Pamela Colman Smith · RWS deck
The Major Arcana
The Hermit
- Hebrew Letter
- YOD
- Element
- VIRGO
- Path
- Chesed ↔ Tiphereth
- State
- Action / Paralysis
Upright · Action
An act of guidance actually carried out. The lantern shining is actively trying to reach you, the lantern is being actively raised rather than passively held. Something is actively trying to light the way for you. It is up to you to notice.
Reversed · Paralysis
Guidance is present, but it is not being acted on or even fully noticed. The lantern may still be raised, but the querent is not responding to the light being offered, leaving direction available but unused.
The image
A robed figure stands alone on a mountain peak, a lantern holding a six-pointed star raised in one hand, a staff in the other.
Yod's own name is the Hand — divine action, not divine idea. This path runs from Chesed's generosity down into Tiphereth's identity, and what decides whether that generosity means anything is whether the hand actually lifts the lantern, or just holds it.
Learn how to read The Hermit in a spread
This page shows you what The Hermit means. Knowing how to read it — how it shifts next to the other cards, what the reversal is really telling you, and how to turn a spread into a clear answer — is what the RWS Decoded course and book teach, card by card.
