Quick guide
The Hermit is card IX of the Major Arcana. In the Rider-Waite-Smith image a cloaked elder stands alone on a snowy mountain peak, head bowed, holding a lantern that contains a six-pointed star in one hand and a plain staff in the other. Upright, the card is traditionally read as reflection, solitude by choice, patient searching and quiet guidance. Reversed, it points to isolation that has stopped being useful, refusing advice, or hiding from a decision. The one question the Hermit usually raises is this: what do I already know, if I give myself enough quiet to hear it?
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Arcana / number / suit | Major Arcana, card IX (9); no suit |
| Upright keywords | Reflection, solitude, searching, patience, a mentor, inner guidance, a pause |
| Reversed keywords | Isolation, loneliness, stubborn withdrawal, refusing help, avoiding a decision, restlessness |
| Element / astrological association (tradition) | Earth; Virgo (Golden Dawn correspondence) |
| Yes/no reading (convention) | Usually read as not yet, or as a prompt to wait and think before acting |
The image and its symbols
The Hermit is one of the simplest pictures in the deck, and the simplicity is the message. An old figure in a grey hooded robe stands on a peak with snow underfoot and no path drawn in. There is no table, no throne, no company. The lantern held out in the right hand contains a six-pointed star, two triangles laid over each other, which Arthur Waite described as a lamp carried to light the way for others as much as for the Hermit. The lantern is held slightly ahead, not overhead: it lights the next step, not the whole mountain.
The staff in the left hand is plain wood. Readers see it as support that has been earned by walking rather than a sign of office, in contrast with the ornate staffs held by the Hierophant or the Magician’s raised wand. The bowed head and lowered eyes are usually taken as attention turned inward. The grey of the robe sits between the black and white that appear on other cards, and some readers point to that as the Hermit’s way of thinking: patient, unhurried, comfortable with not knowing yet.
The mountain matters as well. The Hermit has already climbed. Whatever is being searched for is not at the top but inside the search itself, which is why the card is so often read as a process rather than an arrival.
Upright meaning
Upright, the Hermit is read as a period of stepping back on purpose. It appears when a person has taken in a lot, from a relationship, a job, a loss or a busy stretch, and now needs room to sort it. The traditional keywords are introspection, solitude, wisdom and guidance, but in practice the card most often describes something quieter: turning off the phone for an evening, writing instead of talking, taking a walk before answering a message.
The card also carries the figure of the mentor. Upright, it can describe seeking out someone older or more experienced, a counsellor, a teacher, a friend who has been through the same thing, or it can describe becoming that person for someone else. In a Celtic Cross the Hermit in the position of advice is commonly read as a plain instruction: wait, think, and ask one person you trust.
In a past, present, future spread the Hermit in the past position often describes a time of withdrawal that the person is now emerging from. In the present it describes a need that is current, and in the future it is read as a stretch of quiet that will be worth protecting rather than a prediction of being alone.
Reversed meaning
Reversed, the Hermit describes the same solitude without the purpose. Common readings are isolation that has drifted into loneliness, a refusal to hear advice, a decision that keeps being postponed because thinking about it feels safer than making it, or the opposite problem: a person who cannot bear to be alone for even an hour and fills every gap with noise.
Readers also take the reversed Hermit as a nudge to come back down the mountain. Reflection has done its work, the lantern has lit the next step, and it is time to rejoin people and act. If the surrounding cards are social (the Three of Cups, the Six of Wands, the Ten of Pentacles), that reading is usually the one they choose.
One line needs to be clear. A card can describe a mood; it cannot diagnose one. If withdrawal has lasted for weeks, if sleep, appetite or energy have changed, or if the quiet has turned into thoughts of not wanting to be here, that is a health matter and not a tarot matter. In the US you can call or text 988 at any hour. A reading can sit alongside that help, never in place of it.
In a love reading
For a single person the upright Hermit is usually read as a season of being with yourself first: learning what you want from a partner, enjoying your own company, and not rushing. It is not a sign that love is far away or that you are meant to be alone. In a relationship the card often describes one partner needing space, a quieter phase after a busy or difficult time, or a couple that would benefit from talking honestly about how much time alone each of them needs.
Reversed, the Hermit in love can point to avoidance: a conversation that is being dodged, a partner who has withdrawn without explaining why, or a person who is using solitude to avoid the risk of being known. The useful question is whether the distance is restful or evasive, and only the people involved can answer it. No card can tell you how someone else feels or whether a break will end. If distance in a relationship comes with fear, control or threats, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788), and in immediate danger call 911.
In a career or money reading
At work the upright Hermit describes work that is done best alone or in quiet: research, writing, analysis, craft, study for a qualification. It also comes up when someone is between roles and using the gap to think about what they actually want to do next rather than taking the first offer. The mentor theme is strong here: the card often appears when a person would benefit from an honest conversation with someone further along the same road.
Reversed in a career reading, the Hermit can describe someone who has become isolated at work, is refusing feedback, or has retreated into planning instead of applying. It can also describe a job that offers too little contact for a person who needs more of it.
