The Hermit

How it actually shows up

The Hermit is withdrawal, and the reason it appears is usually that withdrawal has already begun. Calls unreturned, invitations declined without a reason you'd say out loud, a growing preference for your own company that you're slightly embarrassed about. The card's position is that this is not avoidance, or not only. Some questions can't be answered in company, because company keeps offering answers. He's a frequent card at forty and at sixty, and in the months after a loss. What he asks for is a defined retreat rather than a drift — time taken deliberately, with an end to it. Reversed, or badly aspected, he's the same withdrawal without the deliberation: isolation that has stopped producing anything and become the shape of the days.

Common pairings

• The High Priestess — withdrawal in order to hear what you already know
• The Moon — solitude in poor light — be careful what you conclude alone right now
• Judgement — looking back over a long stretch and assessing it honestly
• Death — retreat after an ending, which is appropriate rather than avoidant
• The Star — quiet recovery; the pace is correct even if it feels like nothing

Astrological Correspondences

Element

Earth

Planet / Sign

Virgo

Arcana

Major Arcana