IX. The Hermit

 

Once satiated, the Fool realizes that the sensual world offers little attraction.  He finds himself asking difficult questions:  Why is there something rather than nothing?  Why does it seem as though something is missing in life?  Why is there pain and suffering?  The Fool meets the Hermit, who assists the Fool as he searches for these critical answers, considering all the details, leaving no stone unturned in his quest for understanding.  The Hermit encourages the Fool to look inwards and seek solitude; the Fool finds himself seeking the alternate path of Severity, that of the Ascetic and the Abstinent.  Through the Hermit he learns to temper his excesses and control his impulses.  Our Fool realizes there is much, much more than Ego, but does not yet comprehend the grander design.

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Index of Major Arcana

 

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