Sometimes it helps to have somebody in our corner. Actually, it is even more beneficial if that person, animal or thing were standing right in front of us, shielding us from threats. Whatever form it might take, our protector is willing to stand up for us and take the lumps aimed in our direction. Our protector believes in us and wants to keep us safe, which is why it is willing to be our shield.
Dreya suggests going through your cards face up and intentionally choosing which one should serve as your protector. So you could do this for yourself with our card of the year the Hermit, as I am; or you could select any card you like.
Dreya provides the following prompts to journal on:
I feel safe with this card because…
This card has the ability to be my protector because…
I will use this card to protect me from…
I will utilize this card in my daily life as my shield, here’s how…
I’ll share my reflections on these prompts in the ever present hope that something might resonate with you as well.
I feel safe with the Hermit because she reminds me my inner world is mine and does not have to be dictated, controlled or influenced by external circumstances. I can find a sense of home and peace inside of me no matter what swirls around me.
Of course I can’t just leave it there I have to over-explain so as not to be misunderstood: my inner world is always going to be impacted by the outer world to some degree. It is natural not to feel safe internally when in the external world I see genocides happening, women’s bodies being forced to incubate fetuses, rights being stripped back, environmental degradation and so much more. It takes some level of privilege to feel safe within yourself. This has all been a life long hiccup for me when it comes to actually allowing the Hermit to serve as my protector.
So, perhaps I don’t quite yet feel totally safe with the Hermit as my protector but I am softening into this. Softening into allowing my inner world to truly be mine. Not untouched by the outer world, but not damaged by it.
I feel safe with the Hermit because she teaches me the differences between protection and disassociation. The difference between solitude and isolation. She teaches me not to put up an electric fence between my inner and outer realms, but to have some type of ever fluctuating sacred boundary there.
The Hermit has the ability to be my protector because he is attuned to the broad arc of time and not spellbound by the specific ills of this present moment. In older decks the Hermit was shown as an aged man with an hourglass, an image of Father Time. The Hermit has weathered ages and centuries and eternity and has the wisdom to show for it. Because he has experienced so much he is unbothered (moisturized, happy, in his lane, focused, flourishing).
Again, it doesn’t mean the Hermit doesn’t care. It’s that he understands the impermanence of life. My 80 year old father has been sharing this wisdom from the Buddha with me lately (hi dad!).
As Father Time, the Hermit is in harmony with reality.
Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don’t struggle against it, we are in harmony with reality. -Pema Chödrön
The Hermit has the ability to be my protector because he is in harmony with reality, and can bring me into greater harmony with reality as well.
I will use the Hermit to protect me from becoming cynical and bitter. When I am too identified with the terrible parts of the outer world, it changes me. It makes me unable to show up with love. It makes me unable to do anything to make a real, meaningful difference. It makes me a hollowed out shell of myself.
The shadow side of the Hermit is becoming disassociated and withdrawn. But as my protector, the Hermit brings their highest and best attributes: connecting to the ebbs and flows of life in a deeply anchored way.
I will use the Hermit to protect me from doing things because I am scared or because they are trendy or because an advertiser wants my money. I will use the Hermit to protect me from believing things because an AI program generated them. I will use the Hermit to protect me from the ever increasing speed of countless bullshit being flung about on every level (spiritual, energetic, inner, outer).
The Hermit can guide me towards my own understanding of issues. They can help me discern outside voices and opinions that deserve genuine consideration and those which are just noise. They encourage me to think deeply for myself as human beings have for time immemorial. Instead of rushing to a quickly generated answer, the Hermit invites me into meandering contemplation. They evade my need for a quick fix or a hot take. They create a space for me to settle into the art of wondering.
How I will utilize this card in my daily life as my shield:
Continue to de-center screen time from my life, as I’ve already been attempting to do (for like ten years with varying degrees of success lollll).
Give myself space to drift through my own thoughts instead of looking for constant distractions and dopamine hits.
Have deep conversations with myself and others not just about the problems occurring right now but about the deeper spiritual and existential lessons hidden beneath the surface.
Did I already say give myself space? GIVE MYSELF SPACE! Energetically. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually. Space is of the essence and the Hermit protects space.
Thank you for being here as I shared these somewhat winding (and witchy) Hermit inspired musings.