Interpretation Given By My Everything Tarot Book states:
When the Hermit appears in a reading, there are two separate possibilities of interpretation. One is that a guide figure is at hand, offering help. Depending on the card's position in the layout, the guide figure may be close at hand only waiting for the querent to make communication with him, or he may be at a distance and require the person to make an effort through meditation or consciously beginning a search.
A second interpretation is that the questioner must voluntarily withdraw from contact with the outer world for a time in order to search his or her soul for the meaning of his or her life. The implication is that the inner work needs to be done now, and that Spirit cannot speak to you if you are totally distracted by the hurly-burly and noise of everyday life. The need to search for Truth for the individual is urgent, and it can only be done alone.
Whichever interpretation seems to suit the readee, and the question being put to the Tarot cards, the overall meaning is that the time has come to reunite with the Source, whether for guidance or inner balance. Sometimes, the guide figure may represent a person, such as a counselor of some sort--a therapist or clergy person--but usually it refers to inner guidance, or the getting in touch with a guide from the other side.
In a Reading:
The Hermit is a guide figure. Depending on where he appears in the layout, he is either nearby waiting for you to call on his wisdom, or he is waiting patiently for you to turn to him for advice. Usually, you are aware of his influence, but you may be ignoring it. At this time, you may be involved actively in seeking guidance from the "invisible world." This may take a physical form: you may be isolating yourself in some way, going out of town for a few days to be alone with yourself, or, if staying home, turning off the phone and seeking solitude. You want to gain some perspective on your life, and you are open to the inner guidance that is available to you upon request.
Description:
My book describes the Hermit as an old man holding a staff and a lighted lantern. In my card, it is a woman, wearing a white cloak and hood, and holding a staff with a lantern on the end. The robes are said to be plain and unadorned, like those of a monk, and the Hermit symbolizes wisdom in a way that most old men are depicted--the "sage" or wise man of legend. My Hermit does appear to be wise beyond her years, and although she doesn't look old, she has a strand of silver hair falling in front of her face.
The book describes the Hermit as always walking or standing, and looking off somewhere that we can't see--presumably towards our futures. He is a guide and a teacher, and the background is usually drawn as mountains in the distance, to symbolize the heights that he has reached and how he has returned to us to help us develop and reach those heights as well. The book notes that he is "wise in the ways of all the worlds, visible and invisible, material and immaterial." In my book she is sitting on the edge of a cliff, looking downwards into a rocky valley that I can't see. There are indeed mountains behind her, as in the traditional Hermit cards.
The book states that the Hermit is a loner, seeking truth, lighting the way for others to follow. He needs no sign of royalty because he is only there to guide us to the truth and show us direction. The book says that the wooden staff is to symbolize a connection to nature, and the staff in my card does seem to be made of wood.
The bent posture and serious expression connect the Hermit to Father Time, and the book also states he is connected to Saturn. Saturn symbolizes boundaries, limitations, and obstacles in life. His solitary lifestyle indicates the need to withdraw from the everyday world sometimes and regain perspective through "silent reflection." My card also displays a slightly bent over Hermit.
Details I've Noticed:
In my card, the Hermit is much like in other cards. It is a woman though, and although she doesn't seem old, she does have a visible strand of silver hanging in front of her face. She is slightly bent over, a symbol of having been through time and gained wisdom from experience. She is wearing a simple white robe with a white cloak and hook, reminiscent of the wise simple monks, and she carries a wooden staff with a curve at the top and a bright lantern hanging from the staff. The wood of the staff offers a sign that she is One with nature and the physical world, while her beautiful lacy white wings (on my card) indicates that she is also One with the spiritual inner world. Her lantern lights the way for others, as she is a guide and teacher and is here to offer advice and guidance as we take the journey that she has already been on. She sits on the edge of a cliff, which reminds me of the Fool card, and it makes me think that she is sitting at that same cliff as a sign that she has been with us since the start of our journey, just waiting for us to reach out to her for advice and help. The mountains in the background speak of the heights she has reached in her experiences, and the obstacles she will help us overcome as well, if only we ask. It looks like a sunrise is coming up behind the mountains, which I think means that the knowledge and advice we gain from the Hermit will lead us to brighter days.
In a reading, this card represents one of two things. It can either represent that there is someone in our lives that is waiting patiently for us to ask for advice, or that the person is far from us and we have to seek them out. It could also represent that we must withdraw from the rest of the world from time to time and reflect on who we are and who we want to be, deep within our inner selves.
I should also take note that the Hermit is card number 9, which is a number of humanitarianism, compassion, tolerance for differences, attainment of wisdom through experience, integration, and completion. Whatever cycle had just happened is ending now, and you have learned what you needed from it. You have learned much (or are about to learn much from the Hermit) and have recognized not only the wholeness of each individual around you, but of yourself as well. It is this understanding and wisdom that allows you to pass over differences and be forgiving and compassionate--as a wise one might be as well (like the Hermit, as an excellent example). But although this is a number of completion in the big picture, remember that this card teaches us to keep our introspection alive, so we don't lose ourselves in the totality.
