Tarot & Quotes: The Hermit

"Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your won presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement." Alice Koller

The Hermit is my personality card, and it sums me up quite nicely; I enjoy my own company, solitude fires my imagination, it inspires me, and I get things done. Don't get me wrong; I do enjoy the presence of good and beloved people around me, but at the same time, my days of regular nightclubbing, parties and frequent tiring business trips to sustain a demanding career in export sales are definitely over, and I'm very glad about that.

The card you can see here is from my own deck-in-progress, the Tarot of Quotes. The frog lives in my garden pond tub and enjoys observing the bright world from the protective darkness of his overturned flower pot.

The quote I've chosen for this image reflects my Hermit personality. Often people mix up solitude with loneliness or isolation, but that's a mistake. Loneliness is unpleasant, isolation is restricting, whereas solitude is bliss. The Hermit in Tarot is on the threshold of spiritual ascension; having turned away from the need for excessive material possessions, his focus is now on simplicity and nature, physical and emotional well-being. 

"Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that's where I renew my springs that never dry up."  Pearl Buck

In a reading, the Hermit suggests withdrawal from the hustle and bustle of life, the need to reflect, simplify one's lifestyle and connect with nature. The Hermit also indicates that there are spiritual lessons to be learned from issues that need to be resolved; a chance to illuminate and nurture one's hidden inner wisdom and  for spiritual growth.

"No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength." Jack Kerouac

"When we cannot bear to be alone, it means we do not properly value the only companion we will have from birth to death - ourselves."  Eda LeShan

How easy is it for you to be alone and just simply "be"? When was the last time you took a break from your busy life? 

Use the energies of the Hermit to detach yourself from the issues that make you feel stressed or worried, take time out to reflect and re-evaluate your chosen path ahead by listening to your inner guide.