Letter: T = Leo
Path: Between Tiferet and Chesed
Quality: House of Descendents
The Hermit, the possessor of gnosis, not only has the Light, but is a Light and guide for others. This natural shaman is a self-initiated Priest of the Order of Melchizedek. Having abandoned all false paths, the Hermit lives intimately with Nature and Sophia. Hence this Trump points to the aspect of Sophia that makes her teachings available at the gateways and the crossroads, calling out from the ramparts of the city and appearing in the liminal places “between the worlds.” This is Hecate, Trivia, her shrine placed at the meeting-point of the Three Worlds or three paths guarding the place of their linkage.
The Hermit highlights Sophia’s link with prophets and diviners, whose calling it is to interpret the oracles. Trump 9 represents the second (antithesis) point in the Light triangle, following mastery of the first Septenary. While Justice stands in the marketplace accessible to all, the Hermit occupies a location accessible only to the intrepid. Historical allusions to the Hermit’s identity have ranged far and wide; the planet Saturn, the angel Melancholia, the philosopher Diogenes, St. Francis of Assisi, Father Time, the agricultural god Kronos, one of the Desert Fathers, or as here, the mythical Hermes Trismigistus.
His title means “thrice born,” implying true continuity of consciousness maintained across multiple lifetimes. This Hermit has found the key to humanity’s eternal potential and has shaped his life accordingly. He is an accomplished yogi, a devoted eros magician, and a dedicated life-extension strategist, having achieved functional immortality without having to drop his body, a coveted accomplishment. The apparent maturity of the Hermit is as much a symbol as it is a state.
At any age the Hermit arranges daily life to avoid unnecessary worldly demands so as to protect the privacy necessary to maintain a deep immersion in Nature. Having left cultural time, he is participating in worlds that operate by laws of being instead of becoming. Though shown with his feet encircled by the terrestrial Leviathan (water serpent of material time), our Hermit has realized that his only connection to eternity is his consciously-directed imagination. A life of self-discipline imbues the environment with a preternatural calm and lucidity.
The traditional lamp in his hand has become a mini-sun with which to banish the spiritual darkness of the reflexive reptile brain. The pontifical shepherd’s crook is not only there to support this wise elder, but also to serve as a magical wand, fixing and subduing the restless Leviathan at his feet. The entire landscape is in communion with the Hermit’s point of focus, which is to still the fearful fight-or-flight reflexes and thereby release consciousness to its higher destiny.
Overhead the Hermit’s inner practice is laid bare. Knowing that consciousness exists both within and outside the body, the Hermit seeks experiences that exceed the coarse material senses. The higher mind’s all-seeing eye blazes through the cosmos, following the lead of the Holy Spirit. The whole operation is protected and guarded by the cosmic mate of the earthy Leviathan. This cosmic serpent, the Teli or Pole Serpent that circles around the balance-point of Heaven, organizes the eternal Light that forever emanates from the invisible higher world.
These two serpents demonstrate the Hermit’s control over his electro-magnetic presence, both in the time/space world and beyond it. This opening in the fabric of time/space is mediated by a sub-sonic harmonic hum emanating from the Hermit’s throat (a reference to Daat, the salvation of those who struggle in the Fallen Tree of the Kabbalah). This tuning device helps strengthen the vibrational platform that allows the Hermit to expand his temporal consciousness past the ring-pass-not into eternity.
The above text is an excerpt from our book Tarot of the Holy Light: A Continental Esoteric Tarot - Volume One.
