rejected by the other. Perhaps work or some other activity takes away the other’s attention, or some feelings are not being met. Whatever it may be, the reversed Hermit calls for reconnection and speaking openly about how you both experience the situation.
For the single ones, if you have recently felt heartache and broken up, the Hermit reversed can indicate that you have a strong desire to reconnect with your previous partner. But if you have already taken some time off from dating, the reversed Hermit is a sign that you have spent enough time dwelling on your past breakups. Now it is the moment to let go of the past and find something new in your life. But yourself available again, and be ready to receive love.
Money and Career
The reversed Hermit in money and career is a suggestion to reconnect with other people. It encourages you to seek the guidance of more experienced people both in financial and career-related questions.
Regarding your career, the Hermit reversed suggests that now is an excellent time to come out of isolation and focus on building professional relationships. He encourages you to find work assignments where you have an opportunity to interact and gain valuable experience from other people. Now is not the time to work alone.
Regarding money, the Hermit reversed could be an indication that you have been very stingy about money. To the extent that you are not allowing yourself to enjoy even small treats. It’s good to be conservative with spending, but you don’t want to come off as cheap. The reversed Hermit also calls for caution when it comes to investments. He advises you to seek guidance from trusted sources.
Health and Spirituality
The Hermit reversed in the health context can indicate that you will benefit from meeting other people at the moment. Friendships are an essential part of our well-being, so cherish and nurture them. It can also indicate that you have been overloaded with issues in some areas of your life, which has caused extra stress. In this case, the reversed Hermit calls you to take some time to rest.
In a spiritual meaning, the Hermit reversed calls to get in touch with like-minded people. These new connections would be beneficial for your spiritual growth. Facebook groups and Meetups are great places to search for people who have similar interests.
The Hermit Yes or No Reversed
The Hermit reversed in questions that can have a Yes or No outcome is a Maybe. It is a sign of encouragement to get yourself out of isolation and seek the company of others.
The Hermit tarot card Combinations
Combining the Hermit with other tarot cards supports the need for inner reflection, which will help you understand yourself and discover your internal wisdom.
The Star and the Hermit
The star is the card of hope, inspiration, and opportunities. When combined with the Hermit, there is a sense of an idea or hope what a moment spent in solitude can result. I see it as a promise that inspiration will require some contemplating now.
The Hermit and the Death
When the Hermit and the Death appear together, it is a sign that the ending you have experienced has caused you pain. To the extent that you have been drawing to yourself. This is a necessary part of the healing process and the starting point for something new. Remember not to dwell on your loss for too long and return to the company of others when you feel like you are ready.
The Justice and the Hermit
The Justice and the Hermit tarot card combination sees like it depicts the circumstances required to come to a just decision. The Justice is also a card of balance, so this combination could be pointing to the fact that you will need to take a spiritual time out to restore balance to your life.
The Strenght and the Hermit
The Strength forecasts a successful resolution to a significant issue. To come up with the solution, the Hermit suggests drawing to your inner knowledge. You will need to spend some time on your own to find your understanding of the issue.
The Judgement and the Hermit
Seeing the Judgement in a tarot spread is a signal of a period coming to an end in our lives. Having the Hermit combined with this signifies that the period will change into a time of loneliness. You will have a chance to gather your thoughts and prepare yourself for a new beginning.
The Hermit – Element, Astrology and other associations
Here are the associations with the Hermit tarot card.
- Element: Earth
- Planet: Mercury
- Astrological sign: Virgo
- Key dates: Late summer
The Hermit as a personality
The Hermit represents the personality of an introvert that is educated, wise, and inspiring. There is a lot of mystic around this person. He is the type who can explain things that are spiritual and complex. You could listen to them speaking about the mysteries of the universe for hours. The Hermit personality goes well for a therapist, psychologist, or spiritual mentor.
The Hermit as feelings
Questioning the Tarot about how someone feels about you, and the Hermit tarot card appears. In that case, you are short of luck this time. The Hermit is not a person who shows their feelings or shares them with someone. They prefer loneliness over knit tight relationships. It doesn’t mean you couldn’t have a relationship with a person like this. It just might require extra understanding and patience on your part.