Two cards

The Hermit Tarot Card Meaning

The Hermit card is often very much underestimated in my tarot experience. I call this the underdog of the tarot that when in a spread and invokes a reaction from readers and querents alike. Often this card is not welcome and that’s just sad.

The Hermit doesn’t hide from people; but merely likes to live life on their own terms. The Hermit is some decks is male and in my deck she is female. She has chosen to retreat into solitude above all of the madness of society. She beckons you to turn your view inward and allow yourself the time and space to think, feel, and meditate on what it is that you truly want in and from your life. By doing this you will be able to unlock your true desires and find complete happiness.

The Hermit looks to be standing on his or her (in my card) own surrounded by nothing and holding only a lamp. Look more closely at the card and you will note that she is standing ready to move to the mountain. These are the very same mountains that symbolize monetary issues or stability in the Rider-Waite deck. His lantern is not to guide his own way, for he’s already where he wants to be. It is there to guide you to him or to his location. Now is a time to advance past trivialities in your life and focus on what really matters. It is not a damning card indicating seclusion, but rather a hopeful card showing you that there is a way to find solutions to your answers if you know the right questions to ask.

The Hermit card in your reading sometimes shows that there is a need for healing and understanding in your life. It is a very personal and spiritual card that shows you that you are not alone right now even if you feel that way. If you are going through a time of loss, feeling insecure or incomplete now is the time to embrace those feelings not as negative aspects but as empowering life-affirming experiences. It is easy to feel abandoned at certain times in one’s life as people can be let down by expectations placed on others, society, or the world. Consider who has let you down or disappointed you and left you feeling as you are.

Do not wallow in this feeling and do not allow it to eat at you. The Hermit has chosen to walk away from it all not for her disdain for mankind, but rather she was seeking answers and understanding through solitude and taking herself away from materialistic possessions. Now is a good time to pick up the book Walden by Ralph Waldo Emerson, grab a cup of tea, cozy up in your favorite chair and embrace the times that you have when you are on your own. Focus on the own inner quiet of your existence and check in on your true self.

The Hermit in Love

The Hermit may be alone standing on top of the mountain looking down at you, but this does not mean that you must do the same. In fact, the Hermit card is a sign for you to take stock in what you have going on in your life’s relationships that are good and revel in them. Rather than focusing on what you WANT now is a time to focus on what you need from love. Knowledge is power and you have the power to get what you want out of life through your relationships.

Since the Hermit card represents focusing on the positive aspects of your life, it may show up in your love reading as a suggestion to stop trying too hard. In a relationship that is rocky for example, the Hermit often advises to take a step back and allow arguments or disputes between two people to die down and to focus on what you brought you together in the first place. Allow yourself to go back to the basics of love and feel them again in retrospect. It is likely that you will find that the arguments in your relationship are not the root of the problem. Often there are outside issues that destroy our relationships such as work stress and finances. Put those issues aside for the time being and focus on the true connection between the two of you.

If you are looking for love and this card comes up it can have one of two meanings. The first is a representation of your lonely feeling by not being in a relationship. The other is a representation of needing to take a break from your search and focus on yourself for a while and allow for love to find its way to you. Maybe consider taking a break from dating and taking up a hobby. Find things in life that truly satisfy you and through those avenues, you will likely find what you are looking for.

The Hermit As Feelings

As feelings, this card can also suggest deeply buried feelings or emotional coldness. If you are asking someone's feelings for you this card can suggest they are finding the time to really look inside before making a decision on you.

By shining the light on the card, this is positive. It is showing they are thinking about their feelings and life's direction, the hermit understands where their feelings lie. Rather than determining if they like you or love you, you need to figure out where the relationship is headed. For those starting new romances this is a positive card.

As his feelings for you, the Hermit card says he is feeling a sense of aloneness, of being alone to figure out what he wants. 

If you pulled this card for her feelings towards you then she clearly has her lantern in hand, seeking  knowledge to understand the future of love. 

