The Vision
The variation from the conventional models in this card is only that the lamp is not enveloped partially in the mantle of its bearer, who blends the idea of the Ancient of Days with the Light of the World. It is a star which shines in the lantern. I have said that this is a card of attainment, and to extend this conception the figure is seen holding up his beacon on an eminence. Therefore the Hermit is not, as Court de Gebelin explained, a wise man in search of truth and justice; nor is he, as a later explanation proposes, an especial example of experience. His beacon intimates that "where I am, you also may be."
It is further a card which is understood quite incorrectly when it is connected with the idea of occult isolation, as the protection of personal magnetism against admixture. This is one of the frivolous renderings which we owe to Eliphas Levi. It has been adopted by the French Order of Martinism and some of us have heard a great deal of the Silent and Unknown Philosophy enveloped by his mantle from the knowledge of the profane. In true Martinism, the significance of the their Philosophe inconnu was of another order. It did not refer to the intended concealment of the Instituted Mysteries, much less of their substitutes, but--like the card itself--to truth that the Divine Mysteries secure their own protection from those who are unprepared.--A.E. Waite
The hermit is a familiar figure in history and literature. Typically he is a crusty, bearded character who has withdrawn from the company of men to live a life of seclusion and hardship. Card 9 supports this understanding. The Hermit represents the desire to turn away from the "getting and spending" of society to focus on the inner world. He seeks answers within and knows that they will come only with quiet and solitude.
There comes a point in life when we begin to question the obvious. We sense that there is a deeper reality and begin to search for it. This is mainly a solitary quest because the answers do not lie in the external world, but in ourselves. The hermit on Card 9 reminds us of Diogenes, the Greek ascetic who is said to have gone out with a lantern in hand to "search for an honest man." This is a symbol of the search for Truth which the Hermit hopes to uncover by stripping away all that is unnecessary.
In readings, the Hermit often suggests a need for time alone - a period of reflection when distractions are limited. In times of action and high energy, he stands for the still center that must be created for balance. He also can imply that withdrawal or retreat is advised for the moment. In addition, the Hermit can represent seeking of all kinds, especially for deeper understanding or the truth of a situation. "Seek, and ye shall find," we have been told, and so the Hermit stands for guidance as well. We can receive help from wise teachers, and, in turn, help others as we progress.--Joan Bunning
Here we have, in the hand of the Hermit, the Lamp or Sacred
Wisdom. It contains the Sun which is hidden beneath the surrounding
darkness to fructify the earth. The Hermit is looking at the Egg
(Universe) which is surrounded by the snake, a symbol of life. The
hounds of hell endeavor to snatch the sacred light and the little
Homunculus. The wheat is in the masonic tradition.--Frieda Harris
He is cloaked in esoteric secrecy, yet he holds forth the Light of Perfect Knowledge to illuminate others. He is willing to share his wisdom, but the seeker must go to him. . . . He has rejected the trappings of the material plane. He has only his cloak for protection, a lantern to light the way and his walking stick for comfort. His long white beard makes him the archetypal "old wise man" who holds the knowledge only time and experience can deliver. He is the person who continues the solitary search for truth. . . . His knowledge is incomprehensible to most, so he is content to share the physical plane with man, but he is always a step apart.--Susan Hansson
...Waite makes the Hermit a light unto himself. Such a star of light, so placed, signifies the aspiration of the material plane for the spiritual, and the descent of the spiritual to the material.
Key 9... The water and fire trines are present in the star of the lantern, where they symbolize soul and spirit, Moon and Sun, the Moon ruling the watery sign Cancer and the Sun the fiery Leo.
"But this is a card of attainment . . . rather than a card of quest." [Waite] The hermit is not seeking; he has arrived. The Hermit, whose name stands for the hermetic path and not the way of the monastery. According to dream symbology, particularly that of the Jungian approach, the Wise Old Man represents the Self because his wisdom transcends all knowledge. This image of the Self parallels that of the concept of god as "Ancient of Day," the One who proceeds all temporal beginnings.
As Cirlot tells us, "Within the symbolism of garments, the cloak is, on the one hand, the sign of superior dignity, and on the other, of a veil cutting off a person from the world.--Richard Roberts
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The Vision
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http://www.moonchild.ch/Tarot/major/Hermit/09Voice.html
