The Hermit can communicate to you as an external force, a guide you meet on your path who imparts you with wisdom. The Hermit can also communicate as an internal force, a key part of your psyche.
So… the question comes again… if the Hermit spoke to you, what would they say?
cards from Pastel RWS & the Spacious Tarot
This inquiry is inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s book The Way of Tarot. It’s a remarkable book in many ways, but my favorite part is that for each major arcana card, Jodorowsky includes a passage channeling what the card would say if it spoke. Some of these entries get quite bizarre and trippy indeed, but that’s what I like so much about them. They’re mystical and thought provoking.
So, it’s a Hermit year in 2025. Today I’m going to share some channeling of the Hermit myself, and I encourage you to try this for yourself as well if it intrigues you.
First, we’ll imagine what the Hermit would say to us as an external figure. Then, we’ll let our inner Hermit come forward to speak.
I’ve selected two versions of the Hermit to use as a visual anchor for this exercise. The Pastel RWS serves the traditional imagery and seems a solid representation of the Hermit as an external force. The Spacious Tarot, with its first person imagery, is perfect for inviting forward the inner Hermit. Finally, I’ll share an excerpt of Jodorowsky’s writings at the end of this post.
….and if the external Hermit spoke…
I know you are weary. Weariness is a hallmark of the human experience, and is more prevalent at some times in history than others. This current moment is a weary age for many. You can acknowledge this and name it and feel the weight of it.
Yet you must also feel the brightness as well. You must make an effort to carry forward the brightness for yourself and for those you encounter. Why? Because it is just as real as the weariness. Yet it is harder to find. It hides. It must be sought, contemplated, revered.
You are always alone, yet never alone. You carry the echoes of ancestors. Your very being is shaped by the culture you happened to come in to. As Kamala Harris said, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
Contemplation should not be a luxury, yet for many it is. You may not have the capacity to escape your life and spend a month in the woods meditating. But can you claim five minutes of silence today? Can you guard 30 seconds to process before responding? Can you take ten delicious seconds for one deep breath?
Urgency is a destructive force. Shifting the culture of urgency is sacred work that you can be a part of. When urgency strikes, protect yourself. Pause. Seek within to differentiate what is urgent from what is important.
Cloak yourself against the perils of this time. This does not mean hiding or denying. It means existing with peace in your heart regardless of circumstance. As Martha Beck pointed out in a recent podcast, “peace makes you alert… peace makes you aware of what your opponent is doing and allows you to move in peace to get the right action in response. When you are calm and attentive you can move beautifully to block an aggressor.”
You deserve peace always, but at this time it is absolutely essential.
…and if the internal Hermit spoke…
You have found an energetic realm that is always available to you, but requires a slight shift in perspective. Here, alongside the fear and business of your mind, is a neutral space. It is dark, yet bright. It demands nothing. Here, you can simply exist outside the bounds of normal time.
Times moves differently when you join me here. One minute of true reprieve might replenish you for days. This space is always available to you, even in glimpses. Even if you move in and out.
Urgency doesn’t exist here.
Tell me your worries. I can hold them. I can handle them. Tell me your secrets and I will tell you mine. We’re safe together.
Quiet. Listen. Communication doesn’t always happen through words. Here, receive messages that transcend language: …
I am your peace, and I am your power. It may be a mad world, but we can move through it with intention. We don’t have to slot in to the narrative that others try to corral us into. We claim our own way of being.
…and if the Hermit spoke (Jodorowsky’s version)…
“I have arrived at the end of my path, there where the unthinkable presents itself like an abyss. Faced by this nothingness, I can no longer move forward. All I can do is retreat, while contemplating the road I have already traveled….
…Little by little I have freed myself of all bonds. I no longer belong to my thoughts. My words do not define me. I have vanquished my passions. Detached from desire, I dwell within my heart as if inside a hollow tree. My body is a vehicle that I witness as it ages, passes and vanishes like the irresistible course of a river…
…Taking the path of the will, I have reached the highest peak. I was a flame, then heat, then cold light. Here I am the one who shines, who summons and who hopes. I have known complete solitude… I continue to shine until I have consumed myself. I am the oil of my own lantern; this oil is my blood, my blood is a cry calling for You. I am the flame and the call.”
Thank you for being here, fellow Hermits.