The Hermit As Love Recognition

The Hermit tarot card for love recognition is a great card to pull, it is a symbol of being alone to figure out what you want from love. The Hermit in my view places emphasis on empowering and formative solitude that allows the individual to heal old wounds and develop new aspects of personality and skill. 

The Hermit, to me, is a card of weeping in darkness and feeling frustrated by the difficult times, the Hermit is a sign that “space” is needed in this relationship. I don't want to be all doom and gloom but the hermit tarot card represents being alone and understanding within oneself and allows us to move past any pain or conflict if it appears in a love reading. 

The Hermit in Health

For some true happiness is found simply by following the initial advice of the Hermit card. So many of us are busy day in and day out that worry and stress literally eat us from the inside out. It can be hard to find joy in the simple things as you drive your child to soccer practice after a long day in the office only to get home and cook dinner and finally plop down exhausted wondering where the day has gone. The card in your reading can be a sign that you are doing too much to the extent that you are at risk of health issues and concerns. Exceedingly high levels of stress and pressure can also cause health problems.

Consider taking time for yourself to find your own center and balance. You may want to invest in a low-level fitness program to rejuvenate your mind and body. Daily walks, time to meditate, and time to reflect is important to your mental health at this time. Do not take your own health for granted. You are not expendable.

The Hermit in Work, Money, Business, Career, and Wealth

You may find that you are at a point in your life where you question what everything means. Consider that perhaps you really are running in circles and getting nowhere and it is time to take a new direction in your life. The hermit is also searching for something and is connected to how we reflect "work"in life. This could be inner search for self-confidence or in taking a new step career-wise. In essence, this card often appears when we need to be alone to think. The hermit could in some cases represent unemployment or self-employment for a period of time - in order to reflect what you really wish to do in life.

Money can certainly be the root of all evil if you let it. Consider if you are putting too much focus on money or work at this time. Often this card will come up when a person is feeling desperate to find a job. It’s easy to say that money is not important when you have it. As the hermit relates to Virgo which is the 5th house, this represents employment, it might be time to start a new business? But, you have to find your own way with the light.

The best way to learn to trust your own wisdom is to take a leap of faith and go for it. Depending on your situation, this may mean pushing forward - but it more often refers to taking time out. Remember the sturdiest homes are built on solid foundations. Lay the groundwork before acting, the results will be more fruitful and longer-lasting. 

The Hermit As Action/Advice

The Hermit for advice or action is about disconnecting from the noise of life and instead turning inward, to one's true path. You may not find answers in others or their words; but use the light of the lantern and look only within yourself can you seek out an understanding that will lead your journey towards spiritual growth. 

The Hermit Yes Or No

The Hermit does not deal in yes or no, it can be frustrating to draw a card like this here because it does not point with any certainty to one way or the other. However, just because this card is not a firm answer, it doesn’t mean it lacks guidance. In fact, this card is a big signifier of intelligence and intuition, it is saying trust your gut.

The Hermit As A Person

Hermits are complex and hidden people, often feeling conflicted and helpless when faced with inner problems. As a person they protect themselves from the unknown, preferring instead to be quite. It is difficult for many people to gain clarity about anything when confronted with a Hermit, since these individuals tend to be lost in their own spiritual selves; only by offering patience to yourself and others can one ultimately escape any situation.

The Hermit In Past Position

A time from your past; a quiet point, away from the day-to-day bustle of life and instead meditative, reflective, full of contemplation and inner discovery. You learned many things about yourself in this period, perhaps you spent time studying for a new skill or qualification. 

The Hermit In Present Position

Don’t let your self-doubt stop you from taking this journey of self-discovery on your own, and don’t be swayed by the people who say no is the key message, even  in the chaotic world.If you draw this in the present it can mean that you need time. Time to understand what is going on and how best to focus on your future.

The Hermit In Future and Outcome Position

There is going to be a quite time in the future this is what this card means. It represents a journey that you must take to go within yourself in order to understand what is important. It indicates that something is going to end (which needed to) and you need time to decide that or reflect on it.

