dude! (was: ((God Pi + Bad dogma) - Any pretense of reason) = Silly Graf))
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:31:57 -0600
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Actually, the choice of "TheHermit" as a 'nick' was driven for a reason having nothing to do with the conventional concept of an hermit (not even sub-consciously :-) ). While I am not into any divinatory devices for the simple reason that I don't waste time on anything that does not and cannot work, I am a collector of Tarot cards as history and as works of art. Being a collector of the cards, I am also familiar with their "meanings". "The Hermit" is quite a favourite of mine (as an image or as a descriptor). Sometime in 1996 I had lost my previous nick (on IRC), "Thanatos" which I had used since the early 80's on BBSs and on chat. I was looking for a new one, and happened to be reading a Piers Anthony novel which centered on the Tarot. Inspiraton followed and the rest is history.
Here are a collection of thoughts and quotations about 'The Tarot Hermit'. Enjoy them.
"Behold! these be grave mysteries; for there are also of my friends who be hermits. Now think not to find them in the forest or on the mountain; but in beds of purple, caressed by magnificent beasts of women with large limbs,and fire and light in their eyes, and masses of flaming hair about them; there shall ye find them." --Liber Al vel Legis, II.24
Robert Wang compares The Hermit to Moses who also carried a staff of power. Wang says that The Hermit "represents the self-sustained primal beginnings of manifestation. It is the very point of origin of our manifest Universe". Although The Hermit is typically depicted as an old man, Wang says that the Hermit is "ever virgin, pure, and totally innocent", which in fact leads to my favourite Hermit representation, where The Hermit is shown as the very sexy image of an elegant young lady (and no, I don't try to identify with that image either :-0 I simply like the picture). The Hermit's white hair and beard refer to having the necessary maturity for wisdom, but they also depict his purified nature. The Hermit can seem a sad card, or at least as a card of someone who is lonely and/or carrying a heavy burden.
The Tarot Hermit is certainly related to the hermit stereotype, but Tarot's Hermit is not as narrowly drawn, is more flexible, has a wider range of meanings. The Tarot Hermit comes closest, perhaps, to the archetype of the wise old man/uncle/traveling companion. In many tales, the questing hero runs into a mysterious wise old man who gives him either a gift or advice and who sometimes joins him on his journey as a helper or companion. The Tarot Hermit in many ways resembles this archetype.
"From the desert of Strength, Tarot takes us next to a mountain, the mountain retreat of The Hermit. The Tarot Hermit is a not a hermit in the sense that most of us assume. He is no mystic who lives alone in a cave, fasting, meditating far away from the world. In Tarot, the Hermit is a teacher and guide; he does go into seclusion, but he is not as much apart from people as the archetypal hermit who is all but totally divorced from humanity. The stereotypical hermit could almost care less about humanity. If humanity searches him out, then fine, but otherwise, leave him alone."
In Tarot Constellations, Mary Greer says of those whose whom she identifies as Hermits, "'Showing the way' is your characteristic action, and you will eventually serve as some kind of teacher or role model for others....You project your high ideals into works that will benefit everyone. It is only through such service that you as a Hermit can realize yourself fully. You cannot work successfully for self alone, but must act for the benefit of humanity".
People whom Greer feels have been living examples of the Tarot Hermit include Mohandras Gandhi, Anais Nin, Mother Jones, Kahil Gibran, Erich Fromm, and Flannery O'Connor. All of these people (and others whom she also mentions) seem to share (among other things) a sort of inner restlessness and discontent. They are eternally searching. This restlessness leads them to places where others can follow, but it makes their own inner journey sometimes hard and lonely. And although each of these persons required seclusion, few of them would be considered hermits in the stereotypical sense of the word. In Tarot, Hermits are not people who withdraw from the world; nor are they people who run from pain. In fact, many of their lives are quite full of pain, but they have prevailed, nonetheless.
The Hermit is a mystic who withdraws to study and then who rejoins the world to help/teach/lead/minister. The Hermit card is also considered the healer in Tarot, particularly the healer of inner ills.
In many ways, the Hermit, in Tarot terms, is the best of the scholar/teacher. He/she has a vision and has humanitarian motives. The Medicine Woman deck calls this card Guide, and that is a good way to look at it. The Witches' Tarot calls this card The Seeker, and that is another face that it wears. The Hermit or Guide or Seeker often has a lonely path because of the necessity of solitude for study and because of a feeling of being apart from the rest of society. Hermits are of the people, are people-lovers, but are not good at being among the people or in the people. In other words, they are frequently alone or aloof even when with a crowd. They feel somehow different or set apart.
