The Hermit

The Hermit stands alone on the mountain peak because the crowd cannot follow where the soul must go. Withdraw. Light the lantern of your own knowing. The answer you seek is not out there — it is the six-pointed star burning quietly in your own chest, waiting for the silence to reveal it.

Reversed, the Hermit warns of isolation that has curdled into loneliness, or refusal to come down from the mountain and share what you've learned. Withdrawal has become hiding. It is time to rejoin the world or let another hand hold the lantern for a while.

✦ The Illustration

A cloaked bearded figure stands atop a dark mountain peak, one hand raising a lantern that contains the six-pointed Seal of Solomon casting a soft amber glow, the other hand steady on a tall gilded staff. A lone bird drifts across a crescent-moon sky.

✦ Affirmation

“In solitude I remember the light I am; my own lantern is enough to guide me.”