Truth is my lantern illuminating the way. I will cast aside the shape of illusion and leave the veils of my own deception behind me. The trickster Jungian archetype.
The anchoress is the hermit card, in the traditional tarot. It has many significations attributed to it. The anchoress was a woman who took upon herself to withdraw from the mundane physical life and was enclosed in a dwelling with the bare essentials to contemplate more ‘spiritual aspects of existence’. Anciently she was like unto the beguines, Bonnes femmes of gnostic tradition who lived ascetic type lives in an enclosed community and conducted business outside of the environs of that community. Not quite a nun or monk of traditional religiosity. Especially if one had perspectives differing from the traditional ‘spiritual dogma’ of the consensus, collective of the day. The outer world would seek, petition the anchoress for advice, blessings,boons, aid they could not acquire elsewhere. The old ways that were considered heretical and condemned one to death in the eyes of the ‘religious order in power at that time.
That way of life was a safe haven for those who thought differently, yet were constrained by their mere presence on earth to set themselves apart. This is something everyone who in some form does naturally, especially when experiencing cognitive dissonance. When facts, situations, life gets too much, overwhelming,the obstacles and challenges, the heavy weight that drags one down. Bearing an immense burden, an immense treasure, often out of love, like the burden of one’s dependants or self. Make sure the burden carried is a necessary one; not borne out of greed but out of love. Upon contemplation that burden, dead weight can be transformed into a burden of joy. Set aside some of that burden in contemplation, lighten the load.
Dragging these burdens around, culminate into a great stone that is hard to move even though as the saying goes. A rolling stone gathers no moss; that is near to procrastination. The thoughts and situations that build up around them often seems insurmountable. At the end of one’s string, inner battle, one has to continue hacking away at the inner wilderness, the dead wood of unproductive dreams, the chains that bind and ensnare like the woodcutter of Jungian analysis. Further exploring and investigation puts one in the position of the fool card, on a journey. Gypsy wisdom says ‘He who will not be ruled by the rudder will be ruled by the rock.
In fortune telling symbolism, a woman often represents the mind, heart or soul of the seeker, the inner person or unconscious. The ship represents the body that carries the mind and heart through life. The inner person has scaled a great height, a cliff bearing a great weight. An anchor steadies a ship when it is at rest, keeping it in place through the night (the dark times, ones winter of discontent) times of cognitive dissonance. Those times when one’s belief system or baseline, what we thought we knew and experienced is shattered, removed, changed. Automatically one doubles down goes within or throws the entire lot out. Throwing the baby out with the bath water! Mistaking the mask for the face, Ambivalence, A deceptive image, Missing the message by crucifying the messenger.
Releasing all that is stagnant and mouldering within oneself, keep only what is good for oneself to retain. Adaptation is easier that way and then one can like a river flow. This flow, the life force is seen in the functionality of one’s fascia. The connective tissue that surrounds, unites, makes one feel alive when it is flowing. It holds memory of all kinds. Any disruption by obstacles, accumulated stagnant thought patterns, low vibrational forms and memeplexes, traumas the fascia holds. This impacts the fascia and it becomes sluggish in movement, if it moves at all with the heavy loads it has to bear. Moore on fascia in other posts at this site. All the pain often of unknown origin is secreted there. One becomes like the walking dead, things frozen in time. Time to prune the garden of ones soul. Slay the inner demons. Slay the dragon. Confront what ails thee.
The fascia on this 3D physical perspective is a representation of ones soul, essence and psyche. The spiritual journey towards wholeness is the fool card, this is opening the door to boundless knowledge and understanding. Finding ones way, self education, following the inner teacher and personal intuitive, personified experience. All one seeks they will find as one is the maker of ones own fate, end goal. Remove, put away the mantle of misfortune and build a better life. Running from ones self is futile. The shadows dissipate eventually and the victimized victim of self denial; no longer allows them entry into the blessed life being made. In the words of Jung ‘We like to imagine that something which we do not understand does not help us in any way. But this is not always so’ C.G.Jung Archetypes and the collective unconscious.
This quest, search for insight can take many forms. Scientific research, learn new skills, logic, empirical evidence, truth, clarity of mind, self awareness, often ones intuition can become a blindfold and self delusion, knowledge of others, depersonalization are ways employed on such a journey.
