When the Hermit appears in the reading, a client will often despair. For many, the Hermit does mean being alone or that a relationship might not work out, or the friends won't come anytime soon. Like all things Tarot, symbols are more than they appear at first blush. Personally, when I think about the archetype of the Hermit, the Kung Fu Monk on the Mountain comes to mind. Perhaps this imagery came to me so strongly because a few years ago I lived in China and took a trip to Shaolin Monastery, if any of you are Kung Fu fans, you know that this is THE place to learn Kung Fu. It is up a mountain in a quiet part of China and packed with Chinese and foreign students learning Kung Fu and Buddhism. To awake in the morning and see thousands of people in rows going through the same movements is an amazing thing to behold. The grandeur of this noble art and way of life came from one Hermit, a monk named Batuo, who wandered in from India to teach Buddhism and later established Shaolin Monastery. One Hermit who decided to withdraw from the world, forever changed the world, this is what the wisdom of the Hermit can often evoke. In all religions and important cultural stories, the Hermit is front and center to great spiritual change. Jesus, an example was as we all know, wandered as a Hermit eschewing a carpenter's life. The Prophet Muhammad, the Buddha all had similar origin stories- the world’s religious leaders often began their time wandering alone to return to the public with radical messages. Everyday, people decide to take time off from society and come back forever changed by it. An excellent blog post about the historical/philosophical/religious of Hermit life can be found here by Tarot reader and Academic Donna Hazel. Interestingly we both posted on the same day about nearly the same topic-funny how that works. The Hermit truly as an archetype often have these commonalities:
Once the Hermit has committed to a withdrawal process, he then spends time without distraction. He works hard, he is uncompromising in his goal, and he may not know the end result, but he knows that silence is what is needed right now. And when the Hermit has attained a level self-development, he then lights his lamp. He beckons those who are deserving of his time and energy to climb the mountain and he guides them to his mountain abode in order to share what he has learned. So when we get a Hermit card in a reading, it doesn't necessarily mean, "Omg, go adopt 6 cats cause it's the end for you! No one will ever love you again!!!" Nope. But... The appearance of the Hermit in your life often represents: A time of voluntary withdrawal (a pledge of not dating, or not seeking old dysfunctional friendships) and a welcoming of the silence that is the Source. A time of deep introspection and getting your head clear from distraction (not seeking hookups, not seeking bad connections and spending that time working on your STUFF). During your time of introspection and quiet, be mindful of falling back into old behavior because you are: bored, lonely, sad, tired. The Hermit recognizes that these emotions are part of him but he continues forth, he deepens the silence in spite of distraction. Remember, the Hermit is committed. And when the Hermit is ready, he lights his lamp-not to just anyone-but to people who earn his time and attention (reacquainting ourselves with OURSELVES we no longer bother with mediocre relationships, others must EARN our time and attention, they must desire to raise the vibration). The Hermit surrounds himself with people who feel deeply, who create, who are honestly living their lives outside of what the village has taught, because the Hermit knows there is always more depth to be had. Need a real life example? Read up on this amazing person, his documentaries are often on PBS. He lived alone in the Alaskan wildreness for over 20 years. His documentaries, self filmed have inspired generations of people. Deeply consider the following: Time consciously removed from the higgy-biggy will mean that over time the quality of your relationships of all kinds will be of a higher vibration. So how does one do that, with kids, jobs, partners, parents, bills, pets to feed, and on and on and on? To partake of the Hermit energy can happen in a day, in an hour, in a weekend; one does not need to leave their lives behind to benefit from Hermit wisdom. Actually, there are many websites devoted to offering the public retreat options of all types and kinds, from religious to secular these places with all kinds of budget options catering to your financial and time needs. Resources for Want to Be Hermits:
I highly recommend www.retreatfinder.com (there are international listings though it is primarily US based). And even if you cannot pay for an away retreat, I cannot recommend this book enough to cultivate your own retreat space: Woman's Retreat Book: A Guide to Restoring, Rediscovering and Reawakening Your True Self --In a Moment, An Hour, Or a Weekend by Jennifer Louden Dig into the Hermit, do not see his presence in your life as a time to despair, he is calling you with his lamp, join him in opening to the Mystery and shift your life more closely to positivity, authenticy and a more deeper spiritual life. Stop filling up on snacks, the meal is about to arrive.
