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Major arcana · IX
The Hermit: tarot card meaning
Keywords: Solitude, reflection, inner light. Withdraw to the mountain and carry your own lantern. Answers come in the quiet.
Upright meaning
Withdraw to the mountain and carry your own lantern. Answers come in the quiet.
Reversed meaning
Isolation or avoiding reflection. Solitude has become loneliness, or the lamp needs relighting.
Symbolism
An old man on a snowy peak holds up a lantern containing a star.
Its place in the Fool's journey
Withdrawing to find your own light before returning to the world.
Questions to reflect on
- Where in my life does "solitude, reflection, inner light" feel true right now?
- What would the upright meaning ask me to do this week?
- If the card felt reversed, what is blocking or delaying it?
Draw it yourself
Draw a free one-card, three-card or Celtic Cross reading in the Tarot Room. Traditional pairings for this card: Black obsidian point, Sandalwood incense and All crystals.
Tarot decks and accessories
The Hermit: questions
What does The Hermit mean upright?
Withdraw to the mountain and carry your own lantern. Answers come in the quiet.
What does The Hermit mean reversed?
Isolation or avoiding reflection. Solitude has become loneliness, or the lamp needs relighting.
Is The Hermit a yes or no card?
Tarot isn't a yes/no oracle, but readers who use it that way usually read The Hermit upright as a gentle yes and reversed as 'wait'. Treat it as a prompt for reflection.
What number is The Hermit in the major arcana?
The Hermit is card IX of the 22 major arcana. Withdrawing to find your own light before returning to the world.