The Hermit As Friendship Or Family

Friendship is based on a foundation of genuine connection, not doing things for show. This card is a sign that either you, or one of your friends, is in need of some personal space.

Reversed Hermit in a Reading

The reversed Hermit indicates a dire situation in the extreme; usually representing of someone so far gone off their path that they may be best just wiping their hands clean of a situation and starting over completely. The light of wisdom is snuffed out, the path obscured, and hope gone the Hermit is alone and doesn’t know where to turn. When this card shows in the reversed position it is very important to look to the other surrounding cards for cues as to which way to go to get out of the current situation. The reversed position can also indicate seeking outside counsel or turning your introspection to those around you.

The Hermit Reversed - Love and Romance

When the Hermit card appears in a love reading reversed, it typically means that we are seeking an answer to a messy situation, but don’t know which way to choose. The Hermit can represent someone who is alone and feeling spiritually isolated from others. On my card, you will see she is holding a lantern, this means that the hermit is the “wise guide” or teacher, leading you towards answers while keeping some distance, I also want to add this card could be interpreted in our relationships when we feel that something isn’t quite right yet don’t want to let go of it completely.

The Hermit reversed - Family and Home

There is beauty in solitude, but when taken too far it turns into isolation and can generate selfish emotions. Seeing The Hermit reversed regarding family and the home usually suggests you have taken your solitude too far. We all need time alone, but, especially within the family, there must be community and shared experience, as well. You have an important role to play in your family, you need to support your loved ones and show them your affection (just like they do for you). 

The Hermit Reversed - Work and Finances

While upright The Hermit is all about independence, reversed, it is about not being afraid to ask for help when you need it. There are few times where guidance and mentorship are more beneficial than in work and finances, it is here that leaders can truly lead you to new exciting lands. Ask for help and you’ll reap the rewards, just like an autumn harvest after a warm summer.

When we reverse the Hermit tarot card, it almost always indicates more of a negative outcome, either that something will not happen or that further guidance needs to be found. It could represent the need for caution while taking risks related to your money or career. 

The Hermit Reversed - Health and Wellness

Something has delayed when I see this card. This card is rarely a sign of anything serious to worry about, instead, you should take it as an indication that you need to freshen things up. Try and find a balance between things that you enjoy and things that are good for you (don’t ever forget it’s possible to achieve both, balance lies at the heart of all life). 

The Hermit Reversed - Personal Spirituality

It’s good to expose yourself to the wisdom and experiences of others as this can be spiritually enriching too. Remember that our learning on this earth is never done, so keep your mind and heart open. This means for you, if you draw this as a personality or your own path, be confident, but not arrogant. 

The Hermit Upright Meanings in Keywords

• The need for alone time
• Turned away from the world
• Thinking deeply
• Deciding what to do
• Coming out of you shell
• Mysterious person
• Walking alone

The Hermit Reversed Meanings in Keywords

• Reflecting on inner conflict
• Feelings as oppose to actions
• Withdrawn
• Egotistical
• Self defining

The Empress Tarot Card Meaning

In all my readings this is a good card to draw. The Empress represents mothering love, an authority figure that is looking out for you and is often a kind guardian. She is wise and has attained her place in the hierarchy of the older tarot through her own missteps and finding her way. She has learned her lessons and is now in a position to bestow her wisdom upon you. This is usually a motherly representation in one way or another indicating that you need to look out for someone around you or that someone is looking out for you. She can be represented as an older woman with authority in her own right that has come from wisdom and experience.

The Empress also represents a pure form of extroverted abundance. If you have received this card in your reading, you are going to be well taken care of. You will get everything that you desire and more. The Empress sits on her throne made of cushion and revels in luxury and her station in life. She is depicted in the tarot with a field of wheat outstretched before her which is sacred to the Egyptian Goddess Isis. She wears a crown of twelve stars with six points, illustrating her control over the cosmos. The Empress card symbolizes the Land of Milk and Honey after a long journey of hard labor and introspection. She is the Universal Goddess: Isis Unveiled, fertile, strong and dynamic. She is also Venus, Goddess of love: plump and curvy, attracting wealth like a magnet. This woman is the epitome of female strength as well as a symbol of ultimate abundance. Your needs will be fulfilled with joy and satisfaction. There is no need to fear. Having the Empress on your side is like having a fierce mother, protecting you always. Receiving this card in your reading means that you are making the right decision, that you are supported, and that there is a vast array of possibility for abundance currently transiting around you. Many rewards are coming your way.

