How timely! I decided to come back to Tarot for Scholars after getting behind on it, and my first card here is ... The Hermit! I am, literally, sitting on a pretty deserted island off the New England coast by myself for almost three weeks to work on a novel manuscript. May The Hermit be my inner guide!
This is a fascinating card, and thank you Margy and Helen for the richness of your interpretations. This is a post I’ll be going back to a few times, to delve more deeply. There is so much to consider.
One quick thought on your comment about the portrayal of the Hermit’s gender, Helen: I had this thought, as well, and in Western society I think it’s both easier and more acceptable for men to find “hermitude” than women (broad generalisation there, I admit). There’s an expectation that women are relational and practical, with responsibilities in both these areas, that work against the kind of solitude and simplicity that goes with Hermit experiences. Also (ok, two thoughts!) the cards suggest a sense of distance from the world, that enables a broader vision of the landscape. My animal tarot deck features a lynx, solitary creature of the high mountains.
Agree! Carving out space in her life for hermit solitude can be a radically feminist act for a woman. 💪 And it can be one of the great pleasures of growing older (is for me anyway!) 👵🏻
It is for me, too, although I now have parents in their 80s and 90s, as well as children and grandchildren. But I agree, I have more opportunity for pockets of hermit solitude than at any other time in my adult life.
How timely! I decided to come back to Tarot for Scholars after getting behind on it, and my first card here is ... The Hermit! I am, literally, sitting on a pretty deserted island off the New England coast by myself for almost three weeks to work on a novel manuscript. May The Hermit be my inner guide!
Sounds dreamy! Enjoy 🕯️
This is a fascinating card, and thank you Margy and Helen for the richness of your interpretations. This is a post I’ll be going back to a few times, to delve more deeply. There is so much to consider.
One quick thought on your comment about the portrayal of the Hermit’s gender, Helen: I had this thought, as well, and in Western society I think it’s both easier and more acceptable for men to find “hermitude” than women (broad generalisation there, I admit). There’s an expectation that women are relational and practical, with responsibilities in both these areas, that work against the kind of solitude and simplicity that goes with Hermit experiences. Also (ok, two thoughts!) the cards suggest a sense of distance from the world, that enables a broader vision of the landscape. My animal tarot deck features a lynx, solitary creature of the high mountains.
Agree! Carving out space in her life for hermit solitude can be a radically feminist act for a woman. 💪 And it can be one of the great pleasures of growing older (is for me anyway!) 👵🏻
It is for me, too, although I now have parents in their 80s and 90s, as well as children and grandchildren. But I agree, I have more opportunity for pockets of hermit solitude than at any other time in my adult life.
❤️🩹