Major Arcana · IX
The Hermit — tarot meaning
solitude, searching, inner light
Upright
Withdrawal in search of truth. Step back from the noise; the lantern you carry is enough to see the next step.
Reversed
Isolation that has gone on too long — or refusing the solitude you need.
In the Papus Tarot, 1909
L'Hermite — The Hermit · Hebrew letter ט Teth
Papus: prudence, the initiate's light veiled by his cloak. The Martinist works in silence and by his own small flame — this is the arcanum of that method.
In the Oswald Wirth Tarot, 1889
L'Ermite — The Hermit · Hebrew letter ט Teth
Wirth's Hermit shelters his lamp with his cloak: knowledge is not paraded, and it lights only the ground immediately ahead.
Shown from the 1909 William Rider & Sons deck (public domain). A card is read in relation to the question and the cards around it; these meanings are a starting point, not a verdict.