IX·The Hermit-as-teacher... 🧙🏼
... it took us a while to find this post, but we got there in the end! Enjoy!
Hiya 👋🏼
It is my very great pleasure to introduce Margaret, The Secular Tarot Witch to you in this post… or better yet, she can introduce herself… Say hi, Margaret,
Hi to all of Phil’s readers! It’s a pleasure to be here. Phil and I have been letting this post marinate for quite a while, and now we’re finally ready to share our Hermit-y thoughts with you all!
Margaret continues…
Many moons ago—quite literally—we met via video chat to workshop some ideas for a collaborative post about the Hermit as a teacher. We began, in short, with the idea that the Hierophant is the public-facing teacher and the Hermit is the teacher one seeks outside of the classroom.
A stumbling block came when we talked about the notion that every card can be a teacher when that is the energy that a situation or a reading requires. This realization left us with enough ideas for something that could rival the length of Benebell Wen’s Holistic Tarot (though not, admittedly and most likely, the profundity). Ergo, we decided to “trim the fat” so to speak, and to return to basics. Why not go deep with the Hermit-as-Teacher? It is, after all, a Hermit year (you can learn more about the Hermit year via
’s brilliant article posted earlier this year).Phil writes…
Nothing much to add to Margaret’s excellent introduction above, other than to offer an additional link to my own IX·The Hermit post earlier this year…
So… shameless self-promotion aside 😀 Let’s Tarot…
Three Hermits from Margaret
Margaret writes…
I chose Hermits from two decks that I own and one deck that is, as far as I can tell, out of print (you can still buy the holographic edition of Moon Power Tarot here—not an affiliate link, also no idea who created this deck).
First I want to consider what these cards have in common. All three Hermits are women, which is super cool IMO!
Lights…
Something that strikes me as especially intriguing about these Hermits is that each one has a distinctly different source of light. While the Light Seer’s Hermit has a lantern, the traditional light source for the Hermit, she is also suspended above the ground and surrounded by a halo of light. The Moon Power Hermit must have a generator nearby since she has access to an outdoor lightbulb! And the Modern Witch Hermit, who is working during daylight hours, is either opening or closing her laptop.
Camera…
We encounter the Modern Witch Hermit in her study. She seems carefully posed, as if she knows she’s being photographed. The Moon Power Hermit, on the other hand, seems wholly uninterested in the fact that she is the subject in someone else’s frame. She would much rather bury her nose in a book (more on that in the next paragraph!). The Light Seer’s Hermit probably knows the photographer is there (she is all-seeing and all-knowing, I think). Whether or not she ever sees her name in lights is of little consequence to this Hermit.
Action!
In these Hermits, we see three phases of the teacher’s preparation for her lessons. If she is closing her laptop, the Modern Witch Hermit has either just finished reviewing her PowerPoint for tomorrow’s lecture, or she has decided that she knows enough to wing it. If she is opening her laptop, maybe she’s putting the finishing touches on her lesson plan or catching up on her favorite education-themed Substacks!
The Moon Power Hermit is reviewing some of her favorite passages from the book her students are discussing tomorrow. It’s not that she can’t remember what she has already read; she is so deeply enthralled with the author’s insights that she can’t help but dive back in for another look.
The Light Seer’s Hermit may be facing away from us as she contemplates tomorrow’s lesson, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t available to help her students. She takes time out of every class period to remind her students that all are always welcome to come find her with any questions they may have.
Three Hermits from Phil
Phil writes…
XI·The Hermit is probably my favourite card in a(ny) Tarot deck. I am a learning-loving introvert and often fantasise about taking myself off somewhere isolated to do exactly that, away from the noise, bustle and endless tail-chasing involved in… well… life 😀. Above are three of my many favourites…
Overview
I chose these three cards because, whilst they are all Hermits, I feel their distinctly different messages. Our first Hermit stands alone on the component remains of history, what has gone before. The second offers us the beauty, and peace of any and every night; whilst the third highlights the natural world.
Lessons
Our Steampunk Hermit has isolated himself from the distractions available in the hazy London landscape in the distance. He is able to gain perspective by climbing a hill of used lantern-lit cogs, some of which he will re-use, whilst discarding others… the collected remnants of his learning to date.
