As the heat of Summer wanes we shift into a new set of routines. The light is changing too, harvest gold grows dull. Crows caw loudly punctuating the mornings. Trees look crisp, singed at the edges while holding onto their last flush of green. Virgo is a transitional season, one that wakes us up to transformational energies calling our psyches into greater focus.
Virgo is the ruler of The Hermit card in the tarot - who is our archetypal guide for 2025. The Hermit is also a herald of transformation, beckoning us with their light to step away from the hustle of everyday distractions, into a reflective repose that expands our perspective.
BAY AREA FOLKS: I will be leading an in-person tarot workshop on the tarot archetypes of 2025 and 2026 on October 18th at The Sunshine Prophecy in Oakland, CA from 6-7:30pm. Save the date - tickets go on sale September 2nd.
This Virgo season invites us to embody the wisdom of The Hermit, who has been setting the energetic tone of 2025. While some of us see The Hermit as an invitation to hide away from the world, I invite you to deepen your understanding of this archetype, who is a very important guide for these deeply challenging times. Hint: it’s not about escaping the world, it is about stepping into our truth.
There are so many ways of embodying the tarot archetypes. We can meditate with them, visualizing ourselves on the desolate mountain peak, lantern in hand, surveying the horizon. We can build altars to the archetypes; for instance with The Hermit, build an earth altar in some wild place you can visit regularly in solitude. We can dream with the archetypes. Or we can encourage the spiritual lessons of the cards to flow through our everyday actions.
Without sharing too much about this wise tarot ally (you’ll have to come to my workshop!), let’s unpack The Hermit’s esoteric nature, through connecting with their traditional symbols and myth.
He was once part of a religious order, but struck out on his own, wandering into the wilderness to contemplate his personal truth.The Hermit still wears his ecclesiastical garb, though the robe has been darned repeatedly, the colors are now faded, the hem muddied by their daily wanderings. Remembering what he left behind gives him courage to stand in his true faith. In his own experience he trusts. The worlds within him inform the world around him.
Virgo is the zodiacal maiden, suggesting the intelligence of a caretaker, a midwife, an intuitive healer. Virgo is also a highly analytical sign, while still being ruled by Earth. Their wisdom is grounded. The Hermit is shaped by this intuitive intelligence. His own first hand encounters with the World (also known as Sophia, or the soul of the world) shape his intelligence.
The Hermit holds tightly onto his lantern, the guiding light that keeps him tethered to both earth and celestial. A light that is a bridge. The force that reminds him of both his true Nature and the ways that he is woven into the cosmic chain of All Beings.
The Hermit is not an invitation to escape or retreat in order to bypasses the deeper soul work we are called towards. It is not giving us permission to wait out conflict, or avoid the ills of our world. Contrary, it is asking that we face the imposing darkness with the light of our divine spark fully lit.
Our world is very dark, and everyday we are confronted by the horrors of a humanity that has lost sight of the spiritual spark within each of us. The Hermit holds out their guiding wisdom as a lighthouse, in hopes that it might flicker and find us, and help to reignite the spiritual strength needed to combat the destruction of humanity we are witnessing.
Hermit asks that we refuel our lanterns with a keen spiritual understanding of ourselves. What are the values that keep you centered and grounded in yourself? How can you root deeper into your personal connection with spirit, rather than abandoning yourself for the sake of comfort? A comfort that comes with an unforgivable cost.
This Virgo Season is about getting back in touch with your sacred self. Incorporate your spiritual principles and values into your everyday actions. Set up a deep spiritual foundation for yourself, and watch how your capacity to weather the incoming storms increases.
Here are a few ways to embody Hermit’s wisdom:
Schedule routine space for reflection, writing, breathing, witnessing
Develop a daily devotional practice; movement, prayer, art-making, tea ceremony…
Attend or create your own spiritual retreat
Light candles with the intention of honing your own spiritual light
One of my Hermit devotional acts is to recommit to my sharing here. I am currently working on a project that is requiring a lot of nourishment, but I missed connecting in August. I will be back with your September divination journal for paid subscribers, and other reflections on ritual, witchcraft, and working with the Hermit through the end of the year.
How have you been embodying Hermit’s wisdom this year?
WORK WITH CASEY: I’d be honored to guide you in your Hermit year quest for spiritual connection.
SAVE THE DATE: October 18th! Join me for in-person tarot embodiment at The Sunshine Prophecy in Oakland. More event details coming soon…