THE CRONE -

THE HERMIT- Major Arcana Tarot Card No IX

TAROT IMAGE -THE HERMIT
MAJOR ARCANA TRUMP IX

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In the tarot the Hermit, is traditionally associated with wise teachers and signifies a time of turning within . The Greek root of Hermit is "eremites" meaning "desert and solitude" This Tarot card is traditionally depicted as a wise old bearded man.

In this tarot image however, taken from the Spiral Tarot deck, we see an old woman depicted - the crone aspect of the Goddess.

The crone's number is 9, (the number of the Hermit) she is associated with winter and nighttime. The Crone aspect of the Goddess represents the ultimate teacher of the deepest spiritual mysteries. The Crone was originally the Soothsayer - the conversation woman who wore hooded garments and traveled around foretelling the future, but this was then repressed and came out twisted in forms of witchcraft and sorcery

The crone is the" lamplighter" for the dream world. Initiate, seeker and hermit, the Goddess as Crone represents a stage in life in which wisdom is sought a time of introversion and spiritual seeking. The Crone is the wise old woman (the hag) who knows how to call down the power of the moon to converse with spirits and to work magical spells. She knows her way in the spiritual realms- Her lamp represents the ultimate light of truth and wisdom

The crone's function is to assist people who are no longer where they were and not yet where they hope to go. She is the Light of the Divine Feminine in the dark night of the Soul!

Strongly connected to Hekate the traditional imagery of the Hermit tarot card depicts her symbols - (Hekate was portrayed in antiquity as a torch-bearing Moon Goddess who wore a gleaming headdress of stars lighting the way into the darkness of the vast past and the depths of our inner being). The imagery of the Crone Hekate can also be frightening in her triple headed guise - which shows she can see the past, present and future or with Cerberus the triple headed hound of hell.

She was especially present at triple crossroads which were believed to be a gateway to the underworld and so Hekate could travel between the worlds - much as a Shamen does. She offers Regeneration, Vision, Magic and Healing, She is an initiate, way shower, and teacher to others .

Holding a lighted torch she directed the souls on their way to the realm of their judgment - the Aphodil Meadows, Tatarus, or the Orchards of Elysium. In the Eleusinian myths it was Hekate who after 9 days told Demeter the whereabouts of Persephone.

Hekate may inspire us with a vision, insight, or prophetic foretelling, but the way to her wisdom most often involves a descent into the underworld of our unconscious. When Hekate comes upon us, we can experience her as a plunge into darkness which can raise a lot of fears within us. This is the time of regeneration where something has to die in order to be reborn, we find the unknown a fearful place but yet it is in the deepest winter that the shoots of spring are being born. It is from the darkness of the womb that all new life springs!

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In the Spiral Tarot deck the Hermit is depicted as The Crone and as the Goddess Vesta, guardian of the flame of the domestic hearth and ceremonial fire the "One of Light".We see on her dress a symbol of the flame and she carries a lantern or torch to illuminate both the treasures and the terrors of the unconscious! She is the lamplighter - bringing light in the darkness.

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Colours Associated with the Goddess as Crone: Black, Deepest Blues and Purples

MAIDEN	MOTHER	CRONE	TAROT MAIN PAGE	INDEX (HOME)	GODDESS MAIN PAGE

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The Crone's Cauldron of Regeneration

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