The Hermit IX in the 5-Card Spread with the Rider Waite Tarot

The Hermit as second card : Challenge / Obstacle
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

When The Hermit appears in opposition, it can signal several forms of imbalance related to isolation or withdrawal.

The consultant may be too withdrawn, cut off from the world, or locked into excessive mental reasoning, or even a form of unwanted solitude.

There may be a difficulty in asking for help, opening up to others, or breaking out of a state of withdrawal that has become burdensome.

This position can also point to a fear of intimacy or confrontation with certain inner truths, which leads to avoiding relationships or important decisions.

The Hermit in opposition sometimes signals paralysis: we wait for things to reveal themselves, we think too much, but we do not act.

This blockage can also stem from excessive caution, mental rigidity, or a need to analyse everything, which ends up stifling spontaneity.

Sometimes, the card can represent an external figure: a mentor or spiritual authority whose influence becomes confining, or a role model that we follow blindly.

The Hermit here asks us to find a balance between introspection and connection to the world. It is not about denying the richness of solitude, but about preventing it from becoming a prison or a fixed refuge. We must also be careful not to over-intellectualise the situation at the expense of lived experience.

The Hermit as third card : Advice
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

As advice, The Hermit invites you to slow down, take a step back and look within yourself to find your inner light. It is not about acting immediately, but taking time to reflect, be silent, or even retreat symbolically. This card suggests that you do not rush, do not let yourself be carried away by impulses or external pressures. It is time to listen to your wisdom, trust your deep intuition, and give yourself the space you need to see clearly.

The Hermit also recommends that you temporarily distance yourself from disruptive influences: social media, fruitless conversations, social expectations. The key here is to return to yourself. If you are in a phase of confusion or doubt, the card tells you that the answers will come, but in silence and patience.

It may also indicate that it is helpful to consult a guide, therapist, or spiritual advisor, but above all, to become your own guide.

In other words, the card urges you to seek truth not in turmoil, but in depth. It is a call for sobriety, self-awareness, and a form of wisdom embodied in everyday life.

This is not the time to demand immediate results, but to gradually illuminate your own path.

The Hermit as fourth card : Outcome
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

As a result, The Hermit announces an outcome marked by inner clarity, acquired wisdom or a form of deep alignment with oneself. The path is not necessarily spectacular or fast, but it leads to solid, lasting and peaceful knowledge.

This card may indicate that the consultant will achieve a state of inner peace, a finer understanding of their situation, or peace of mind in their choices.

It is also possible that they will embark on a more spiritual, simpler path, or decide to reorganise their life to better meet their essential needs. The result here is not necessarily manifested by a visible event, but by a powerful inner change: we know better who we are, what we want, and what we no longer want.

This card may also indicate that a project or relationship will evolve slowly but sincerely and steadily, provided that the necessary time for pause and maturation is respected.

It also emphasises that a period of solitude or withdrawal will end with a renewed sense of light and discernment. The Chariot leads to external victory, The Hermit to internal victory. The result will be sober and calm, but full of truth and meaning.