If you have not read my previous post on Year Cards, please do so here so that this makes sense.
The Year Card for 2025 is The Hermit. A brief smattering of keywords to describe The Hermit include the following:
“Upright,” meaning when you’re in tune with the positive energies of Hermit:
- Soul-searching, Solitude, Choosing the less-traveled path, Quietude, Self-discipline
- Wisdom, Guidance, Self-reflection, Analysis, Clarity
- Avatars: Spiritual Mentor, Sage, Mystic, Elder
“Reversed,” meaning out of sync (kind of like being upside down on your mortgage):
- Isolation, Austerity, Intentional hardship, Self-deprivation, Self-denial
- Anhedonia, Fasting, Celibacy, Abstinence, Severity, Cheap
- Avatars: Antisthenes, the founder of the Cynic school of philosophy, Antony the Great
Without getting into a long interpretation of the art on the card, the word Hermit is evocative enough in itself. It probably either terrifies you to be alone with yourself or delights you with possibility of peace of mind from the chaos of the world.
The challenge here is in choosing not to align only with the upright attributes. Light doesn’t exist without dark and vice versa. A little austerity never hurts to challenge our mettle and discover what we’re made of—strength comes from deep introspection.
Eventually, like the Buddha, one finds the Middle Way. The Middle Way is neither extreme in self-denial nor Bacchic in zealous joy. It does not subjugate the Self or others in any way, nor does it revel in egoistic self-importance or spiritual superiority.
It is content. It is welcoming of all sides of the conversation. In this way, Hermit uses the lantern to light the path forward.
Many of us feel downright stuck on the path right now. Hermit reminds us that tuning into our guiding light is the core of our personal and collective power.
Your Personal Power Card for 2025
Finally, for another card to add to your yearly prediction-box (if you haven’t done so already) you can use numerology based on the month and day of your birthday. Let’s take April 25 as an example:
4 + 2 + 5 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 20
20 = 2 + 0 = 2 = High Priestess
Armed with this knowledge, you can 1) look up the meaning of the High Priestess or 2) book an appointment for my take (which usually includes a bit of a twist)!
Namaste.