Our Soul Cat Hermit has found their ‘quiet place’ where they can sink into, and meditate on, the vastness of it all; seeking to patiently understand their integral place, and resonance, in the universe and everything around them... a space in which to simply be.
Our Hermit from the Abyss seeks understanding of the life in front of her, a snake, representing change… she maybe wonders why snakes shed their skin, and emerge revitalised each time… she wonders, “how could I do that?”… seeking transformation, enlightenment and greater wisdom.
Transmission
What can each of these cards teach us? What questions about ourselves do they invite us to explore and answer…
Steampunk:
Stand back, don’t let the city lights dazzle you! Seek a wider perspective on everything before you. What can you see?
Understanding our journey to the present time informs who we are. What do you understand about y/our history?
Soul Cat:
Where is your ‘quiet place’?
How can you take time to simply ‘be’, and meditate on your part in the vastness of our perfect cosmos?
Abyss:
What can we learn from this amazing, natural world around us?
What do we need to learn so that we can transform ourselves and emerge into our power?
…plus many, many more questions inviting us to reflect on what we have learned as well as what we still don’t know; who we are; and the wonder of our unique place in the overall vastness 🌃
Then, we looked at… Additional cards looking at the teaching experience…
Margaret writes…
I wanted to know from the Hermit’s own mouth, what kind of teacher are they? For this mini reading, I consulted Hannah Elizabeth Fofana’s The Field Tarot.
M.: Excuse me, Hermit? Do you have a moment to chat about teaching?
The Hermit shows me the Eight of Disks in reverse and asks me a question.
H.: Do you have what it takes to be my student? Are you prepared to invest the time and energy required of you to get something out of our lessons?
M.: I think so! Now I’m feeling a little intimidated. What are your former students saying about working with you?
The Hermit holds up the Five of Disks in reverse.
H.: When they began their lessons, many of my students felt overwhelmed by how much they did not know, how many resources they didn’t have available to them. After years of study, they recognized the many gifts they had earned in the realms of intellect (Swords), heart (Cups), drive (Wands), practical tools (Pentacles), and spirit (Major Arcana).
M.: Wow, that’s really impressive! I’d love to study with you. What skill will we begin with in my first lesson?
The Hermit pulls out the Hermit!! In reverse.
H.: Things are so rarely as they seem! Though you have approached me as the Student, it turns out that you are also the Teacher. Good luck on your quest, and may my lantern burn brightly for you!
M.: Sheesh, I sure didn’t see that coming. All three cards are reversed, and the Hermit even had the nerve to show me herself in reverse! Maybe there’s a numerological lesson here. Let’s see… eight plus five plus nine makes twelve, which is the Hanged Man. It seems the Hermit-as-Teacher is truly all about seeing things from a different perspective!
What is it like to be taught by IX·The Hermit?
Position 1 - What are the challenges in being taught by IX·The Hermit ~ Eight of Cups
The experience of being taught by XI·The Hermit is akin to leaving home, and the security of everything that you know. Searching out new experience, and developing your own intuitive, rather than learned, feelings about life. In the Eight of Cups this departure into the unknown begins, leaving safety behind.
The challenge will be in beginning to courageously navigate this overwhelming new landscape, seeking the right ‘teacher outside of the classroom’ (to quote Margaret above) and accepting that the search for truth begins here:
Walking the mystic path often means having the courage to leave behind situations or people that have the ability to trap, entice, or allure you. Ayeda Husain.
Position 2 - What are the benefits of being taught by IX·The Hermit ~ Shah of Staffs (King of Wands)
Having successfully navigated, and ultimately fully-embraced, the new landscape, the views are exciting and stimulating. The freedom to ignite, and develop new and original ideas as a result of what has been learned, generate huge rewards, new purpose, and excitement.
