Symbolizing: The Hermit

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Thirteen	16 May 2004
Symbolizing: The Hermit On our 3 weekly threads continue, examining the symbolism in the Majors. What you like and what you don't. What you feel ought to be there...or not. For this thread, the Hermit. Just answer one or more of the following: 1) What elements from any Hermit card from any deck do you feel BEST symbolize the Hermit? (Example: "The lantern is a MUST!") 2) What elements common to most Hermit cards in most decks do you really feel are all WRONG for the Hermit? (Example: "I've NEVER liked that he's always represented as an old man.") 3) What symbol have you always felt was right for the Hermit Card, but you've yet to see it? (Example: "I'd like to see him peering through a microscope"). You don't have to answer all the above, but do offer some "why's?" as to what you answer. Why don't you/do you like the lantern? What does the old man image mean that feels/doesn't feel like the Hermit to you?

punchinella	17 May 2004
I just want to say that in spite of increasingly strong feelings that the Marseilles Hermit is the Hermit, because the Marseilles deck is the deck, there's something about the Hermit in Tarot of the Old Path that has always felt so right to me: it's the way his cloak opens, in the midst of a snowy winter landscape, to reveal summer within. This is so profound, it's such a marvelous elaboration of what the Hermit-spirit means to me . . . I can't really say that I'd like to see this in other decks, because for the moment I'm really only interested in Marseilles decks, but my understanding of the Marseilles Hermit, of the archetypal or original Hermit, is enriched by the Tarot of the Old Path idea. & for that I'm grateful.

dadsnook2000	17 May 2004
1) Well, the lantern in a must -- the raised lantern offers light that can be perceived from a distance. This symbology of the Hermit beckoning with his light is quite different from the High Priestess who also has knowledge to offer but does not beckon travellers to her. 2) I don't feel comfortable that he is not as "accessible" by virtue of not being on/near a path or in an area that is more conducive to passage. The HP appears to be where she can be reached but doesn't advertise. The Hermit advertises but can be reached easily. It is in these examples that I feel the secret of better understanding both these cards may lie. Dave.

Moongold	18 May 2004
I like the possibility of choice in Hermit cards. Like Punchinella I really like the Fournier Marseilles Hermit because it’s a classically simple representation of the solitary but calm seeker. The lantern and the staff are there but the colours are important two. Blue is the colour of spirituality I think and this Hermit has a cloak of the deepest blue. The simplicity of this image is really important. That is what the Hermit is about, I think, simplicity, clarity, essence. The Hermit has a grey beard and hair but his face is not old and those beautiful eyes are open with expectation and hope but also the tentativeness of the human condition. So, these more subjective impressions are really important to me, and they are present in many ways in various cards. I also love the Old Path Hermit. I am fairly accepting of any deck and just go with the flow. The traditional symbols of lantern and staff are familiar and comfortable but I would like there to some decks which have a younger Hermit and maybe a couple with a female Hermit, as the Ancestral Path has a female Fool, or an androgynous one at the least. The Tarot of the Sephiroth has classy stylized, almost comic book graphics and it has an interesting Hermit. He is contemporary and strong, and doesn’t have a lantern but a crystal. He is also seated and has four hands, three holding some symbol of his power. This image is so busy with symbolism, however, and I think the artists have to some extent lost the simplicity and flow that I really like. Trying to work out all the symbolism makes one a little stressed

The Symbolizing: The Hermit thread was originally posted on 16 May 2004 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.