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As many of you know, I Co-Organize a vibrant and interesting meetup group called Not Your Mother's Tarot and we meet about once a month to discuss all things Tarot and all the intersections that Tarot has with other things including channeling and mediumship. Recently, one of our own long time members and wonderful friend, Angela Dawn, wrote a book about her experience of channeling her Mother and her sister after they both crossed over in close succession. Angela chronicals a series of conversations she channels between her and her Mother and sister who disclose to her very descriptive information about the after life and also our meaning here on Earth. The book is meaningful, engaging, heartfelt and a true labor of love. I even have the joy of having Angela at most Meetup groups sitting on the yoga floor and reading tarot with me! Love Never Dies: From Heaven My Sister Speaks was a great comfort to me when my own family member was about to cross over. Angela shares the gift of her incredible bond as well as her channeling ability with the rest of us, who question, "What's next?" There are many stories out there that talk about life after, but what really moved me was this incredibly gentle, loving and close bond that only a Mother and sisters can share, that Angela then shares with us. Angela expands more about channeling and her incredible journey below: What plans do you have for helping others pursue a connection with lost loved ones? Very often I meet people who have lost a loved one and I share my story and experience with them. Most of them are very interested in learning more and whether they too can communicate with their loved ones. I would like to teach as many people as possible about the existence of the spirit world, that life does continue after the physical death, and how they too can communicate with their loved ones. I plan to do this through small development circles where people meet on a regular basis, and by holding workshops at churches, community halls, libraries or anywhere there is a place for people to gather. Do you still maintain contact with your mother and sister? If so, how is this contact continued? If not, what kind of contact do you still maintain with that world? When I am in need of help, I find that they do come. Let me give you an example, when I was trying to finalize the second part of the title of my book “from heaven my sister speaks” I had written over two pages of proposed titles. When I wrote the words “from heaven my sister speaks” I became overwhelmed with emotion and I began to cry. The tears streamed down my face and I sobbed. I knew that it was my sister communicating with me. Thoughts of her came into my mind and I felt a sense of knowing that these were the right words to use. Can you explain more of how spiritual energies work in our world? As many people are aware our bodies are composed of seven energy centers or chakras. The higher we raise our energy level through our energy centers or chakras the more elevated our consciousness will be. It is through our consciousness that we blend our energy with spirit energy. We can raise our energy level through meditation which I had done when writing my book. I had raised my energy level to a high level where I could very easily blend my energy with spirit energy. Do you feel that spiritual energies are existent in those getting ready to crossover? How does energy change in situations such as prolonged illness? I feel that our loved ones are there to help us at the time we are ready to crossover to the other side. I asked my sister in the days before she passed whether she had seen mother and she nodded her head. Then, she looked toward the corner of the room, as if to say that is where mother appeared. I know that our loved ones bring their love and it is this love that gives us courage and comfort prior to our passing. Also, they come and bring their loving energy during times of prolonged illness. Once, my mother had a prolonged illness where she was in pain for many months with an undiagnosed abscess growing on her brain. The doctors stated that it was only a matter of time before she passed away. It was during this time that her grandmother, who had died many years before, appeared to my mother at her bedside and told her that everything was going to be alright. The loving energy that her grandmother brought eased her pain. My mother was able to lift her head up off the pillow and sit upright in bed. This was something that she had not been able to do in several weeks and something she did not do again until after the abscess was surgically removed. So yes, I do believe our loved ones come and use their loving energy to help us in our time of need. You also talk about reincarnation in your book, can you tell me a little more about that? I did not have an opinion on reincarnation until my sister explained it to me in the book and showed me our past life together. Since that time, I have read several books on reincarnation. Now, I do believe that we are on this earth for a purpose whether it is to learn a lesson for our own soul’s development or to help another soul on their journey learn a lesson. If we look at nature and look at the trees with their branches and leaves we can see how the old leaves fall in the autumn to make way for the new leaves and new growth in the spring. In this analogy, our souls are like the trees and the new leaves and new branches represent our lives on earth. In the same lifecycle of the trees, I believe that our souls can and do repeat this process. Angela is also hosting a Not Your Mother's Tarot Meetup group Feruary Friday the 13th at 7pm called, Connect With Your Loved Ones :Connect with your departed loved ones through a guided meditation along with your individual tarot card spread! Angela Dawn, author of “Love Never Dies: From Heaven my Sister Speaks” will be talking about her book and sharing her techniques so you too can receive a message!
You can also catch her at the Holistic & Psychic Fair is Saturday March 7, 11am to 5pm at the James Lorah House, Doylestown Reading Tarot is so much more than just “telling someone’s future”. Like most things, what is known and the truth of a thing are often vastly different. Tarot has been hugely underrated by John Q Public because it has been cloaked under the mantle of fear, and general misunderstanding. So besides doing oogy boogy so scary readings, or telling your best pal when she will walk down that aisle, the art of Tarot is an incredible resource for personal growth and self-discovery. The act of learning to read tarot will change you as a person, and for the better. Like any tool, Tarot can be used for a variety of uses, there is such a world to Tarot, it can do so much more than most give them credit for! But, don’t just take it from me, I opened the question up to several online Tarot groups, “How has Tarot benefited you as a person?” I was overwhelmed with positive responses from new to Tarot to Tarot Masters and here is what they had to say:
Tarot Helps Us Be More Compassionate to Others
Tarot helps Us See How We are Agents of Change
Tarot Supports Our Healing and Transformation
Tarot Changes the Way We Interact With Ourselves and the World
The benefits one gets from learning Tarot far outweigh the work involved in learning them. These stories from other readers of all levels reveal incredible insights as to why working with Tarot is a worthwhile persuit of depth, healing, connection and insight in addition to the more popular understanding of what the tool of tarot does for us. Tarot is so much more.... and its positive changes are deep and wide-spread...
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Jenna Matlin
M.S. in Organizational Psychology and Leadership Categories
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