High Priestess and the Hermit

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

bodhran	15 Oct 2004
Hi y'all, I'm a beginner to the world of tarot, and I'm having trouble distinguishing between the meanings between the High Priestess and the Hermit. Is the HP more about the unconscious and H more about bringing it into consciousness? Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks, Bodhran

Eco74	15 Oct 2004
Interesting though... Never really compared these two cards before but still have a take on it; The High Priestess in my mind IS the raw, untouched potential of the subconcious. She symbolises all of the unknown and unseen and all that lies beneath. The Hermit is more of a beacon into this potential. A personal journey through the realm of the High Priestess if you will. Does that make any sense? I always wonder... :)

Imagemaker	15 Oct 2004
For me, the High Priestess HAS full knowledge of her inner voice/power/connection. The Hermit is learning and growing in that power (he's the one holding the lantern, looking).

Fulgour	15 Oct 2004
I think the Golden Dawn is responsible for the confusion here. By moving all the card numbers down by one, they assigned The Hermit to Virgo. As card number 9, it should match with letter number 9: Teth, which means "inner concealed good" and corresponds with Leo ~ the fixed sign ruled by the Sun. If you look at a Marseille card, you will see a golden orb just barely peaking out from beneath The Hermit's cloak. This is the "inner concealed good" ~ the mighty Sun itself! The High Priestess has always been, shall always be, the Moon. Goddess of the Temple and the keeper of the sacred mysteries.

Mesara	15 Oct 2004
Just my take here- The High Priestess to me is the card of intuition, following what you *sense* rather than what you see. If you can just tap into that sixth sense and make use if it, you may gain entrance beyond her veil and she just might show you the rest of her scroll of secrets. When she shows up in a reading, I often perceive that she has something to show me, if I can only open up my mind and receive her on a intuitive level. The Hermit to me is more about introspection. Withdrawing from the chaos and happenings in your world to seek refuge in solitude. This solitude is not a *rest*persay, but more of a diligent study of what you have learned so far and now how to proceed with that knowledge. Sorting through the facts, feelings, and sights to extract the most illuminating and capture them in your lantern so now you have a light to help you along the path. All this comes from within, wheras the help received from the High Priestess is more other worldly.

ros	15 Oct 2004
The High Priestess understands and uses her intuition for herself. The Hermit follows his intuition and helps others with his knowledge. (he seeks his own truths)

bodhran	15 Oct 2004
I appreciate all of the insights given. I think I'm beginning to grasp the differences: High Priestess/Hermit potential/beacon full knowledge/growing knowledge moon/sun intuition/introspection holder of inner truths/guide to inner truths Thank you! Bodhran

northsea	02 Nov 2004
the high priestess is hidden wisdom, but the hermit's lamp reveals the way to the seeker.

Umbrae	03 Nov 2004
This is my take – it’s an opinion – so don’t get excited… I look at the High Priestess (Popess) as the female side of life/experience. It’s about feeling as opposed to quantifying. It’s about the spirit as opposed to measuring. Grab yourself a RWS HP and a copy of you local Bible. They always say that the HP sits and guards the temple. Note the pillars…now open your bible to 2 Kings chapters 7 onwards. But read it very carefully… You see the HP does not guard the temple. To see the HP you have to be already inside (where was the water? Outside. What was the arrangement of the pillars of Boaz and Jachin? (early Jewish peoples always gave cardinal directions facing east)…got it? She protects you from leaving the temple! Now look at the Hermit. Ever know anybody who went through a mid-life crisis? The sports-car, the lemon-drop trophy wife? Hermit time. Looking inwards and sorting. Early decks showed the hermit with an hourglass. Ever use one? Folks get carried away looking at the sand trickling out. Time’s passing OH MY GAWD!!! All that time LOST!!! And they don’t concentrate on the grains of sand still up top. You cannot lead, others will not follow, there is no beacon…if you don’t see that what’s left are untouched opportunities for you. That’s kind of my take (in short form)…I could go on about these cards for hours…

Rhiannon	03 Nov 2004
Umbrae, I love your take on the Hermit. I'm adding it to my own thoughts on him. Mid-life crisis! :D

Flavio	03 Nov 2004
Here is some explanation we were given at my Tarot Course a few weeks ago, order your RWS Major arcana like this ---------------0 --1---2---3---4---5--- 6---7 --8---9--10--11-12--13--14 15--16--17--18-19--20--21 The pairs of cards 2+3 are opposed to the set of cards 4+5 because they represent polarities of the femenine/masculine, "hidden" knowledge (3) and "open" knowlege (5), if we are to follow any of those paths or both at the same time the card below them shows us what is requested from us to find the kind of knowledge we are looking for, so in order to follow the path of the 5 (Church as institution) we have to follow Jesus which has been related to the Hanged Man (12) in more than once. Now, if we choose to follow the path looking for hidden knowledge like a journey for self discovery (like Tarot) we are meant to do it alone, a personal journey looking for something like the Hermit does. So a way to start discovering the differences betweeh HP and Hermit is considering HP as the knowledge and the Hermit as a personal journey to get such knowledge, hope this can help you.

Ace	06 Nov 2004
bodhran wrote: Hi y'all, I'm a beginner to the world of tarot, and I'm having trouble distinguishing between the meanings between the High Priestess and the Hermit. Is the HP more about the unconscious and H more about bringing it into consciousness? Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks, Bodhran The HP has the wisdom, she holds it and gives it out if you ask the right question. Forgive me: but I suddenly thought: she is the librarian of the deck! :rolleyes: The Hermit IS the seeker, halfway throught his journey (remember that it was eleven at one time) he is pausing to see how far he has come so far.

bodhran	07 Nov 2004
Ace, I love thinking of the HP as the librarian! Thanks for that idea and image. Bodhran

Formicida	08 Nov 2004
Another thought I had: The Hermit is seeking the answers. The High Priestess is realizing you've known them all along. (The librarian image is great!)

Ace	09 Nov 2004
bodhran wrote: Ace, I love thinking of the HP as the librarian! Thanks for that idea and image. Bodhran I am glad you liked that. I am starting an new Talking Tarot thread on that, and the idea of the tarot as library, stay tuned!

The High Priestess and the Hermit thread was originally posted on 15 Oct 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.