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“It's easy to be a naive idealist. It's easy to be a cynical realist. It's quite another thing to have no illusions and still hold the inner flame.”
― Marie-Louise von Franz
This quote by Marie-Louise Von Franz summarizes very well the appearance of the Hermit card as a conclusion to the lunation cycle that began at the the New Moon 14 days ago, but also to the end of this astrological cycle as we approach the spring equinox and the Aries New Moon solar eclipse. It seems uncanny when we consider the world events that have occurred in the last twelve months.
At the New Moon, the Ten of Swords heralded an individual and collective reckoning concerning a matter that had been the cause of worries and bring an end to it. The following week, the Fool card invited us to break free and jump into the unknown by taking chances. This week, the Hermit reminds us that we need time to ourselves to take stock of what has transpired in our lives in the last 12 months and prepare in silence, patiently, for a new cycle to begin.
At this time, we may realize that we no longer carry certain illusions about ourselves or the world we live in. The notion of temporality and maturity is central to the Hermit card which is represented in the Mythic Tarot by Kronos, one of the most important Gods of Greek mythology, son of Gaia, the Mother Earth.
In juxtaposition to the Fool card of last week, the appearance of the Hermit card may indicate an attempt at resisting the changes that need to brought into our lives for a new life to begin, but if we take the time required to think things through, we may come to the inevitable conclusion that the time has come for change to occur.
The Hermit's scythe will see to it.
In a more concrete way and closer to our daily lives, it is a week of reflection, meditation and concentration that is announced. The heart will not be set on fun and play. Our responsibilities will take precedence over our leisure time.