The Hermit card signifies introspection, reserve, withdrawal, isolation, putting up barriers and walls. Self containment, solitude, correspondences to the introvert extrovert self the parts of self kept secret, the things one internalize, then cognitive dissonance sets in. One turns inward, falls silent, as those obstacles become the unexpressed part of the character. Fantasy and aggression are attempts of the psyche to turn outward again. Agoraphobia. In the words of Jung: ‘It is moreover only in a state of complete abandonment and loneliness that we experience the helpful powers of our own natures.’ C.G.Jung Psychology and religion west and east.
The Hermit is like unto the Dervish in Sufi parlance. Dervish literally means doorway. At the inner and outer realms. A sage and mystic who has removed their ego from the center of the universe and placed what they realize as the divine, the beloved there instead. To be a dervish today does not require any renunciation or asceticism in the literal sense. It is a spiritual state of being, a mindful awareness state connected to something other than the physical mundane 3D life. In the world but not of the world, connected yet disconnected. Solitude, soul searching, wisdom in quiet introspection, meditation, comfort in being unconventional. Withdrawal, learning who and what you are, what you believe in. Learning to trust ones self without depending on the opinions of others. Withdrawing from life out of fear or to avoid personal responsibility is not the same as self examination. Withdrawing too long or for the wrong reasons paradoxically strengthens the cage already built by ones self and in part by others. Self entrapment can become an obsession, addiction, stagnant, endless nostalgia.
The Hermit traditionally shown as an old bearded man, ancient of days, holding a lamp. The light of the world, the star shining in the lamp itself. The divine mysteries secure their own protection from those who are unprepared (A.E.Waite narrative on the hermit card he called The Key Artwork made by Pamela Coleman Smith) Ask your self what is my relationship with solitude? Do you take time out for your self away from the noise of the outer world? Do you honour the guidance that comes from within? Even A.E.Waite berated his work on The Key!
The Hermit is related to Anu of Babylonian lore and An in Sumerian writings of mesopotamia. The name meant sky, heaven in their pantheon of gods and creation stories.Anu symbolized power, protection, justice and judgement. He presided over the fate of the universe and its inhabitants. Anything he put into words became a reality. An abstract concept as the supreme ‘god of heaven’ aloof and distant. This aspect of the Hermit, anchoress, that withdraws for self contemplation. Inner wisdom, hidden truth, divine inspiration, divine intervention, message, inspiration from the higher vibration or what metaphysics call higher self, god, demons and angels in religiosity, a helpful guide, the anchoress, journeying, seeking, discretion and silence.
Many tarot readers incorporate a reversal or upside down, light and dark aspect or narrative. The Hermit reversed signifies lies, misinformation, concealment, fraud,immaturity, rejection of good advice, refusal of assistance. Separation anxiety, suicide, the clinging part of the character self fear of death and endings. Fear of birth and beginnings,feeling unsafe to reveal ones self, externalizing,cooperation and sharing issues, riveted frozen afraid to step out into life, feeling like an outsider, ignoring the inner voice, disconnected from divine guidance ones. Lost sight of ones true self and goals, corruption of the psyche, difficult changes, Compromising or going against ones psychological nature, negative psychic experiences, Dealing with earthly practicalities, the material world, body issues, lost or stolen ideals. Going along to get along mentality.
The part of self untouched by life, the essence, the internal reality, core, consciousness, inborn character, the ‘real’ you. In the words of Jung: ‘As I see it the psyche is a world in which the ego (nafs in Sufi parlance) is contained. Maybe there are fishes who believe that they contain the sea’ C.G.Jung Alchemical studies. Ones undeveloped potential, talents, strengths, insights, inner qualities can be brought out from within contemplating on the Hermit card, The Anchoress. Though I walk through heaven and hell I am unaltered, the nature of the fascia itself.
More interesting reading and visual stimulation:
The golden, christos oil, Cerebral spinal fluid flow.
Zealot book by Reza Aslan
Big fish and Begonia movie.
The magic flute
The Prisoner old and new TV series.
Sherlock and Enoula Holmes mysteries
Kolbrin Bible
The Medusa post here
Cassandra syndrome post here
The merkabah post here
Stages of Alchemy posts here