Thoth - Hermit

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Jan 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

kayne	23 Jan 2002
The Hermit card in the Thoth deck (one of my favourites...) contains an image in the bottom left corner of a stick with a ball and little star inside bending towards the Hermit. Does anyone know what this is and what it means? None of the books I have make reference to it... Thanks, K.

Strange2	23 Jan 2002
This has been said to represent a spermatozoon (mature male reproductive cell), and the Serpent Wand of Mercury. In the book "The Crowley Tarot" by Akron & Hajo Banzhaf, they write: "the spermatazoon in the bottom of the card corresponds to the procreative impulse from which everything comes into being, as long as it finds fertile ground." Crowley, in his "Book of Thoth", writes: "Concealed within Mercury is a light which pervades all parts of the Universe equally; one of his titles is Psychopompos, the guide of the soul through the lower regions. These symbols are indicated by his Serpent Wand, which is actually growing out of the Abyss, and is the spermatozoon developed as a poison, and manifesting the foetus." The Hebrew letter Yod is attributed to the Hermit. The shape of the letter Yod is often described as drops of semen, the creative potential. The more I look at the geometric shapes at the top of this "Wand of Mercury", it reminds me of one of those spaceships from the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." ??? Hmmm...

Kiama	23 Jan 2002
Forgive me for asking, and I know I probably sound really stupid now, but why is all that creation stuff on the Hermit? I would've thought it would be on the Empress card if any... Kiama *Blinking through the darkness*

Briarfoote	23 Jan 2002
I believe in the case of the Hermit, it is creative potiential that is the key. If you want to start a real argument, indentify the Hermit with masturbation. Maybe that is the Hermit reversed ...

kayne	23 Jan 2002
Thankyou! That probably makes a lot of sense... The Hermit's light can traditionally represent illumination and inspiration in the dark so coupled with a symbol of creativity it makes it a really great card... Pitty you have to do it all alone... (I am trying to remember which deck I saw which depicts the Hermit masterbating...?) K.

tarotbear	18 Feb 2002
Possibly the 'Garden of the Penises' -- Italian tarot deck.

The Thoth - Hermit thread was originally posted on 23 Jan 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.