Sun In Virgo

Sun In Virgo Tarot Hermit

Sun in Virgo corresponds to the major arcana tarot card Hermit.

A close look at the card shows the Hermit’s eyes are closed. This symbolizes introspection and seeking answers from within. The Hermit prefers resolving uncertainty through personal experience rather than society’s ideas, media, or social norms.

Julian Jaynes, in “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind,” argues that this inner voice was once seen as the voice of gods and ancestors. It was commonly listened to by our ancient forebears.

While within this inner world, the physical body of the Hermit is protected by the jackal-headed figure in the background. This entity is a fusion of the Ancient Egyptian deities Wepwawet and Anubis, the wolf and the jackal.

The Ancient Egyptian title for Wepwawet is “Opener of the Ways” and that of Anubis is “Foremost of the Westerners”.

The title “Opener of the Ways” suggests guidance and a rite of passage.

The epithet of Anubis as “Foremost of the Westerners” refers to the West as the Land of the Dead, where mortal remains rest. This suggests that Anubis is the guardian of the abandoned physical body.

Regarding an interpretation of Hermit, this is only a temporary abandonment of the physical body brought about by travelling the tunnels of the subconscious.

For my depiction of the Hermit in Tarot of the Morning Star, the focus of guidance, the Hermit’s lantern, is represented by the Ancient Egyptian symbol of life, the ankh.

The Ankh, held in the Hermit’s right hand, symbolizes life’s guidance along less-travelled paths through reason and logic. It represents the light of life’s earned experiences, enriched by voices from our dreams.

 With this statement, we are witnessing a pollination between the waking and dreaming worlds impacting the subconscious to evoke a hybrid that will be an explanation of a dilemma.

To sum up, the card is a depiction of the process of self-healing, the path of the shaman.

With these points in mind, the qualities represented by Virgo and the Hermit can be discerned.

Hermit is the Archetypal voice behind Eight, Nine, and Ten of Earth. If you are unable to determine the meaning of Eight, Nine, and Ten of Earth cards when they appear in a reading, allow your mind to flow back upon the image of the Hermit for elucidation.

Answers provided by the Hermit will be understood through the personality type Knight of Earth for Eight and Nine of Earth and personality type Queen of Air for the Ten of Earth. See the diagram Tarot Wheel for an illustration on the interrelationship between the three levels of the tarot, Major Arcana, Court Cards and Minor Arcana.

Tarot of the Morning Star Deck available from Amazon 

Tarot of the Morning Star Book reprinted