‘She’s becoming a hermit!’
Familiar? Has this description been levelled at you at any part of your life? Does it have resonance with people you know?
Most of the time this comment has negative connotations; that there is something wrong or even suspicious about time spent alone, and this reflects a very 21st century outlook on the art of retreat.
I say art, because the very act itself can be positively creative, and promote creativity.
The Hermit card is traditionally a male cloaked figure carrying a lamp. It seems almost familiar because we recognise that person/idea of taking off from our comfortable homes or familiar surroundings to connect with our inner being.
There does seem to be a growing trend to go off into the wilderness to ‘find ourselves,’ and modern pilgrimages are also becoming more popular. But, we can also do this in a bite-size way; a long walk or hike, leaving our phones at home, a cycle ride, swimming, in fact, anything that takes us inside ourselves, but ideally outside in the fresh air.
It is not a surprise that many people go to challenge themselves in nature. Being at one with nature brings us back to the basics. Its huge powerful simplicity is food for the soul, and by removing modern trappings and ‘noise,’ a theme which I touch on repeatedly in our website, we confront ourselves.
Alone or Loneliness?
Being alone. Powerful, masterful, taking a step back to re-group.
Loneliness. Bitterness, fear, feelings of rejection, the negative flipside.
In some ways, we respond more favourably to the lonely, we try to help, and we can be successful at doing so. We understand it better, it seems part of our very humanity.
However – deliberately wanting to be alone – this can cause suspicion, it demonstrates eccentricity to some. We mistrust those who do it. But it really has a quiet intrinsic power, and it is so beneficial.
The Seekers Pathway carries our message which demonstrates this:
‘a sacred pause in a chaotic world’ and without that pause, we can get bogged down in the complexities of life. Like a ball of wool, unless we find the end and untangle ourselves, it can all feel like a bit of a mess.
Card IX of the Major Arcana, The Hermit, could be a natural embodiment of The Seekers Pathway, because our whole message is about deep self-reflection. The Hermit promotes retirement from the outside world for a period. It asks us: who are we really? What do we want? Its keyword is silence.
The Hermit’s positive side is one of power and drive. A mission to find our own inner light, to face any fears, and this resonates with many aspects of the seven pillars – in fact, Point Six:’ Integration over Revelation’ – how we deal with the messages post-reading, would be the ideal time to retreat – if we could!
As always with the cards, they carry a double message – on the one side, ‘aloneness’ on the other ‘loneliness.’ The Hermit’s message is that retreat is not running away from life’s difficulties, or ‘giving up’ - absolutely not, it’s about re-grounding us and readying ourselves for the battles ahead.
The message from The Hermit is that you may well be requiring that retreat, in whatever form works for you, or, in fact, that you may be experiencing abandonment – which may be real or imagined and this itself must be faced.
We hold up the cards as a mirror to ourselves, and the message of The Hermit is immensely powerful. Here at ‘The Seekers Pathway’ I will be demonstrating the intrinsic power of each card, the cultural background as well as the ethos, should you wish to dive deeper…
‘In solitude, we find the wisdom to light our path.’
— Nicky Osborne
(If this speaks to you, you may wish to explore the approach behind this work more deeply.)
