Roots of Asia - IX - The Hermit

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Picture: http://i.imgur.com/BVg6I.jpg
Description: A man's head floats in the sky. He has hair pulled back in a bob and a long beard and moustache. There is a ball of white light at his brow. He looks down onto a mountain, which has a large flat cliff halfway down. A giant white bird flies off the cliff. Water pools at the bottom of the cliff. There are more mountains in the background.

Symbols: The Brow Chakra, the "third eye", symbolizes seeing what previously was unseen, the seat of intuition. The bird appears to me to be a seagull--anyone who is more knowledgeable about birds, please correct me! I found this interesting allegorical story about Buddhism that concerns seagulls: http://thebuddhasface.blogspot.com/2010/11/jonathan-livingston-seagull-buddhist.html, otherwise not finding a lot on what it might represent. That allegory seems like it could be applied to this card. A single seagull leaves (or is forced out of) his flock of seagulls so he can pursue flying instead of the day to day scavenging. Much like the Hermit, he has to leave to become enlightened, and then he returns to mentor and teach others.

A Conversation: I close my eyes and I can feel the wind on my face. I hear the sound of moving water. There's no struggle within, I am simply..here. I look up at the Hermit, who smiles at me. "I feel so relaxed." I say. A bird flies above me. Absurdly, I think of Holden Caulfied's question "Where do the ducks go?" The Hermit seems to read my thoughts, or maybe he's just idly talking to himself, because he says out loud. "He goes to where the other birds are."

Thoughts: This Hermit gives me a stronger sense of what the Hermit means as a teacher. Although the journey we take is ultimately one we must take alone, to places inside ourselves as vast as the ocean and as solitary as this hidden mountain cliff, ultimately the knowledge we gain is meant to enrich not just our lives, but the lives of others. I also really get a sense of serenity and calmness from the card. It makes me want to go meditate, which I will do after I post! :)

Keywords: Stillness, Contentment, Meditation, Self Reflection, Clarity, Teacher

Further questions: This Hermit is the only man (so far, and from a quick scan, appears to be the only overall) with a beard and mane of hair. Does this mean something? Unlike many religions where holy men embrace hair, Buddhist monks often shave their head and face.

Quotes: "Meditation is not to escape from society,
but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on.
Once there is seeing, there must be acting.
With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help." - Thich Nhat Hanh

"When a man knows the solitude of silence, and feels the joy of quietness, he is then free from fear and he feels the joy of the dharma" - Buddha
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divinegoddess

Further questions: This Hermit is the only man (so far, and from a quick scan, appears to be the only overall) with a beard and mane of hair. Does this mean something? Unlike many religions where holy men embrace hair, Buddhist monks often shave their head and face.

My immediate response, even though I'm not studying the deck nor do I have it (yet!), was that he has been on a journey to something bigger, he is a man of great wisdom, of great knowledge. Therefore, how he looks is secondary.
 

Mi-Shell

This person may very well be a Sadhu, a Hindu holy man. They wear their hear long, often disorderly and or with a top knot like we see on the image.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadhu
Not being Buddhists they still are seen as wise men and are well respected. Prince Siddhartha Gautama was a wandering asketik, hermit and Sadhu, before he became enlightened and known as the Buddha.
The knot of hair, shielding the uppermost chakra in the middle of the skull - fontanelle is the top of the mountain in this image. It is in the winds beyond the clouds, while further down the body the waters of emotions flow. Sun and full Moon unite at the brow chakra.
As a hermit the practitioner perfects the art to - be still.
Buddhist nuns and monks at times leave the sanga (the Buddhist community) and ask to be literally walled into a cave in the mountains - for years - sometimes decades.
Through a small slit people provide food and water.

Read about Tenzin Palmo who spent 12 years in a cave/ shelter and now is a well respected teacher:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/may/15/buddhist-retreat-religion-first-person
http://www.hermitary.com/bookreviews/mackenzie.html
 

Mi-Shell

translation of text from LWB:

This is for the folks, that only have the German version of the deck and are struggling with translations.

The Hermit:
Now, since we learned to control our rage and anger, we can quiet down and look inward, like the Hermit.
We have found our inner strengths and know the truth of our existence. within ourselves we became self sufficient and trust our wisdom.
No longer do we need to feed the yearnings of the false self with power, security,fame,and material wealth.
No we know, that the riches of the world are resting within ourselves.
within the sacred sanctum of our deified self we find our freedom,and are ready to pass on our knowledge and our happiness.

Key words:
Great wisdom,
the light of the higher path,
recognition of the god-self within ourselves,
self reflection and meditation