IX The Hermit (Rider Waite Tarot)
First Impressions
First impression: this card is so
dull. Sandwiched in between the yellow and the blue of Strength and the Wheel of Fortune, between pretty ladies in their nightgowns and exotic sphinxes, there’s nothing really in the bluey-grays of this card to catch the eye. Old man in gray against a bare sky of a blah colour. Yawn.
What else? Well, the old man on the Hermit card seems introspective, turned inward. So inward, in fact, that he appears to be falling asleep. L’Hermite of the Tarot de Marseille seemed much more external in his manner: open-eyed, alert, seeking. But the Rider Waite’s Hermit is more clearly on a spiritual quest. He appears to be very, very old and frail. L’Hermite is old as well, but much more vigorous, hale and hearty. Perhaps it’s his age that makes the Hermit seem so weary. He’s old and frail and tired, and poor (I think; the limp way his cloak hangs on him makes me think that it’s of thin material). If someone is to be wise and experienced, he or she is usually depicted as old. But there’s also the notion that as the Hermit reaches the end of his life, he has more and more time and inclination to examine his life, his philosophy and what awaits him on the other side (much as I hate that expression). That is what this card is about: looking within, reflecting and deeper thought. And you can’t do that in a crowd. Maybe someone here can achieve enlightenment in the shopping mall’s food court, but I doubt that I could.
He holds a long staff that is, inexplicably, yellow. I thought first that he was leaning on it, further evidence of his age and frailty. But no, he seems actually to be holding it so it’s just touching or almost touching the ground, so he is supporting the weight of it. The black lantern in his other hand is open on all sides, but still seems to cast very little glow on the old man or his surroundings. What light there is is provided by a six-pointed star in the middle of the lantern.
There are several figures that the Hermit automatically brings to mind. Gandalf the Gray, for one. Also Odin in his wandering phase, Kronos/Father Time …
When thinking about this card on its own, without actually looking on the images, I had mentally imagined mountains in the distance. Like the ones behind the Fool. So when I did look at the card in hand, I was surprised that there is barely a hint of distant mountains, much less the one on which he stands, down at the very bottom of the card. Why? The Old Man on the Mountain is a stock figure, isn’t it? And how we think of the Hermit. It didn’t make sense to me. But then going back to my old notes on l’Hermite, I was reminded of the following:
my notes on the Tarot de Marseille said:
[…] the central hermit figure fills the card frame so comprehensively and nearly completely with his height and his voluminous cloak that it really does speak of the spiritual over the physical; the inner quest over seeking in the outer world. Because as far as this card is concerned, there is no outer world, or at least it isn’t visible or relevant.
This Hermit is clearly not of the mundane physical world. He’s far removed from it, it’s not even in his peripheral vision. According to numerology, Nine is represented as a tripling of the trinity and the harmony that Three represents. Nine, and so the Hermit, brings the abstract of the divine to the concrete of the earth. So I wonder if that’s what he’s searching for? He seeks wisdom, answers, contact with the spiritual world, and he brings it back to the mundane world.
Creator’s Notes
Waite says of the original Hermit archetype:
Waite said:
The Hermit, as he is termed in common parlance, stands next on the list; he is also the Capuchin, and in more philosophical language the Sage. He is said to be in search of that Truth which is located far off in the sequence, and of justice which has preceded him on the way.
The Capuchin is a priest, isn’t it? Wikipedia says it is a Franciscan order of friars who sought refuge with another order of monks in Italy in their early days; they adopted this group’s hood and habit of wearing beards, both of which marked them as hermits. Perhaps this is what Waite means.
Waite said:
But this is a card of attainment, as we shall see later, rather than a card of quest. It is said also that his lantern contains the Light of Occult Science and that his staff is a Magic Wand. These interpretations are comparable in every respect to the divinatory and fortune-telling meanings with which I shall have to deal in their turn. The diabolism of both is that they are true after their own manner, but that they miss all the high things to which the Greater Arcana should be allocated. It is as if a man who knows in his heart that all roads lead to the heights, and that God is at the great height of all, should choose the way of perdition or the way of folly as the path of his own attainment.
