The Hermit tarot card from the 1909 deck by Pamela Colman Smith

The Hermit tarot card meaning

The Hermit upright asks you to step back from noise and look inward, suggesting that time alone will show you the next step more clearly.

solitude
reflection
inner guidance
wisdom
a pause

Draw a card Ask yes or no

Arcana	Major
Number	IX (9)
Astrology (Golden Dawn)	Virgo
Yes or no	Maybe upright, no reversed

Written by Orbitarot · Sources: our own meanings; card art by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909; A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1910 · Updated October 7, 2026

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What the card shows

An old, bearded man in a long gray hooded cloak stands on a snowy peak, holding up a glowing lantern and leaning on a tall yellow staff. The background is a plain gray-blue sky with nothing else in view, and his eyes are lowered. The height and snow are read as distance from everyday life, the lantern as the light of inner wisdom, and the staff as patience and steady support.

The Hermit upright

The Hermit has climbed away from the crowd on purpose. When this card appears, it usually suggests a season of quiet: time to think, read, rest and listen to yourself without other voices pressing in. It is not a sad card. The lantern he holds shows that he is looking for something real, and he has the light he needs to find it.

Upright, the Hermit often points to a question that only you can answer. Advice from others may be well meant, but it cannot settle this. Walks, journaling, prayer or meditation, or simply a few evenings at home with your phone off can help. Notice that his light only reaches a step or two ahead. You do not need to see the whole road, just the next part of it. The Hermit can also describe a wise teacher or guide who prefers to stay in the background. Slowing down now is a sign of maturity.

The Hermit reversed

isolation
loneliness
withdrawal
avoidance
losing your way

Reversed, the Hermit can show withdrawal that has gone too far. Time alone may have turned into loneliness, or you may be cutting yourself off from people who want to help.

In other cases it points the opposite way: you are so busy and surrounded by noise that there is no room to reflect, and you feel lost as a result. Either way, balance is the answer. If you have been hiding, reach out to one trusted person. If you have been running, build in some quiet. Your own lantern is still lit, but you have to stop long enough to look at it.

The Hermit in love

Upright: For singles, the Hermit suggests time to understand what you want before looking for a partner. In a relationship, it can point to needing personal space or to a quiet, thoughtful phase together.

Reversed, it can show loneliness, emotional distance or a partner who has withdrawn. Gentle, honest contact may help bridge the gap.

The Hermit for career and work

Upright, the Hermit favors study, research, focused solo work and rethinking your direction. A pause to plan may serve you better than rushing ahead.

Reversed, it can show feeling isolated at work or avoiding a decision about your path. Seek input from someone you respect.

The Hermit as feelings

They care about you but are in a reflective, private place and need time to sort out their own feelings.

The Hermit as advice

Step away from the noise, spend time alone with the question and trust the light you have.

The Hermit in a tarot reading

The same card reads differently depending on where it lands. These are the readings our spreads use when The Hermit appears in each position. Try it in a three card reading, Celtic cross.

Upright

As the past	Time spent away from the crowd shaped you. A period of solitude and reflection, listening to yourself, gave you the understanding you carry into this moment.
As the present	A season of quiet is called for. Stepping back from other voices gives you room to think, rest and find an answer that is truly your own.
As the future or outcome	A lamp-lit stretch of reflection lies ahead. You may pull back for a while, and that pause is likely to bring real wisdom.
As the obstacle	Withdrawing too far could be the snag. Seeking every answer alone may keep you from help, company or simply the outside view you need.
As advice	Take time alone on purpose. Switch off the noise, follow your own lantern and give yourself space to hear what you really think before deciding.

Reversed

As the past	Solitude slid into isolation, or busyness left no room to reflect. Either way, losing touch with yourself shaped the situation you are in.
As the present	Time alone may have turned into loneliness, or constant noise is drowning out your inner voice. Something is out of balance with how you are spending your days.
As the future or outcome	If nothing changes, the sense of being lost or cut off may deepen. Reaching out, or carving out real quiet, can turn this toward clarity again.
As the obstacle	Withdrawal or avoidance is what stands in your way. Shutting people out, or staying busy so you never have to think, keeps you from the answer.
As advice	Check which way you have tipped. If isolated, reach out to someone who cares, and if overwhelmed by noise, set aside an hour of real quiet this week.

What A. E. Waite wrote about The Hermit in 1910

Waite designed this deck with Pamela Colman Smith and published its meanings in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910, public domain). His words, as printed:

Divinatory meaning:

Prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption.

Reversed:

Concealment, disguise, policy, fear, unreasoned caution.

Prudence and circumspection match the modern inward retreat. Waite was darker, saying the card also and especially means treason, dissimulation and corruption, and his reversal of concealment and unreasoned caution sits near the modern isolation reading.

Is The Hermit a yes or no card?

Upright: Maybe The Hermit's lantern lights only the next step, so upright the answer is maybe and calls for more reflection first.

Reversed: No Reversed, isolation or avoidance blocks a clear answer, so the card leans no for now.

Ask your own question with the yes or no tarot. No cards at hand? The yes or no oracle answers with a pendulum.

Learn more: how to read reversed cards, how to read this card with others, whether The Hermit is one of your birth cards, its astrology correspondence.

Questions

What does The Hermit mean in tarot?

The Hermit upright asks you to step back from noise and look inward, suggesting that time alone will show you the next step more clearly. Reversed, the Hermit points to solitude that has turned into isolation, or to avoiding the reflection you need by staying constantly busy. Yes or no: Maybe upright, no reversed.

What does The Hermit reversed mean?

Reversed, the Hermit points to solitude that has turned into isolation, or to avoiding the reflection you need by staying constantly busy.

Is The Hermit a yes or no card?

Maybe when upright. The Hermit's lantern lights only the next step, so upright the answer is maybe and calls for more reflection first. When reversed, it leans no. Reversed, isolation or avoidance blocks a clear answer, so the card leans no for now.

What does The Hermit mean as feelings?

They care about you but are in a reflective, private place and need time to sort out their own feelings.