The Hermit
Major Arcana, IX · Earth · angel number 999
The Hermit means going within, a time of reflection and solitude to find answers that only come in quiet. Reversed, it shows chosen solitude turning into isolation, or trouble sitting quietly with yourself at all.
Something's completing, 999 says so, and you need to be by yourself to understand it. Go quiet for a bit. Your people can wait a week.
- going within
- reflection
- solitude
- healing
- spiritual searching
- inner wisdom
From Rosemary's own notes on the card.
The Hermit upright
Go within for the answers. The old man on the mountain is holding a lantern with a star inside it, and he's looking down at the path he already walked, not up at the summit. The Hermit is reflection, solitude, healing, spiritual searching, inner wisdom. It usually comes up when a person has been looking outward for something they're only going to find alone. Solitude here is a choice, and a healthy one. 999 is the Hermit's number for me, and 999 is endings, completion, transformation, getting ready for a new chapter. Deep soul growth happens in this quiet.
The Hermit reversed
Alone has turned into isolated, or you can't stand five minutes of quiet with yourself, and the card reads the same either way. The lamp still works. You just have to be willing to look at what it shows you.
In love
Space is needed, by you or by them. I read that as a pause for reflection. It doesn't have to be an ending, and energy shifts and changes.
In work and money
Step back and think before you act. Research, study, an evening alone with the numbers. The wisdom here is gathered quietly, and it's not in a meeting.
As advice
Step back before you decide. Give yourself an hour alone each day away from your phone, and let your own thinking come forward.
Yes or no?
Maybe, because The Hermit asks for more reflection first, and the answer gets clearer once you have spent time alone with it. A single card shows a lean, never a promise of how things turn out.
For yourself
The answers are inside, and they're yours. Healing happens in the quiet once you stop performing for everyone, even for an hour a day.
Questions about The Hermit
What does The Hermit mean in tarot?
The Hermit means going within, a time of reflection and solitude to find answers that only come in quiet. Reversed, it shows chosen solitude turning into isolation, or trouble sitting quietly with yourself at all.
What does The Hermit mean in love?
In love, The Hermit points to a need for space, a pause for reflection by you or the other person that need not mean an ending.
What does The Hermit mean reversed?
Reversed, The Hermit shows time alone turning into isolation, or avoiding quiet because of what reflection might show you.
What does The Hermit mean as feelings?
As feelings, The Hermit suggests someone who cares but is pulling back to think, and needs time alone to sort out what they feel.
Is The Hermit a yes or no card?
Maybe, because The Hermit asks for more reflection first, and the answer gets clearer once you have spent time alone with it.
The short answers, the advice and the yes-or-no lean on this page are traditional readings of the card, written by the team that builds this site.
Want to ask the Oracle about this card?
The Oracle is an AI that reads in my style, not me. It will draw cards for your question, free, no account needed, and a yes-or-no question works with one card. If you'd rather sit with a person, I'm here too.
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Card image: the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909. Public domain.