What Does The Hermit Mean in Tarot Reading?
In tarot, The Hermit means withdrawing to reflect, a search for wisdom. Reversed: isolation tipping into loneliness, feeling lost.
The Hermit is an older figure walking alone with a lantern — the theme of finding your way by an inner light rather than from outside. The lantern also stands for a wisdom that can go on to guide others.
The traditional reading connects this card to stepping back from the crowd to be alone with yourself; the answers are sought in stillness, not out there.
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Did the the hermit come up upright or reversed?
- Upright
- Carries withdrawing to reflect, a search for wisdom, finding your own answer within.
- Reversed
- Points to solitude tipping into isolation, a loss of direction, or feeling cut off from others.
If another symbol sits beside it
- The High Priestess
- The Hermit with The High Priestess: a stretch where intuition and inward reflection strengthen together.
- The Moon
- The Hermit with The Moon: finding your own inner light even amid uncertainty.
Frequently asked questions
Does The Hermit mean loneliness?
Yes, but not in a negative sense — the card is about a conscious withdrawal and a search for wisdom, not abandonment.
What does The Hermit mean in a relationship reading?
It usually points to a need for distance or personal space, not a break.
Related symbols
More symbols: Major Arcana
Wheel of FortuneJusticeThe Hanged ManDeathTemperanceThe Devil