Vision Quest - IX Hermit

Soaring Eagle

Description:
The Hermit is alone on a mountain top with a fire at his feet. The smoke from the fire wraps around him before going up into the spiritual world. A bear, behind the hermit, is waiting for him to decide if he will follow or not. The full moon is in the sky, almost with an illusionary effect.

Significant Details:
The hermit is wrapped in a blanket that covers his body from the knees up to his head, partially covering his face; this shows his solitude, his need for meditation. There is a fire at his feet, and the smoke gently wraps around him showing his connection to the spiritual, before ascending up into the spiritual realm A bear, his spirit guide, is waiting behind him to see whether he will follow. The moon is full in the sky. Mountain tops, the gateways to the spirit real are seen behind the hermit, perhaps signifying the long journey he has made on his spiritual path.

My Interpretation:
It is time to contemplate your life, perhaps you need to retreat to a little to have the silence necessary to rethink your goals. After giving the situation much thought; use all practical resources to come to your decision. Pull back from your frantic round of activities, it is time for a disengaging from the stress of everyday life, don’t be drawn into illusions.
 

Soaring Eagle

So, I've been looking at this card, and at the native symbology.

I think here, the bear is waiting for the medicine man, but maybe he's also there as a protector?

Also, I've noticed how the smoke not only wraps around the medicine man, but also "snakes" around him. Does that make sense? I keep seeing a snake. If the snake is usually seen in healing rites, then maybe it's signifying the healing of the soul?

Maybe that's why the bear is there? He's protective of the medicine man, waiting for him to heal his emotional hurts?
 

divinegoddess

Numerology Reference: Fruition, Attainment, Bringing Things to a Conclusion

Keywords*: Meditation, incubation time, silence, retreat, solitude, disengaging, self-remembering, contemplation

Inner message*: An importatn break is in the offing! A break from all activities. Pay attention to your inner life. That is your path right now. Your energy wants to turn inward, not rush outside. Let it. Don’t fight your need for quietness. Intuit what you can do for yourself, what kind of relaxation or meditation helps you most. Those who truly love you, will understand and grant you the space you require. Genuine answers to your questions arise from this inner resting place, all by themselves. So give your mind a break and listen to your inner beingness.

Outward manifestation*: It’s time to disengage. Say goodbye to the hustle and bustle for awhile. Turn all your attention to the inner world. It is not selfish to take some time for yourself! Just the opposite: it is the intelligent and compassioante thing to do for everyone concerned. When you feel good, you are emanating positive, harmonious vibrations. But in order to truly feel good, you must learn to occasionally retreat from EVERYTHING and let yourself be replenished in solitude. Heed the rhythms of your life force, welcome the pauses that renew your strength. Only those who have more than enough can be generous and give it all away. The moment has come to relax so completely, that all tensions dissolve. “Once the inner lake becomes still, you can see through to the deepest Ground.”

Thoughts/Points to Ponder: Is she cold?

My Interpretation: Contemplation and inner stillness is what you need at this moment. Listen to that inner voice within. It is okay to be alone for a little bit, it is okay to be selfish and be by yourself for a little while. If you can’t go on a holiday or a weekend trip, then you might want to consider taking an hour everyday to be by yourself. “Once the inner lake becomes still, you can see through to the deepest Ground.”


*From the accompanying LWB
 

divinegoddess

So, I've been looking at this card, and at the native symbology.

I think here, the bear is waiting for the medicine man, but maybe he's also there as a protector?

Also, I've noticed how the smoke not only wraps around the medicine man, but also "snakes" around him. Does that make sense? I keep seeing a snake. If the snake is usually seen in healing rites, then maybe it's signifying the healing of the soul?

Maybe that's why the bear is there? He's protective of the medicine man, waiting for him to heal his emotional hurts?

I see the person being a female ever since I saw the image, perhaps she is the Medicine Woman. I don't know what drew me to that conclusion.

I don't see a snake/snakes being in there, no matter how hard I try.

Since the bear is in the background, I think in this case he protects the Medicine woman. I also think that he represents the freedom she seeks at this point. Having the strength to go through this journey, having the strength to deal with the painful and emotional issues we need to go through sometimes in order to heal. So the bear comes to see that she can be alone and she is protected during this very vulnerable time.

And the smoke being the representative to the spiritual realms, is connecting to the spirit realm. Your Spirit Guides are always there, but one needs to ask for their help. If she asks for their help, she will find the way to heal.

I think that the fire is also very significant here. I'm not sure of the meaning in Native American symbolism but somehow I get meditation out of it in this case. Channeling and journeying, if that makes sense. Fire also means warmth, and warmth in most cases means comfort. With the blanket wrapped around her, she's seeking for warmth and comfort to be alone, to go through what she needs to go through.
 

Soaring Eagle

I see the person being a female ever since I saw the image, perhaps she is the Medicine Woman. I don't know what drew me to that conclusion.

I don't see a snake/snakes being in there, no matter how hard I try.

Since the bear is in the background, I think in this case he protects the Medicine woman. I also think that he represents the freedom she seeks at this point. Having the strength to go through this journey, having the strength to deal with the painful and emotional issues we need to go through sometimes in order to heal. So the bear comes to see that she can be alone and she is protected during this very vulnerable time.

And the smoke being the representative to the spiritual realms, is connecting to the spirit realm. Your Spirit Guides are always there, but one needs to ask for their help. If she asks for their help, she will find the way to heal.

I think that the fire is also very significant here. I'm not sure of the meaning in Native American symbolism but somehow I get meditation out of it in this case. Channeling and journeying, if that makes sense. Fire also means warmth, and warmth in most cases means comfort. With the blanket wrapped around her, she's seeking for warmth and comfort to be alone, to go through what she needs to go through.

That is why it's always beneficiall to study with others. You see things you wouldn't normally.

Fire was also used to send messages, by way of smoke signals. The smoke could be seen for miles around.
 

divinegoddess

That is why it's always beneficiall to study with others. You see things you wouldn't normally.

Fire was also used to send messages, by way of smoke signals. The smoke could be seen for miles around.

That's why I love study groups, I get inspired by them where as normally I might quit half-way through.

Of course, how could I have forgotten that detail! Though I still stand by what I mentioned earlier about fire, it just represents the image to me. Fire means so many things to me :)
 

Soaring Eagle

It does to me also. I like images of fire, whether they be paintings, photos, etc. I am truly drawn to it. Thankfully, not in a bad way.

You need to use your feelings of the card to find what it means to you, and that's a good thing. If you get a sense of warmth, that's fine. You may later find that it means something else in another reading. I have had this card have several different meanings during readings. Some have been very different from what I put as my interpretation. It just depends on the reading at the time.
 

divinegoddess

It does to me also. I like images of fire, whether they be paintings, photos, etc. I am truly drawn to it. Thankfully, not in a bad way.

You need to use your feelings of the card to find what it means to you, and that's a good thing. If you get a sense of warmth, that's fine. You may later find that it means something else in another reading. I have had this card have several different meanings during readings. Some have been very different from what I put as my interpretation. It just depends on the reading at the time.

Whenever I stare at live fire (ie. in a fire place), I feel warmth and comfort. I get tired while watching it, that's how comfortable it means. Images of fire draw me too.

It depends not only on the reading but also on the emotion, you will be drawn to how to it should be interpreted at that moment. You will notice only the things you need for that moment. I guess for me personally, since I'm drawn to Medicine Woman (like I told you on PM), I think this relates to that when I interpreted it :).