The Empress, governed by so many feminine energies is pure emotion and deep intuitive understanding. The lessons that you have learned in your life will now continue to benefit you. As apply what you learn, you will reap the benefits of emotional rewards. She encourages you to express unfiltered emotions because you can, and because you have earned the right to do so.

The Empress In Love

When the Empress shows herself in a reading about Love whoever you are thinking about ADORES you. So be prepared to go through a cycle of being worshipped. Everyone wants to be close to you because you are The God/Goddess of Love. How can they resist you? It is practically impossible. This is your time to say what you want exactly the way that you want it and have others rush to your side to provide it. Take this time to be a little selfish; do not compromise your beliefs or your integrity for anyone that isn’t similar to you. Take this opportunity to attract someone fantastic, that matches your energy, and let it happen. Now is the time.

The Empress As Feelings

As I have said above if someone feels the empress towards you they adore you. They are going in with an open heart and generous spirit, the Empress tarot card speaks to us of a connection that is deeply honest and honoring. She means to “feel adored” and accepted by another person on a soul level, as if they hold you thought dear, respect and care for each of your needs. 

The Empress Love Reconciliation

Yes, you will likely get back together this is commitment, beauty, happiness, and, of course, the starting of a family. There’s a real feeling here, and pregnancy. If you are single, a new romance is likely to blossom. 

The Empress in Health

When the Empress comes up with a reading where health is asked, she is telling you that you have been working too hard and it is time stop and smell the roses. You likely are in a place where you can enjoy the rewards of your hard efforts and look upon them from a comfy chair overlooking the ocean and be pleased with what you have been able to accomplish. The act of healing from a busy time is just as important as any other preventative measure one to protect their health.

When stress is allowed to eat at the body, it begins to disintegrate. The Empress informs you that you need to give yourself the time off that you deserve so that you can have the perspective of a job well done. The Empress also weighs in on reproductive health. If you are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant, this card bodes well for you because you have her support. If you are trying to increase circulation or need to focus on feminine issues, the Empress will help you.

The Empress in Work, Money, Business, Career, and Wealth

Take or plan a vacation and enjoy the moment rather than constantly trying to find ways to make more money. Often this card will pop up when you are at risk of spreading yourself too thin. Do not make large decisions regarding change of employment or financial issues. If you are seeking work, the Empress says that it is going to take time. Even in the most dire situations, there are solutions that can be found and likely others that are willing to help you get on your feet until a more productive air is around you. As the empress is connected to the earth element in work she brings with her a nurturing move on the part of an employer or employee. Something is delicate, almost born. It can mean that you might be aiming high but you need time to develop yourself. The empress also indicates that one must be guided firmly but surely if contemplating a new career path.

The Empress Advice

The advice of this card is to be who you are and stop asking for permission. That's the message. She chooses and then builds and if someone does not like what she built they do not tear it down. I always find in this card, if you plant something in life it will be good for you in time. Whatever decision you are circling now, there is no information shortage going on right now. The Empress in advice is like your grandmother telling you to just do it.

The Empress Yes Or No

This card for this position is a yes. The Empress is connected to positive outcomes and new beginnings. In questions regarding fertility or pregnancy, this card carries extra meaning; your answer is it will happen, and there is very likely to be a baby in your future. 

The Empress Past

The Empress highlights a significant female figure from your past, she walked through the pages of your history like a leader, leaving her mark and paving the way for you. She might have been maternal, she might have been an equal, whatever the case, did she teach you lessons that you are now ignoring? This card may also appear in your past position when an opportunity you seized in the past has come good in the present. Seeds do not grow overnight but instead, they must be cared for and watered in order to become something more. The card reminds you that hard work is worth it, even when the rewards lie further down the road than you’d like. 

