Tarot’s #9, The Hermit - “Lighting Your Own Way in the World”

#9, The Hermit (RWCS Deck)
solitude, the inner journey, guidance

Yesterday morning we had one doozy of a Void of Course and it left lots of us feeling ungrounded and anxious.  Voids, of VoCs occur when the Moon is about to change houses and there are no more planets in the Moon’s present home to guide her on her way.  Lady Moon is left to drift without a celestial body to help ground and stabilize her energy.  (see blog: "A Void Is A Void, of Course of Course" or "Slipping Into The Moon's, Void of Course") Left to her own devices, Lady Moon drifts aimlessly and turns inward much like her tarot card, # 2, The High Priestess. 

There are times in our own lives when we likewise feel uncertain and turn inward.  We sit in our metaphoric towers using our intuition to guide us through the darkness as we reflect on our lives.  Sometimes the journey gets a little edgy, but nothing that can’t be handled with a bar of really good chocolate and our favorite book.  However, there are times when our fears and anxieties gain the upper hand and a tower feels too exposed.  That’s when we head straight for a cave – the deeper, the darker, the better.  This is the territory of tarot’s #9, The Hermit.

Where the High Priestess uses introspection coupled with delicate, high-mindedness, The Hermit, forges a path through the discomfort and travails that come from following one’s destiny.  His path is very rough at times because he joins the fray in the real world.  As a result The Hermit, who is further along the journey of the soul, needs a deeper retreat from the world in order to reaffirm his connection to Spirit.  The risks The Hermit takes in life and the demands he places upon himself are far more rigorous than those of the High Priestess.  Where she represents reflected light and a passive nature, he represents true illumination – the kind you carry with you to light your way in a not always serene world.

In the RWCS depiction of The Hermit, we see Diogenes, the Greek philosopher who, taking a vow of poverty, lived in a large clay urn in Athens’ marketplace.  (Close to shopping, reasonable rent) He carried a lamp through the streets looking for an honest man. #9, The Hermit, asks us to retreat into ourselves so that we can honestly assess what we’ve learned along life’s journey and plan for where we go once we leave the sanctuary of our cave. He also asks us to shine the lamp of enlightenment on ourselves; to put our lives in perspective.  That’s a scary thought, because we are our own toughest critics.  However, the cave of The Hermit gives us time to think and heal, to make adjustments to our life path as we find necessary.  Once we reemerge into the sunlight, our lantern is held firmly in our hand and we are ready for the next step in our journey.

LADY ORACLE

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Rome Choi's fabulous Dreaming Way Tarot

Part III - Astrological Trends February 2013 - “Jump, Jive and Then You Wail”

“The Wail”

February gets the dubious honor of hosting the first Mercury Retrograde of 2013 in a water sign, Pisces.  In fact, all three Mercury Retrogrades for 2013 occur in water signs: Pisces, February 23rd to March 17th; Cancer, June 26th to July 20th and Scorpio, October 21st to November 10th.  What does this mean for us, other that a sharp rise in stock prices for both Mrs. Paul’s and Gorton’s?

The planet Mercury rules communications, mental acuity and speech. During retrograde, simple misunderstandings happen because of poor, or unreliable communication.  If you have a reputation for witty remarks (a little bit of tarot’s Knight of Swords here) you may find yourself feeling pretty dim witted.  We are told not to begin new ventures during a Mercury Retrograde, not to sign contracts, make major purchases, etc. (See my blog: “Mercury Retrograde, Tarot and You” for complete information)

Water signs deal with matters that lie below the surface of our lives - our spiritual connection to the Divine, our emotions and our intuition.  Mercury Retrograde in a water sign makes us feel as if we’re treading water in the middle of the ocean and our inner tube has just sprung a leak.  Little remarks can be blown completely out of proportion.  We have a sense of isolation and grounding ourselves becomes more difficult.  For these reasons some of our less than desirable traits float to the surface, making life more difficult than it needs to be. 

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces plays to our sensitivities and our emotions are easily exposed.  If you have issues around victimizing people or being a victim yourself, your triggers may be uber twitchy.  Pisces loves its secrets and there can be a slight tendency towards intrigues and self-deception.  Our lucky break comes from Neptune, Pisces ruling planet.  Neptune is visiting home turf.  The planet of creative dreamers lends stability to the undercurrents of a retrograde in Pisces.  Pisces is a sign of compassion and creativity.  Our creative drives will still be strong during retrograde and can best be utilized by reviewing and revamping (remember ‘r’ words) your projects.  As always, the key to a successful Mercury Retrograde is staying connected to your higher self.  Again, we receive a hand from Neptune.  Meditate, meditate, meditate.

Mercury Retrograde doesn’t have to make you hide in the closet.  Stay focused, positive and grounded.  Remember your ‘r’ words and in case of an emergency, buy yourself really good chocolate.

LADY ORACLE