The Hermit
Overview
KeyworDS: solitude, inner guidance, seclusion, stillness, peace, hidden knowledge, Intuition, Mystery, Wisdom, Subconscious, Spiritual Insight, Inner Illumination, Reflection, isolation, finding your path, being the light,
ARCHETYPE: hermit, wise man, lone wolf, ascetic, recluse, guide, mentor
LESSON: be your own guide, shine your own light
SIGN AFFINITY: VIRGO
PLANETARY Correspondence: MERCURY, SATURN
YES OR NO: NEUTRAL
The Hermit: Archetype & Symbolism
A solitary wanderer, the Hermit goes where others won’t or can’t. He walks his path alone, carrying a light to illuminate the path less trodden. As such, he embodies a pioneering energy - he ventures into and penetrates darker areas of life and the psyche others shy away from. This would not be possible without inner and outer illumination . The Hermit reminds us to create and then follow our own light. This process requires the creation of a robust model for life, so that we can walk in faith even in times of darkness and not fall prey to confusion and ambiguity. Having aligned his intuition with rationality, the Hermit understands what he feels on his solitary path and his quiet reflection. This offers profound peace.
A wise old man who has seen it all, the Hermit does not care about fame, fortune and family - his sole involvement is with the numinous. He embodies the state of mind we acquire after rescuing ourselves from parental and societal conditioning and begin to forge our own path - the reward is clarity of mind, emotional freedom, and profound self-understanding. Most of desire family involvement and relationship, but this, inevitably, creates need. The Hermit sponsors the unpopular yet necessary insight that if you need people, you cannot be spiritually free. He was brave enough to break free of comforting and nurturing principles, as confident adults, if you are to be free, you have to walk your own path, unsupported, having faith that the support you get from a divine source is good enough. Walking on the margins of every situation gives you the freedom of mind to decide what is true and what isn’t and what is right and what isn’t. this doesn’t mean living divorced from all social involvement and community life - it means not subscribing to ways of being that don’t fit with you. you then learn to see your own lies, your own ambiguities, and become a more refined version of self that has developed its own teachings. When you find a certain spiritual station, you walk away from it all.
Only at the very end of our life will this become less of a binding force.
The Hermit: Higher Wisdom
A solitary seeker whose direction in life is guided by his own light, the Hermit is the embodiment of a paradox: despite being free of guides, he is the principle of guidance. This paradox arises because we initially project our need for guidance onto a teacher or teaching, only to see through the X of it and walk away. So In order to give up guidance, we need a guide..The Hermit has become independent and has gained spiritual liberation through becoming his own guide. He is the embodiment of silent wisdom, the wise man who lives quietly and slowly, radiance, everyone can feel it . then you act accordingly and do the right thing - without thinking about it. just walking where you can do most good. Joy is found in the silence of heart, bring peaceful beauty into your heart, feed it, tend it,
Journalling Prompts:
How can I be my own guide?
How can I create my own light?
How can I feel joy in silence?
