The Hermit
The Prophet of the Eternal; the Magus of the Voice of Power
The lamp carried inward: the seed of light kept alive in solitude.
| Trump | IX of the 22 (Atu) |
|---|---|
| Letter | י Yod, “hand”, value 10, Simple letter |
| Path | Path 20, Chesed to Tiphareth |
| Astrology | ♍︎ Virgo, mutable Earth, Aug 23 – Sep 22 |
| Old title | The Prophet of the Eternal; the Magus of the Voice of Power |
| Rider-Waite | The Hermit |
| Colour | Yellowish green (King scale) |
In a reading
Withdrawal for the sake of insight, the inner guide, prudence, the light carried into the dark; a period of solitude that fertilises what comes next. Badly placed: isolation, fear of life, secrecy.
Working with the card
| Do | Withdraw, go deep, and finish the inner work alone. |
|---|---|
| Bring | Attention, patience, your own lamp. |
| Beware | Isolation as avoidance; wisdom that never returns to share. |
| Ask | What can only be found by going in alone? |
Correspondences
On the card
A hooded old man, bent forward, holds a lamp within which shines a sun; his path is a field of wheat, and before him coil a serpent and the spermatozoon-like Orphic egg. Cerberus, the three-headed dog, follows at his heel.
Kabbalah
Yod, the hand, on path 20 from Chesed to Tiphareth: the hand of the Father, the seed-letter from which all the others are formed. Yod is the first letter of the Tetragrammaton, so the Hermit is the hidden fatherhood that fertilises the world without being seen.
Astrology
Virgo, mutable Earth, ruled by Mercury, which is also exalted here: the virgin harvest, discrimination, the seed and the wheat. The decans of Virgo are the Eight, Nine and Ten of Disks.
Number
Nine, the Naples number of stability and Yesod, and Yod's value 10, the completion of a cycle in a single point. The lamp holds the sun of Tiphareth in the smallest possible vessel.
Depth psychology
The Wise Old Man as inner guide, and the introverted turn that individuation requires at midlife. His shadow is the withdrawal that never returns to share its light.
Thoth and Rider-Waite
Waite's hermit on the mountain top holds a lantern with a star; Crowley's carries the sun itself, walks through wheat and is accompanied by the serpent, the egg and Cerberus, so that the card becomes an image of hidden fertility rather than only of retreat.
The sign in depth
| Dates | Aug 23 – Sep 22 |
|---|---|
| Type | Mutable Earth |
| Ruler | Mercury |
| Exalts | Mercury |
| Weakens | Jupiter (detriment), Venus (fall) |
| Motto | “I analyse” |
| Body | Intestines |
| Opposite | Pisces, The Moon |
| Gifts | Precision, service, analysis, skill, humility, health-consciousness |
| Shadow | Perfectionism, criticism, anxiety, self-denial, getting lost in details |
More in the astrology chapters: Virgo.
Related cards
Pairs with
The decans of Virgo
- ☉︎Eight of Disks PrudenceThe Sun, Aug 23–Sep 1
- ♀︎Nine of Disks GainVenus, Sep 2–11
- ☿︎Ten of Disks WealthMercury, Sep 12–22
Courts ruling Virgo
Other paths touching Chesed
Other paths touching Tiphareth
Correspondences follow the Golden Dawn system as used in Crowley's Book of Thoth and Liber 777. Paintings by Lady Frieda Harris, © Ordo Templi Orientis. Where sources differ.