In a Tarot reading, The Hermit can indicate a journey, either an external one or an internal one. Sometimes this card can indicate a search for a teacher or mentor. It is a card of prudence, caution, healing, a card of spiritual aspiration.
The Hermit is supposed to correspond to the astrological sign Virgo, the color yellow-green, the musical note of F natural, and the Hebrew word Yod, meaning "open hand." The hand being open is very important, for it is the outstretched open hand of healing that the Hermit offers. In the Thoth deck, the Hermit's hand is emphasized, and in some other decks, if you look closely, you can tell that the Hermit's hands are oversized for his body. The Qabalistic Intelligence of the Hermit is Intelligence of Will. Other attributes are response, union of opposites, and touch. The esoteric title for the Hermit is The Prophet of the Eternal, the Magus of the Voice of Power. On the Tree of Life, the Hermit is the 20th path between Tiphareth and Chesed.
Patricia McLaine's writes on the Hermit as Divine Spark: "The inclination to internalize a great deal of the time creates an explicit need for peace and quiet, during which time the soul tends to ponder the more serious issues and questions pertaining to life, not only on the planet but in the Universe and other dimensions as well....[The card represents] inherent ability to decipher and understand the basic and advanced elements in any area of knowledge that holds his or her keen curiosity, and can skillfully relate that information to others, denoting a soul prepared to specialize in some field of instruction or education. [The Hermit is] born to teach....[and] extremely well-organized ....the mature soul is capable of great patience and understanding in communicating any kind of information or rendering any manner of service to those in need of love or light, exhibiting kindness and gentleness in accurately pointing out errors or discrepancies in need of correction". Of course, I never confuse my personality with the card's persona :-)
Please don't take any of the above seriously or imagine for a moment that I do. On the other hand, you no know why I am "The Hermit" as opposed to a Hermit. And no, I don't live alone either, even though I am staying in the very center of the Mid-West (S.E. Iowa shudder), which counts as a cultural wilderness as far as I am concerned. But I try to get to civilization at least once a month.
TheHermit
P.S. ~kjs I really enjoyed your revelatory squid! Glad you could use my
throw-aways.
A.P.P.S. ~kjs Are you a collective like the SnowLeopard, or a single body
hosting multiple personalities like most everyone else here?
P.P.S. What I have said to SnowLeopard is absolutely serious.
U.P.S. I understand Reed perfectly, and am pretending not to, to see if I
can get the "Rational Reed" back from where ever he banished it to. I
suspect that I will like him a great deal more than the substitute he left
on the list.
P.U.S. PS = Post Script, APPS = Ante Penultimate PostScript, PPS Penultimate
Post Script, UPS Ultimate Post Script, PUS Post Ultimate Script - and again
this is just having fun.
P.U.S.S.Y. Even more fun. But not when pushed away! Meow!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-virus@lucifer.com
> [mailto:owner-virus@lucifer.com]On Behalf
> Of Zloduska
> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 3:44 AM
> To: virus@lucifer.com
> Subject: virus: Surf's up. Cowabunga, dude! (was: ((God Pi +
> Bad dogma)
> - Any pretense of reason) = Silly Graf)
>
>
> TheHermit wrote:
> >Prof. Tim
> >
> >You seem to have completely missed or greatly underestimated
> the power of
> >reason. I know exactly where SnowLeopard is coming from, and
> do not care for
> >it one itsy teeny bit. I'd have kept my mouth shut, only he sat there
> >babbling nonsense, and nobody seemed to want to reply. Which
> might just have
> >given him the impression that he was "scoring points", or
> may have lead
> >somebody else on this list who was wavering between the
> reason which is
> >espoused on the website and the insane positions espoused by
> some of the
> >"gurus" here, to believe that there was no answer for Snowleopard's
> >particular challenges or brand of phaith - or any other
> brand no matter how
> >much less poisonous, for that matter.
>
> Hmm....I took Tim's message to mean: "You and Snow Leopard
> are speaking on
> completely different wave-lengths." (Notice I didn't use the word
> "levels".) Not only that, but you and Tim are on different
> wave-lengths as
> well, and so you misunderstood him. Kick the Level Mentality
> to the curb,
> and stop reasoning who's "scoring points" like you're a
> teenage boy talking
> fanatically about a soccer game. Ever wonder *why* you're a
> self-confessed
> Hermit before? Is it because you choose to be isolated, or
> you push people
> away with your approach?
>
> trying not to speak like Reed (*chuckle*)
> ~kjs
>