Ouch. The Hermit reversed isn’t the worst card to get, but it’s clearly one that says something is wrong and that you need to reach out, either to others or to your true self. It’s not a card to get despondent over; like any reversed tarot card, it gives you a path to making things much better for yourself. But this particular reversed tarot card can still elicit an “ugh” reaction because it speaks to your core — or at least it tries to given how apparently closed off your inner self has become.
The Hermit Is a Nice Card
The Hermit itself is a fine card. It’s the card of meditation, seeking truth, blessed or healing solitude, going within, and caring for and listening to your true self. Maybe you need some time away, or maybe you think you don’t, but the cards are telling you that no, really, you’ve got to take time for yourself. The Hermit can also represent a teacher of some sort, be it yourself or someone who will teach you something, so it’s a sign to keep your ears tuned in to what people are really trying to tell you.
The Hermit Reversed Is Trying to Help You
If you get the Hermit reversed, though, you have to listen. This card is trying to help you because you are now experiencing (depending on the card’s position in the spread) some aspect of separation that is not healthy for you, but you might not be able to see the full extent of the issue.
The Hermit reversed often means that you are being isolated or separated, either through your own actions, your inability to see the consequences of your own actions, or the actions of others. Maybe you’re being shunned or excluded, or you’ve become a workaholic. You might not be engrossed in your work, but you’ve buried yourself in it and are now in isolation. Your boss could have piled so much work on you that you hadn’t even realized you’d become isolated, and the card is telling you that you need to rejoin society.
Get an online psychic reading for additional insights about what’s happening in your situation.
This card can also mean avoidance. That workaholism could be intentional, or a subconscious attempt to allow you to avoid something. Maybe you feel kind of bored and detached and the Hermit reversed indicates that whatever’s behind that feeling could be a wish to avoid (people, work, tasks, an uncomfortable conversation) — it could even be a form of anxiety showing up in a strange way.
The Hermit represents solitude and in its reversed form, it can indicate loneliness, even if others are around. It doesn’t have to be physical isolation, remember. One twist on this is that the Hermit reversed could mean you are alone and want to be alone — you’re not lonely — but people around you assume you are lonely and try to prevent you from being alone. If you have noticed behavior like this, shut it down as quickly as you can. It’s very annoying when someone refuses to respect your wish to be alone and the behavior won’t stop until you put your foot down.
If the Hermit reversed appears in a past-situation spot in a reading, you’re now emerging from this isolation or have successfully made the transition out. In a future-outcome spot in the spread, take the Hermit reversed as a red flag and watch out for situations or feelings that could cause you to withdraw into yourself. And if the card is in a spot dealing with how other people play into the situation, it could be that someone will pull away from you, or that you risk pushing someone away.
One form of isolation is internal. You’ve swept your inner self under the rug and aren’t listening to your gut. Listen! Even if you aren’t skilled at interpreting what your intuition tells you, try it. Don’t ignore odd feelings about a situation. In fact, if you think you can’t understand your intuition, now is the time to learn. The Hermit reversed wants you to reconnect with that inner bell that goes off at times when you need to pay attention.
So, you can see this isn’t a worrisome card, but it’s not one that you can toss over your shoulder. It’s time to reconnect with someone or something — even if that something is solitude that your inner self desperately wants — and correct a situation that has pushed you far away from your inner and outer support systems. If you really want to figure out the message of the Hermit reversed in your spread, a professional tarot reading is your best option. Get a complete story through an online tarot card reading on Keen so you have a better idea of where and how this isolation is affecting you.
Being alone because you want to be is just fine, but being alone because you’ve been subtly separated is not. The Hermit reversed wants you to reach out — or reach inside — and form bonds that will help you move forward in life. Welcome this card because its message is meant to make you feel a lot better.
