A Lunar Hermit Year
If you’re into numerology, folks say that this year is a 9 year (2025: 2+0+2+5=9). Tarot folk like myself associate this with a tarot card, in this case, the ninth Major Arcana card is The Hermit. However, I also like to bring in the second 9 - The Moon. It is the 18th Major Arcana card and also a 9 (18: 1+8=9). I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling both of these archetypes heavily so far this year.
Hermit and the Moon: bringing out the worst in each other.
Historically, tarotists ascribe the zodiac sign Virgo (an Earth sign) to The Hermit and Pisces (a Water sign) to The Moon* card.
If you pull up an astrological chart, you will see that Virgo and Pisces sit directly across from each other, in opposition. Imagine a peaceful meadow with a gentle stream running through it.
When well placed, Virgo and Pisces can balance each other out, and their differences complement each other. Poorly placed, these opposites can sow chaos. Think sudden mudslides or flash floods.
Earth and Water typically are BFFs, but it’s ugly when it’s bad. And this year does not feel harmonious in any way, shape, or form.
Let’s talk some symbology.
The Hermit archetype to signify our year felt like a bad omen to me, but you don’t have to be a tarot reader or intuitive or psychic to guess that a second TACO term wasn’t going to bring good tidings.
In tarot, 9s are the number of completion. An end to a long, hard-earned cycle. The culmination of everything you have been working toward. Some people attribute these things to 10s, but I see those more as the epilogue to the tale. Both The Hermit and The Moon want to express their experience-won wisdom. It’s just that they deeply care about such different things, and don’t always have the space to listen to each other.
The Hermit is a mentor who has overcome a journey to find inner enlightenment. They stand atop a snowy mountain, showing their long travels and determination to reach the top. The white beard represents their time spent in “study” (doesn’t have to be literal books). The staff (dare I say, Wand?) a physical manifestation of their passion. The six-pointed star (aka a sun), enlightenment. All of the visuals we see on this card point to different aspects of their Virgo nature - detail-oriented, analytical/intelligent, practical (how else would you survive an adventure like that?).
The Moon, on the other hand, gets its experience in the night, in its wildest dreams and deepest nightmares. This card is packed with esoteric symbolism. Which, off the bat, is in high contrast to the simple Hermit. The Moon is dripping with Jewish Kabbalistic imagery: the Towers, the floating yods, the number of rays around the moon itself (things we can go into another time). Not to mention all the exoteric: the pool, the creature, the dog, the wolf, the winding path, the mountains. Is The Hermit at the top of one of those looking down at this unfolding scene? This is truly one of those cards that live up to the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” It highlights creativity, intuition- just ripe with imagination (even if it’s rather dark-sided).
What this means for real life, and some politics.
Where The Hermit looks for empirical evidence, The Moon looks for ephemeral. The Hermit is stiff where The Moon is fluid. The Hermit says, “Let’s find the most efficient way to do this”, and The Moon says, “Let’s fuck around and find out.”
From my point of view, there is wisdom in both. In some situations, we should act more logically, in others, our intuition can guide us to what’s best. Sometimes it’s also compromising between the two: figure out enough and let your gut guide you the rest of the way. But, from their perspectives, it’s hard to see that middle path: the literal one and the figurative one.
Instead, this year, what we’re left with is: even if you have all the facts, present them with sources and photos, people’s eyes are closed and ears are covered. They, and let me be clear, I mean the MAGA cult, are too lost in their own fear spirals to see any reason. I have to say, because I can’t stop thinking about it, my sister told me recently that when Cheeto was first elected, my father said to her, “You know, he’s gonna release the Epstein files.” And now the Hermit is shining their lantern on it- and they cannot see the simple facts. Of course, he can’t release them because he is in them. Every moment of delay is an admission of guilt. And yet - the monsters are hissing in their ears that he… is protecting us? I honestly don’t even know what the rhetoric is right now, other than “Stop asking about the Epstein files.”
This is just one of many examples of The Hermit and The Moon unable to communicate in our time. Doesn’t matter how brightly that lantern shines if they’re not ready to see
A Quick Note on 9 Rulership and The Moon
I want to quickly touch on why The Moon feels so… negative in my interpretations here.
