The Hermit has set out in search of internal fulfillment and has found the light within. He is so fulfilled by the wealth of the inner realm that the external world appears colorless and unimportant. When you repose in yourself, you have come home. There is no reason to chase after the deceptive light of that which is external and transitory.

However, the journey inward also has its difficult and troublesome aspects. You need courage, and trust in yourself, in order to embark on this journey, for before you reach the sought-for light, you are led through the apparantly danger-filled realms of your own shadow. These are represented on the card by the poisonous snake and the three-headed hell-hound, Cerberus. Two of Cerberus’ heads look forward, one looks back. His attention is directed partly toward the past in order to make sure all important details have been brought to completion. All unfinished business must be attended to before the available energies can be applied to the new. The integration of the animal in us is also a prerequisite to the emergence of a whole, total Being.