The Empress Present 

And something new is coming! The thing I want to remind you is that you don't have to be BRAVE in the way you think brave looks. No need to charge forward with a sword, as the Empress wears no sword. Yes, she really grows things, she is strong but not loud. I often find this can signify a real women in life. It's the woman who keeps the whole family together and nobody notices until she stops. So stop figuring out what this new thing is. She needs soil and time and the will to keep going when nothing is visible yet. Seeds are already in the ground. And here I am telling you that you were the one who planted them.

The Empress Future and Outcome

All I can say is massive abundance is coming.  It is a sign something will blossom into something much, much more; it could be a personal ambition, a new relationship or stage of commitment with a loved one, or simply a change in location and lifestyle. 

The Empress As Friendship

For friendship, this is having real friends for once. If you are seeing this card, you are an important part of that balance so keep on doing what you’re doing and the happiness within your friendships will continue to fill each of you with gratitude and joy. If you have broken a friendship or had problems with a female then this is a kind of healing card. Things are going to work out. 

Reversed Empress In A Reading

The Empress in the reversed position, in my view, is symbolic of infertility, inconclusiveness, lack of abundance and confusion as well as instability and sometimes financial issues. It can also be a female that is starting to really ANNOY you. This happens when one is too caught up in attempting to make everything perfect and there is never any rest to gather what was. This also means that you need to use caution in your spending habits so as to not flitter away financial resources.

Take care to set up a nest egg for yourself so that you might be prepared should something go wrong. Question your poverty mindset and your feelings toward money or abundance. Do you feel worthy of relaxation? Of reaping the benefits that you have sown after hard work? Do you feel as though it is impossible to catch up? Ask the Empress to help heal your poverty mindset so that you can reap the benefits of the abundance that she has to offer you.

The Empress Reversed - Love and Romance

Your relationship is tricky right now this card drawn means the lover is both tender and sad at the same time. It could be that you fight over little stuff. Maybe somebody gets mad about nothing. This often occurs when we realize something has gone, or that you forgotten to love each other. The Empress reversed also carries warnings of a love that has resulted in some hardness and lack of empathy. For some of you, you and your partner may have been arguing or ignoring opportunities to be tender and loving with one another.

The Empress reversed - Family and Home

Thsi card can sometimes end up in spreads  when the maternal figure of the family has been too busy or occupied to take on her normal role as the carer and nurturer of the family. If this figure is usually you (reversed), then it is worth refocussing your attention. Remember that communication and affection are two of the most important things in any happy, healthy family talking.

The Empress Reversed - Work and Finances

I often see this when someone's career has become dull and unfulfilling, it may not be awful, but like bread without butter, it’s far from ideal. Sometimes we can improve things without making huge changes, we just need to look at things in a new light and keep an open mind to see the possibilities before us. 

The Empress Reversed - Health and Wellness

Remember that the best way to break out of a lull of energy is to force yourself to get more active and reignite your passion for life, through movement and the great outdoors. This card has a connection with nature, and when reversed it may highlight that a person is spending too much time indoors and away from the natural world, are the four walls closing in? For women trying to have a baby, this card reversed often suggests complications or issues with infertility. Go to your doctor for a check-up to see what your situation is. 

The Empress Reversed - Personal Spirituality

The Empress reversed points to a crossroads of the true spiritual path. You may have allowed yourself to disconnect from your spiritual journey, sometimes the daily bustle of life gets in the way of the deeper meaning that sits behind everything. This card reversed urges you not to get caught up in the mundane things in everyday life. 

The Empress Upright Meanings in Keywords

• Romance
• Pregnancy 
• Birth
• Growth
• Motherly

The Empress Reversed Meanings in Keywords

• Delay
• Domestic problems
• Family problems
• Stuck feminine energy