the horoscopes at the back of seventeen magazine were my first introduction to astrology, shallow as they may have been. i learned all the buzzwords for libra, my sun sign: social, charming, manipulative, indecisive. as a teenager, i yearned for a social life that seemed just outside of my grasp in the suburbs of florida. i didn’t have the freedom that came with having a car and my friends, though i loved them, did not share my interest in experimenting with the things that were forbidden to us (the usual: drugs, alcohol, sex).
so i retreated to the internet. this worried my parents, who didn’t realize that the relationships i was forming online were just as real emotionally as the ones i had offline.
then i went to college, and i was able to party like a stereotypical libra. but being a social butterfly is only one aspect of the sign, which is represented by the scales. the girl who broke my heart when i was sixteen told me to get my roller coaster emotions under control else they destroy me, and her words rattled around in my head for many years after that.
in other words: balance, oh you libra.
something in me has shifted as i’ve aged, though. five years ago i made a return to living alone and not too long after that i experienced my first saturn return. i found myself embracing the solitude that i had always had but this time i didn’t feel lonely. i felt empowered. i was a witch in the forest, and i was content.
the hermit is one of my birth cards, so i feel a special connection to it. the card contains both retreat and community. the hermit may retreat into solitude, but she is also a guide for anyone who cares to seek her out. it’s common to see the hermit carrying a lantern, symbolizing the inner fire that she has cultivated, the wisdom that can be found but must also be shared.
darlings, remember to take time for yourselves this week. seek out what solitude can offer. share what you find with those in your community. (and thank you for listening to this hermit and receiving her little weekly lights.)
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this week’s deck: sasuraibito tarot (still in new-deck-love with it, sorry not sorry)
this week’s crystal: citrine