Sulis
Everyone who has this deck seems to love this depiction of The Hermit archetype... It just seems so right.
Such a simple image, yet so powerful...
A tortoise has retreated into his shell and peers out towards the reader. He sits in darkness apart from the oil light, balancing on top of his shell. The flame in the light is the only splash of colour in this card.
The Hermit archetype is common in most of the World's cultures. This is the spiritual seeker who takes himself away from society and it's temptations to look within and continue on his spiritual journey alone.
The Hermit is a seeker of wisdom and enlightenment but he's also a teacher and a guide... Many folk and fairy stories have an encounter with a wise old man or woman who lives alone in the forest or mountains. The hero of the tale usually encounters this person when they are feeling particularly lost and alone and the hermit character helps them and guides them on their way, usually by getting the hero to look within themselves for the answers.
So The Hermit is alone but not necessarily lonely. He has chosen to live the way that he does and it's part of his own spiritual quest.
He's often depicted as an old, old man or woman so the tortoise fits very well with that image since tortoises live to a very, very old age, they are slow and lumbering and even when they aren't particularly old, they look aged.
This tortoise has retreated into his shell, he's chosen to remove himself from society yet his light burns as a beacon to other spiritual travellers...
I'd love to hear what others have to say about this card.
Such a simple image, yet so powerful...
A tortoise has retreated into his shell and peers out towards the reader. He sits in darkness apart from the oil light, balancing on top of his shell. The flame in the light is the only splash of colour in this card.
The Hermit archetype is common in most of the World's cultures. This is the spiritual seeker who takes himself away from society and it's temptations to look within and continue on his spiritual journey alone.
The Hermit is a seeker of wisdom and enlightenment but he's also a teacher and a guide... Many folk and fairy stories have an encounter with a wise old man or woman who lives alone in the forest or mountains. The hero of the tale usually encounters this person when they are feeling particularly lost and alone and the hermit character helps them and guides them on their way, usually by getting the hero to look within themselves for the answers.
So The Hermit is alone but not necessarily lonely. He has chosen to live the way that he does and it's part of his own spiritual quest.
He's often depicted as an old, old man or woman so the tortoise fits very well with that image since tortoises live to a very, very old age, they are slow and lumbering and even when they aren't particularly old, they look aged.
This tortoise has retreated into his shell, he's chosen to remove himself from society yet his light burns as a beacon to other spiritual travellers...
I'd love to hear what others have to say about this card.