The benefit will be seen in the outcome, the journey completed. Understanding how to express, and be, ‘a master of one’s own life.’ The development of the new you, the more confident you, whose insight and inspiration can now offer learning to Margaret’s reversed Hermit above from a place that is:
Assertive, bold, motivated, daring, inspiring, powerful, confident, magnetic. Ayeda Husain
Numerologically, these two cards added give us…
(Shah as 14… 1+4)= 5 + 8 = 13
XIII·Death, transformation from what was, to an enhanced what is. The phoenix rising, yet more magnificent than before, from the ashes, with IX·The Hermit as midwife.
So… What is it like to be taught by IX·The Hermit?
It is completely transformational 🌞
Conclusions…
Phil writes…
This has been a really interesting exercise. It has been slippery and difficult to pin down for us both, and I have a spooky feeling that at some future point we will look at this post and think… yes… now I know what this is really about! 😀
A significant revelation for me came during Margaret’s conversation above with the Hermit, particularly, this moment…
Though you have approached me as the Student, it turns out that you are also the Teacher.
Suddenly, the difference between receptive learning at the feet of V·The Hierophant, and collaboratively and Socratically with IX·The Hermit became much clearer to me. Having worked in training, and with Tarot, for many years, I have always believed that the learner/seeker will teach me something, too! 🤔
Margaret writes…
I have greatly enjoyed this collaboration, and I am perhaps most struck by the numerological conclusions we each reached in our readings above. While I arrived at 12 (Hanged One or Perspective), Phil arrived at 13 (Death). This begs the question, what lies between perspective and death?
This liminal space is profound. The Hanged Man is in a state of suspension; he knows that something will happen, he just doesn’t know what, at least not yet. Death itself is neither active nor passive, it just is. The active part is the passage way between the two: the act of dying or something dying away.
Phil writes…
The astronomical, and elemental, correspondences associated with IX·The Hermit are Mercury, for communicative mastery, Virgo, for attention to detail, and Earth, for manifestation and grounding. These qualities, taken together, offer us grounded focus, but also, crucially… the capacity to communicate that fluently.
Numerologically, the Hermit is card nine of the major arcana, the last single-digit number before the tipping point arrives at ten (10, or 1+0 = 1). Our journey is at a watershed moment… also, as numerologist Hans Decoz1 keywords nines… Humanitarianism, compassion, selflessness, tolerant, and universal love. All excellent personal qualities we could wish for in a teacher!
In the beautiful Hermit cards above I see a mixture of artist interpretations, showing us both the active (observational study), and the passive (reflective), aspects of this card; but working with IX·The Hermit asks us for more… to become fully involved in an immersive experience, follow them down each rabbit hole, and exchange observations for our mutual benefit when there.
So… let’s leave you with this final thought from the Soul Cats:
Now it's time to come home to yourself... Leave the world behind, even if it is just only for an hour, and allow yourself time to remember who you are.
It has been my very great pleasure to get to know, and work with, Margaret on this project; she has been an insightful, and knowledgeable collaborator, without whose instigation and inspiration this post would never have been born … thanks Margaret, appreciate it 🙏🏼😊🕯️
We welcome your thoughts on the above, and how this reading resonates (or not!) for you... please feel free to comment below (we are very open to respectful disagreement and discussion!). We’d also love you to share this free post if you feel it might interest others, thanks... 😊
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Love, light, and laughter... always,
Margaret 🎃 & tarotbyphil 🕯️
Hans Decoz’s brilliant website can be found here: https://www.worldnumerology.com/
Especially that last bit from the soul cat jumped out at me!
Being fairly new to traditional tarot, I was recently trying to discern the difference between the Hierophant and the Hermit. And in Charlie Claire Burgess's book, Radical Tarot, she described the Hierophant as representing
traditional knowledge or wisdom validated by norms, and the Hermit as pursuing knowledge outside the acceptable confines of traditional means and approved structures. With the Hermit representing a more Aquarian quest of personally relevant --and perhaps even lived--wisdom. Both valuable, sometimes in conflict.
I don't know if that is a traditional interpretation of these two, but it did really help me see the individual symbolism of both cards.
That being the case, the Hermit would represent knowledge / wisdom on the fringe, esoteric knowledge, and the blurred line between that and conventional wisdom.
Thanks for linking the previous article about 2025 being the Year of the Hermit. I found that really fascinating especially to go along with this one.