Hi and welcome to our Wednesday Tarot lesson. This week we are meeting the Hermit. Take a look at him in your Rider-Waite deck. He is number IX. He is standing on the top of a cold, snowy mountain holding a lantern and a staff. He has reached the first plateau of awareness and has gone through the initiation of the cards from the fool to strength that we’ve talked about in our other articles. Because he has reached this higher level of consciousness, he can teach us. He is holding the light to illumine the path for the rest of us. He made the trek up the mountain on his own, just like we have to climb our own mountains – you know the ones we make out of mole hills? The word Hermit comes from the Greek word eremites, which means of the desert. Sometimes we have to be like the Hermit and periodically pull away from our every day life to seek solitude. We don’t have to climb mountains to get away but we need to take a few minutes for ourselves, to shut the door, take some deep breaths and connect with our Higher Self or our Angels and Guides. This is really not hard to do. Some say “I can’t meditate because I can’t still my mind.” I always say, you don’t have to quiet your mind, but if you buy some guided imagery tapes, get quiet and listen to them, it will be like taking a vacation. You will have temporarily let go of your worries and problems and come back refreshed. This is also called charging your inner batteries. All of our spiritual teachers including Moses and Jesus learned to go away for awhile and go into the silence and the solitude
Sometimes when we are on our spiritual path we feel like we’re alone in the desert and it can feel scary. We feel adrift, separate, and lonely. This can make us feel so uncomfortable that we flip on the TV, call a friend on the phone, go to a bar – anything so we don’t have to feel that restless, empty scary feeling. Our new friend the Hermit felt like this many times, just as all of us do. This is part of growth and we can learn to welcome it and practice attuning ourselves to new ways of solving our personal problems. The Hermit symbolizes that we can always turn to him and his light for guidance. He symbolizes our Higher Power. He knows that he cannot carry us just like we don’t need to carry others. We can be like the Hermit in our own life and, once we get our inner light glowing, we can teach others how to be strong. Many times this is the only way we can help. If we run around giving all our money away to people they will just spend the money and be out of it again. Is that helpful? Maybe temporarily we can give them a hand, but wouldn’t it be much better if we showed them how to help themselves? Jesus not only fed the people but he showed them how to fish. There are many kinds of teachers in the world. There are credit counselors, twelve step programs, gamblers anonymous and other types of recovery programs. We can learn from Yogi Classes, Tai Chi, and Karate. Exercise and walking is another way to get away and go within. Many times people recharge when they walk – their endorphins are released. Diet changes, journaling, going to someone in the helping professions – all of these are forms of teachings that can help us on our path. We don’t need to limit ourselves. Neither do we have to solve everyone else’s problems. Yes it is good to be of service, but when we get so engrossed in solving other’s problems that we drain ourselves, we can end up making others dependent on us, and that is definitely not what the Hermit is about. You can be like the Hermit and help others find their own light. We all come into this earth plane with our own lessons and we really have no knowledge of what the other person has come here to learn. We need to remember this when we get too involved in trying to help another. It’s great to help them help themselves, but we must not try to carry them.
The astrological sign of the Hermit is Virgo, which is an earth sign. It is mutable, meaning adaptable; it can either stand still or change, depending on the needs. Virgo’s like to analyze and serve, they are industrious and one of their lessons is to free themselves from excessive worry. What teachers, books, classes will you take to become more like your Hermit within? The planet Mercury, which represents our mind, our way of communicating, rules Virgo. Try to be aware this week how you will learn from others as well as be their teacher.
The Hermit’s Advice:
Rest, relax, regenerate, and pay attention to your needs
Focus on your work and don’t let yourself get distracted
Eat nutritiously, exercise, dance, and become balanced
Look to your higher self, start journaling with your angels
Hold the light for others but don’t carry them
Next week we’ll look at our Wheel of Fortune. What a fun card this can be!
^i^ Angel Hugs,
Jean Maurie
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