In money questions the Hermit is read as review rather than action: going through statements, understanding where money actually goes, and resisting the urge to spend to fill a quiet patch. It says nothing about markets or outcomes. Questions about debt, investments or tax belong with a qualified adviser.
How to work with this card
- Book the quiet. Put one hour of real solitude in the calendar this week, no screen, and notice what surfaces. The Hermit’s lantern works only when the lights are low.
- Write the question, not the answer. Spend the first part of the hour writing down what you are actually asking. Most people find the question changes once it is on paper.
- Choose one lantern-bearer. Name a single person whose experience you trust and ask them one specific question. The card is about guidance, not about going it alone forever.
- Set a return date. Decide in advance when the reflecting ends and the acting begins, so the mountain does not become a hiding place.
Cards that often appear with it
The Hermit with the Eight of Cups: both cards show a figure walking away from something. Together they are usually read as leaving a situation that no longer fits in order to look for meaning, with the Hermit adding that the search will take time and should not be rushed.
The Hermit with the Three of Cups: solitude next to celebration. Readers take this pairing as a question of balance: is the person withdrawing from friends who are waiting for them, or do they need to tell those friends they will be back after a rest?
The Hermit with the Hierophant: two kinds of learning. The Hierophant stands for structured teaching, institutions and tradition; the Hermit stands for what is learned alone. The pairing is often read as a choice between a formal course and self-study, or as a reminder that both have their place.
Key takeaways
- The Hermit is card IX of the Major Arcana and is read as reflection, solitude by choice and quiet guidance.
- The lantern with its six-pointed star lights the next step, not the whole road: the card is about process, not arrival.
- Reversed, it describes isolation without purpose, refused advice or a decision being avoided.
- In love it describes a need for space, not a sentence of loneliness; in career it favours quiet work and mentors.
- A card can describe a mood but not diagnose one; lasting low mood is a health matter.
Related reading
- Tarot and the Fool’s Journey: the 22 Major Arcana in order
- The Chariot tarot card meaning
- The High Priestess tarot card meaning
- Tarot and mental wellness
- How to read reversed tarot cards
- Tarot cards for beginners
Frequently asked questions
1. What does the Hermit card mean in tarot?
The Hermit is traditionally read as a period of reflection and solitude chosen on purpose, often with the help of a mentor or trusted adviser. It describes a need to step back and think, not a prediction of being alone.
2. What number is the Hermit card?
The Hermit is card IX, the ninth card of the Major Arcana in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. It follows Strength (VIII) and comes before the Wheel of Fortune (X).
3. What does the lantern on the Hermit card mean?
The lantern holds a six-pointed star and is usually read as the light of experience, carried to show the next step and to guide others. It is held out ahead, which readers take to mean the card lights one step at a time.
4. What does the Hermit mean reversed?
Reversed, the Hermit is read as isolation that has lost its purpose, refusing advice, or putting off a decision by thinking about it instead. Many readers also take it as a sign that the time for reflection is over and it is time to act.
5. Is the Hermit a yes or no card?
By common convention the Hermit is read as not yet, or as a prompt to wait and think before answering. A yes or no reading is a tool for reflection rather than a prediction.
6. What does the Hermit mean in a love reading?
For a single person it usually describes a season of getting to know yourself before a relationship. In a couple it often describes one partner needing space or a quieter phase, and it is a prompt to talk about how much time alone each person needs.
7. Does the Hermit mean I will be alone?
No. The card describes solitude that is chosen and useful, not a lifelong condition. Tarot cards do not predict events, and no card can say whether or when a relationship will begin or end.
8. Which zodiac sign is linked to the Hermit?
In the Golden Dawn system of correspondences the Hermit is assigned to Virgo and the element of Earth. This is a reading tradition, not a fact about people born under the sign.
9. What does the Hermit mean in a career reading?
At work the Hermit describes tasks done best alone or in quiet, such as research, writing or study, and it often suggests talking to a mentor. Reversed, it can describe someone who has become isolated or is refusing feedback.
10. What does the Hermit mean as a daily card?
As a card of the day it is usually taken as an invitation to protect some quiet time, write down what is on your mind, and delay one decision until you have thought it through.
11. What is the difference between the Hermit and the High Priestess?
Both cards are about inner knowledge, but the High Priestess is read as intuition that is simply received, while the Hermit is read as understanding that is searched for over time. The High Priestess sits still; the Hermit climbs.
12. Is the Hermit a bad card to pull?
Most readers treat the Hermit as neutral or positive because it describes a useful pause. If persistent withdrawal, low mood or changes in sleep and appetite are the real issue, that is a health question for a professional, and in the US you can call or text 988.
Evidence note: The meanings on this page are interpretive conventions attached to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, first published in 1909, and to the guidebooks that follow it; they are not findings about what will happen. Tarot began as a card game in northern Italy in the 1430s, as Britannica’s entry on tarot records, and its divinatory use came centuries later. No reading has been shown to predict events, read another person’s mind or set a timeline. Questions about health, legal matters, debt or investments belong with a doctor, a lawyer or a qualified financial adviser. If low mood or thoughts of self-harm are part of what brought you to the cards, call or text 988 in the US or visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.