I remember years ago, being told that the Hermit #9 or 3 x 3 related to the Empress and that her energy was seen through the lantern or in this case Lancelot's torch.
Nine also is a higher octave of 2, the High Priestess, a lunar number so the Hermit = the intellectual teachings and deep instincts of the High Priestess. To find her we have to use our bare hands to slice through our own barriers and vines .. then we can dig down in the moist earth and into the hidden recesses of our own bodies.
The High Priestess is our innermost essence and we hunger for her healing medicine. Her blackness is cool like the snow in this card, where we can immerse our overly-sensitive and feverish nervous system and allow it to rest. It's here we can allow her energy to silence the mind so the body can let go of the heaviness of its own weight and to let the heart soften so the soul finds its rightful place. The High Priestess is the one that teaches us to let go of control and let our small separate selves dissolve in her vastness. She is the one who sets the lover's soul free to soar.
Lancelot reminds me of very good friend of mine who like Lancelot, was very spiritually inclined and was jerked around by others because of his acute sensitivity... this sensitivity made him look at things one-sided instead of using both the left and right brain. He had an abusive father and was bullied and teased most of his young life. He also suffered from digestive problems and several food allergies. There were times he felt extremely sorry for himself and turned to alcohol, drugs and other things to escape his life.
We were in our early 20's when we joined a crowd of thousands for the towns yearly Midnight Madness. A metaphysical center close to where we were, was offering psychic readings and healings through the night. Mike and I agreed to have our readings done together and it's a night we'll never forget. Mike was told he was extremely psychically sensitive and sensor sensitive (5 senses) as well. Because of this sensitivity he suffered more than most of failing under pressure and not enjoying what he was supposed to be doing. He was told the best way to get to know himself was by getting to know his bodily strengths and weaknesses. (some people have a greater awareness of what's unconscious so the doorway between is not locked but swings a bit and you get glimpses when it does) But for some of us if we deny or repress our subconscous and don't meet this doorway halfway, it can threaten to flood us. You can't get rid of the unconscious mind!
A psychic individual (like Mike and Lancelot) is a quiet subtle person, rather than one looking for attention. I remember Mike saying that he didn't know whether the perceptions he felt (about how to live his life) were coming from his ego or from his intuition, so he didn't know whether to follow them or not. Historically, I know nothing of Lancelot's life as a child or of growing up. But what I've read about him here and other places, he was a gentle giant with a strong sense of loyalty, desire and passion to sacrifice his needs to fulfill the needs of others. When Lancelot was able to show his potential, he awed everyone around him. But his past always seemed to creep out of nowhere and alienate him from those he most wanted to serve.
Mike discovered he needed to delve inward and learn and analyze his own behavior. Just like Lancelot, he had to strip himself of everything from the outside world to discover his inner advisor. He was told once he knew what it was he wanted to do, other areas of his life would automatically balance itself out. He went to university and studied engineering but it wasn't what he wanted. It didn't take long for Mike to realize he wanted to work in the healing profession. He became a chiropractor and spiritual advisor learning Reiki and other modes of healing.
Real life Hermits often withdraw from society living in woods, deserts, mountaintops and caves. For those of us who can't escape this world, the Hermit means a psychological withdrawal and paying more attention to ourselves or some spiritual purpose.
This card and its connection to the High Priestess also brings us more vivid dreams and unusual states of awareness.