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Tarot
The Hermit in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, upright

The Hermit as Intentions

What The Hermit as intentions means

The Hermit as intentions suggests a possible plan to step away briefly and examine a choice in depth. The proposed action is reflection itself, with your attention directed toward what needs understanding before another commitment. Ask what question the person wants to consider and when an update would be reasonable. A thoughtful pause can be a real plan, but silence alone does not establish its purpose or outcome.

Imagine a colleague requesting time to review a complex proposal before agreeing to take responsibility for it. The request creates a review period, while the final decision remains open until they communicate an answer. Ask which information would help and explain what your own planning depends on knowing by a certain point. Their later response shows whether the pause served the decision rather than merely postponing participation.

Explore The Hermit with your own draw

Your draw can reveal any card in the deck.

Get your own yes or no answer

Explore your question in a love reading

In love

In love, this card suggests a possible intention to understand personal needs before offering a clearer relationship answer. Respect the request while asking what contact is available and when your shared question can be revisited. State a waiting limit that fits your own life instead of accepting an undefined arrangement through hope alone. A reflective plan can include care for both people's time without guaranteeing a particular emotional result.

At work

At work, The Hermit points toward a plan for research, private review, or thoughtful preparation before a decision. Ask what the review should produce and which question your contribution could help the person answer. Agree on a useful deadline so careful thought remains connected to the work other people need to do. A credible intention makes room for depth without treating every remaining uncertainty as a reason to delay.

Your next step

Ask for the question being considered rather than a detailed account of every private thought behind the pause. Explain the information you need and agree on a time to return to the topic together. Use the interval for decisions within your own control instead of monitoring every small sign of activity. The Hermit's intention gains practical meaning when reflection has a purpose and communication has a clear place afterward.

  • purposeful retreat
  • careful review
  • private planning
  • clear return point

The image behind this reading

The long staff reaches the ground as you follow its straight line beside the standing figure.[1]

Read these meanings as modern interpretations of the imagery in your 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck.

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This line sums up your reading of this card.

These meanings are modern readings of the card art.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does The Hermit mean someone plans to return to you?+
The card can suggest reflection without proving that another person intends to renew contact or a relationship. Ask whether a return has actually been discussed and what agreement exists in the present. A meaningful pause in your reading cannot supply a promise that the other person never made. Choose how long to keep plans open from your own needs and the information they have shared.
What makes a pause an intention rather than absence?+
A purposeful pause names a question and includes some understanding of how an answer will eventually be shared. Notice whether the person tells you what practical information they need or agrees to provide an update. Those actions establish a process without revealing every private thought that happens during the review. Absence alone leaves the purpose unknown, so the card should not be used to invent it.
How long should you wait for someone to decide?+
The Hermit supplies no fixed number of days, so use the actual decision to set a reasonable limit. Ask when the person expects to know more and explain the deadline affecting your own plans. If no date can be offered, decide what you can keep open without setting other commitments aside indefinitely. A personal limit respects reflection while leaving both people free to choose their next step.
Can this card help you plan a useful retreat?+
Give the retreat one question and a clear beginning and end before setting the time aside. Remove ordinary distractions long enough to notice your own response without demanding a complete answer to everything. Write the useful conclusion and identify any remaining fact that requires contact with another person. The plan works when solitude supports a later choice rather than becoming a place to keep decisions suspended.

Related Pages

Sources & References

  1. [1]Pamela Colman Smith and A. E. Waite, Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck (1909)