In the first part of the above quote, Waite is saying that the Hermit is not so much about the searching, but the actual finding. The thrill of the chase doesn’t appeal to him at all. The theory into the symbolism of the lantern and the staff are interesting, but notice how he says “It is said also that …” rather than stating in his usual authoritative fashion that they
are these things? Is he covering his butt in more Golden Dawn secrets? Reserving judgement? Or does he just not believe these things himself?
Waite said:
Éliphas Lévi has allocated this card to Prudence, but in so doing he has been actuated by the wish to fill a gap which would otherwise occur in the symbolism.
In other words, Waite says Lévi equates the Hermit to Prudence because he feels the need to have Prudence in there somewhere, rather than because he saw an evident and necessary connection between the two. The Tarot has three of the virtues (Fortitude or Strength, Justice and Temperance), so it should have the full set. Collect ‘em all. Waite then goes on (and on and on) about the four virtues, but to be honest I can’t figure out a lot of it and it gives me a headache to try. So I’ll leave it and jump on ahead to what Waite has to say about
his version of the Hermit.
Waite said:
The variation from the conventional models in this card is only that the lamp is not enveloped partially in the mantle of its bearer, who blends the idea of the Ancient of Days with the Light of the World.
Good point. I had noticed in the Marseille version, in l’Hermite, that most of the light of his lantern illuminates his underarm and the folds of his cloak, rather than shedding light on anything else. I likened that to his internalized viewpoint rather than a focus on the external. By “Ancient of Days” (from an Aramaic name of God) and “Light of the World” (Jesus), he is emphasizing the Hermit’s link to the divine.
Waite said:
It is a star which shines in the lantern. I have said that this is a card of attainment, and to extend this conception the figure is seen holding up his beacon on an eminence. Therefore the Hermit is not, as Court de Gebelin explained, a wise man in search of truth and justice; nor is he, as a later explanation proposes, an especial example of experience. His beacon intimates that "where I am, you also may be."
Well, that explains the star in the lantern. He sees the Hermit, then, as a shining example. A figure high above everyone else (on a pedestal?), something to which the commoners can aspire. A bit snotty, perhaps, but it does explain the star. Because a star is an awful lot better a beacon than a measly little lantern. But not a wise man, or experienced? How else can others aspire to get to his level, if not through accrual of wisdom and experience?
Waite said:
It is further a card which is understood quite incorrectly when it is connected with the idea of occult isolation, as the protection of personal magnetism against admixture. This is one of the frivolous renderings which we owe to Éliphas Lévi. It has been adopted by the French Order of Martinism and some of us have heard a great deal of the Silent and Unknown Philosophy enveloped by his mantle from the knowledge of the profane. In true Martinism, the significance of the term Philosophe inconnu was of another order. It did not refer to the intended concealment of the Instituted Mysteries, much less of their substitutes, but--like the card itself--to the truth that the Divine Mysteries secure their own protection from those who are unprepared.
All this insistence that everyone who ever came before Waite misunderstood or had it all wrong. I don’t know if I’ll last the full 78 weeks! Waite refers to the card as “the protection of personal magnetism against admixture” but I confess I haven’t got a clue what he means by that.
Others’ Interpretations
According to Waite:
Waite said:
9. THE HERMIT.--Prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption. Reversed: Concealment, disguise, policy, fear, unreasoned caution.
Given his previous insistence, I don’t think he means “prudence” as the virtue Prudence; rather the generic term.
Symbols and Attributes
Astrologically the Hermit is associated with Virgo, the Virgin. Virgo is an Earth sign that ends roughly around the beginning of autumn (at least according to the calendar). It is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, ideas and study. When its fickle and fast-moving nature is tempered by the slow practicality of the Earth signs, Virgo ends up being a practical sign with the attention to detail that makes it excellent for studies. It is an introverted, inwardly reflecting sign, according to Wikipedia, which is reflected well in the Hermit.
Why the Virgin in relation to the Hermit? It’s true that in some spiritual paths, celibacy is an important aspect. But I don’t believe that is the symbolism here. But going by old-school definitions, virginity goes hand-in-hand with purity. And a sort of crystalline purity is implied in the Hermit. His removal from the material world implies a purity of focus that I can see as fitting here.