For me, this is because 9 is doubly Moon-y. The Moon is a 9 card, and the number 9 itself is ruled by The Moon.** And, most of the time in Tarot, the more Moon energy is stacked on a single card - it gets worse for wear. The Moon is moody, unpredictable… a bit wild. This is why even though Pisces is a wonderfully fine astrological sign, we see some of its worst aspects being highlighted here, and not as many of its more commendable traits.
More on the 9s and Politics
When looking at the larger scale of our American society, what politics, policies, and powers have been growing over the last nine years? Well, as much as it pains me to say it’s the reactionary, conservative project. As I have learned from the 5-4 Podcast, the far-right has been strategizing this since the Warren Court of the 1960s. The unprecedented successes of their schemes are glowing in true Hermit fashion. Remember, the cards are morally neutral. As much as it pains me to say that Republicans are good at something, it’s just true. They figured out how to work politics in their favor and seized their power whenever possible. They strategized and planned and kept at it. Meanwhile…
What have the Democrats been doing for the last nine years? Look no further than some of the worst aspects of that Moon energy. Dogs chasing their own tails also comes to mind, just completely in the dark and completely unwilling to hear a single thing that their base actually wants. There is no plan, no project, no goals. No organization. No leader. They have cowered and bowed down at every jab. Even if there has been some light pushback (looking at my Senator Cory Booker’s record-breaking filibuster)… all that amounted to a lot of fucking talk and absolutely no walk. When it comes time to stand up and take action and fight back, they fall asleep at the wheel (and like Cory Booker, actually vote FOR genocide and Trump’s appointees).
Both parties are reaping what they have sown, for the conservatives’ better (and ever-growing pockets) and for the absolute worst for us all.
So what are we to do?
If you’ve ever received a tarot reading from me, you know I’m not one to lay down something heavy and walk away. I’m not saying it’s all doom and gloom. Change is inevitable.
What have we got going for us this year? Well, Pluto moved into Aquarius. It’ll be there until 2043. If you want a deep dive into what Pluto does in Aquarius, check out Chris Bennan’s Astrology Podcast. In sum, it changes the game on its head. Just looking at the last time Pluto was in Aquarius, we saw: The Haitian Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution for starters. What governments will fall in the next 18 years? I can name a few I’d like to see…
This is also the United States’ Pluto Return, and yeah- as mentioned above, we used this energy to beat a tyrant out of power. I mean, after the ruling of Trump vs. The United States gave the president unmitigated immunity to perform any action in office with impunity, we now have a tyrant King primed for overthrowing. Just sayin.
And while this sounds, to put it extremely lightly, uncomfortable, all change is. All critical change has been a battle in one way, shape, or form.
Stand Up, Fight Back
I don’t have all the answers, but if I turn to The Hermit for advice here, they say to look where we’ve been successful similarly in the past. We forget that there are more of us than there are of them. When we work together and organize, we can make progress.
Look for the helpers. Find your community organizers. Protest, buycot, and be relentless. De-amazon your life. De-google your life. Support local businesses. Support local groups that are organizing in your area. Use 5 Calls to tell your reps what you think. Join the 50501 Movement. Write letters. Protest if you can. Mutual Aid, if you have the means. Raise the voices of those standing up and fighting back.
The Moon says not to let your nightmares take over your life (and we all know there is plenty of horror going on every day that it very easily could). Find joy every day. This card lives between the pillars of Severity and Mercy. Have mercy on yourself and your mental health. Take breaks when you need. Trust your intuition (and keep it balanced with The Hermit energy of being well-informed).
This year, it feels like I have lived decades, so to say that the year is more than half over is hardly encouraging. But, I’m not giving up, and I hope you’re not either.
* It is confusing, probably a bit on purpose. The Moon card corresponds to the zodiac sign Pisces, while The High Priestess card is associated with the actual Moon (luminary body).
** Now, Qabalists ascribe the number 9 to be ruled by the Moon. This more or less has to do with Kabbalah, but I am still very much on the beginning of my own Kabbalah journey as a Jewitch, so I honestly don’t know yet if this actually stems from Jewish Kabbalah or if this correspondence is straight from the Hermetic (and mostly antisemitic) Qabala occultists. However, this is the system that the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn used as well as Waite and Smith when creating their deck- so I use it regardless.