The Hermit represents the inner search for self.  It is the solitary quest many people experience when they are trying to gain insight into their life.  It can also symbolize the need for guidance, wisdom and caution.  I can symbolize temporarily withdrawing from others or from your normal environment in order to get some perspective on your situation.  You already have all the knowledge and wisdom needed to understand what has been happening but not it's time to think things through before rejoining others.  The Hermit is also the 9th card in the Major Arcana.  9 (1+8=9) is a mathematically magical number - its square root is three and the sum of any number multiplied by nine equals nine when added together (e.g.. 9 x 8 = 72, 7 + 2 = 9).  Nines can represent struggle, attainment, having the end in sight, bringing things to an end, completion and conclusion.  The Hermit is about seeking your inner self, the knowledge that will allow you to learn more about yourself and what you truly wish to achieve in your life. 

"You are withdrawing within yourself to think things through.  You may be going through the motions of your everyday activities but, emotionally, you have withdrawn.  You feel this is necessary in order for you to sort things out alone." - Gail Fairfield.

What seeks to be born in the silence?  (Soul Wisdom question)

Today was not a good day for being withdrawn, although I behaved as if it was.  I'm rather disappointed in myself.  There was a situation in which I saw someone who might have been in need of help and rather than stopping, I walked on by because I was late for class.  I don't know how serious the situation was or if there even was a situation, but I didn't stop to check.  I have always considered myself a person who would not behave in that typical "it's not my problem" way.  I guess I was wrong.  On the positive side, it has bothered me so much that I made a promise to myself no to do it again.  I can sometimes learn from my mistakes.

The Celtic Wisdom Counselor shows us the wild man of the woods.  His bald pate reflects the light of the sun.  His hands are raised as though in benediction  He has a full, long & shaggy beard and wears simple, worn clothes.  His brown tunic is belted with a rope and his pants are tied at the ankle.  He wears a ragged gray cloak and simple boots.  A dog rests on the ground at this heels.  He stands in the midst of a wooded glade with the sun shining brightly overhead.  The book describes him as the equivalent of the Roman god Silvanus and he reminds me of tales of Merlin living as a wild man in the woods after being driven insane by the slaughter he witnesses in a battle.  There is a sense of wildness and yet oneness to the woods.  This is someone who is comfortable living with the wild creatures and solitude does not bother him.  He has learned many lessons from the trees and the creatures of the forest.

On the Zerner-Farber Hermit card there is a hooded and robed man walking down a path with a lantern before him.  The sky overhead is dark but the trees and plants growing around him are clearly visible.  He is alone but does not convey a sense of loneliness.  Rather he seem very focused on his lantern and his journey.

There is a strength and a sense of purpose to The Hermit.  He is not just out wandering through the darkness with no path.  He knows what he seeks to find or at least why he is wandering alone.  He is not lonely but questing.  He is like Diogenes in search of an honest man or Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars (now knows as Star Wars IV:  A New Hope) living in the desert and seeking answers to his questions and the meaning of things.  I admire the inner strength it takes to walk away from all that is familiar and start down a new and unfamiliar path alone.  At the same time you realize that your solitary journey will serve as a beacon of light for those who follow you.  Who knows, maybe in some way I have some of these tendencies.  Maybe my daily meanderings about my card of the day will provide a little bit of light to someone else and let her or him know they are not alone in this journey.

From Tarot Affirmations:

• I am introspection, the beginning of a solitary journey to explore unknown neglected parts of self.
• I am engaged in a search for meaning and purpose in life and daily activity.
• I have the courage to journey along unfamiliar paths to discover my inner voice and vision.