What are the key symbols in this card? As far as I can see, they are the old man and his cloak, his staff, his lantern and the mountains.
I’ve commented already on the Hermit as an old man. Frail and white bearded, he represents hard-won wisdom from years of living, studying, thinking. And I don’t care what Waite says about that not being the point. I’m an unlearned Philistine, one of the common horde, and I don’t care what he thinks of me. So there
He wears a white beard. A common enough symbol for a wise old man.
He wears a long gray cloak – gray is a blending of opposites black and white, indicating balance between opposites, such as the spiritual and the earthly – and a hood pulled up over his head like a hooded friar or other holy man who withdraws voluntarily from the physical world in favour of introspection and the divine. Like the Capuchin Waite calls his Hermit’s predecessor. His boots are gray as well, no extraneous colour to be found on his person. The Hermit is quite singular in his focus.
In one hand he carries a long yellow staff. I would have thought it to be a walking stick – it would have been a long hike up to that mountain peak for an old man in the cold – but something about the way he holds it makes me think otherwise. His grip on it seems high up for someone who is resting their weight against it. It seems more like he is holding it up rather than the other way around. So it would appear that it serves some other purpose. Waite says it originally signified a magic wand. If this is true, it’s unlike any magic wand I’ve heard of. Except perhaps Gandalf’s staff. It is yellow, a colour which is linked to spirituality.
With the other hand he holds aloft an open-sided lantern. It is illuminated by a six-pointed star like a Star of David. It seems to give out a feeble glow, not even casting a glow on the Hermit, much less very useful in guiding his way up that mountain, acting as a beacon to others on the upward path, or taking in the view from up there. I’d rather think that was due to the paucity of the printing process for the colours, or an error in illustration, rather than believe that it was a deliberately dim little star. Waite calls the star in the lantern a beacon, making the Hermit a kind of example; it’s as if he’s saying “see, if you play your cards right, you can be as good as me!” which is kind of in a nutshell what I think Waite was trying to do with his book
By holding a star in the lantern, is the Hermit making himself a signpost? A guide? An oracle or wise man of the mountain? The Wise Men followed a star to find the divine, sailors used celestial navigation for centuries, astrologers still turn to the stars to guide their lives, and there are not many people who won’t turn to their daily horoscope in the paper for a laugh if nothing else. So stars offer guidance, wisdom, a connection to the spiritual. Why wouldn’t the Hermit, wise and enlightened as he presumably has become after all this time, harness a star and keep it in his lantern to guide the way?
Earliest decks like the Visconti, Estensi, Minchiate and similar depicted the Hermit holding an hourglass, illustrating his connection to mortality and time (in fact, Time is the generally accepted title of the Minchiate version). By the time the Tarot de Marseille had evolved, this had transformed to a lantern.
The esoteric title of this card is: The Magus of the Voice of Light, The Prophet of the Gods. And where do prophets always go, or anyone who wants to receive a message from God? They go to the top of some mountain or other, implying that the higher up they are, the closer they are to God, or at least His home. So not only is the mountain peak convenient in that he’s got some peace and quiet, far from the maddening crowd, to get in some serious thinking, but also it brings him closer to God. Mystical journeys are often depicted as leading to or taking place in lonely and desolate places – wilderness, desert, mountain peaks. The mountains are only hinted at, though, a few minor jags and bumps near the bottom of the card. As I’d said already, I see this as representing the Hermit’s exclusion of his surroundings, tuning out the external world in favour of his own richer internal world. He lives so fully in his own thoughts, his own reflections, that he does not feel the discomfort of the cold, worry about his footing in the darkness, or even notice the beauty of the mountains. It is as if they aren’t there.
My Interpretation
I don’t believe my take on the Hermit is much different than it was before I embarked on this study. I saw (and still see) it as a card of solitude and contemplation. It indicates a need to remove oneself from the distractions of the everyday, in order to consider higher things. Waite sees him as a beacon, as a shining example to which we can aspire; I don’t. The ascetic, contemplative life isn’t for everyone (me, for instance!)
Recolouring
I chose to make the sky a little more interesting, a starry nighttime sky. No reason, I just find the grayish sky in this card rather blah. Other than that, the grays in this card are fitting.
