The Hermit in the Tarot casts a lonely figure – solitary and separate from his fellow archetypes and the world. Leaning upon an ancient and gnarled staff he holds his lantern high, its light casting long shadows backwards and forwards on his path. Like the great and often forgot God Janus – the two faced – whom January is named after the Hermit knows that the past is the only light we have to shine upon the future…
What I mean by this is simply that although at times we might rather want to forget the past and all its brutal trauma’s, it offers us a chance to learn and grow from our experiences and put them into play both now – in the present moment and in the future!
Take the current restrictions that many of mankind finds themselves limited by at present – this is not something new – nor something even unexpected by many. Granted the severity of the current conditions may have caught some off guard … the length of time which seems to stretch seemingly without end before you BUT the fact that it would happen and the very nature of it – itself – is nothing you have not endured and journied through before.
So … use your experiences of the past – cast your mind back to what worked for you then and what didn’t! What you did to survive and endure, to keep your spirits high and your attention from wondering. Granted many are a little more jaded than you were first time, a little more tired BUT you are also wiser and ultimately wisdom is all in learning how to cope with repeated limitation and constriction.
You have been here before and survived … you are more than capable of doing this again – whether you want to or not!
Hold then your lantern high and cast its light back upon your path and remember what you did, how you did and what you learned. Hold your lantern high and focus on the now – not some imagined future finish line but where you are here – in this moment and ask yourself what you can do to make this situation better. And when you are done dare to hold the lantern one more time that you might peer into the possible future that lies ahead and see what lies in store.
Human beings are wondrous creatures – powerful and great – resourceful and inventive, enduring and strong and often – when their backs are against the wall they can pull out of their bag of tricks the most amazing remedies and solutions to their current predicament. Solutions that can not only resolve their problems but set new presidents of success for the future.
Now is the time then to gather your strength, to gather your metal, to take a deep breath and release your despair and focus on what can be done … you have this … you are stronger than you know and when the chips are down and what needs to be done must be done – YOU HAVE THE POWER! Believe in yourself then as we believe in you and excel, grow, transcend, rise triumphant and carry on.
Draw upon your experiences of the past and move forwards … you may be surprised at just what you can achieve.
