The Hermit Yes or No: No, Not Now, Step Back First

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Hermit is a no that means not now. Here is how I read it for yes or no questions, upright and reversed, and why the no is about timing rather than the thing itself.

If you want the short answer, the Hermit is a no. In a yes or no draw the upright card says this is a time to step back rather than push for an immediate result. It is one of the gentler noes in the deck: not a refusal of the thing, but a refusal of the hurry.

This is a card of no as withdrawal. The lantern is lit. The figure is alone on the peak on purpose.

Is the Hermit a yes or a no?

Upright, I read the Hermit as a no. Reversed, I read it as unclear, neither a clean yes nor a clean no. Those are the same directions my free yes or no tarot draw uses, so if you drew the card there, this page explains the answer it gave you.

Tina Gong's the Hermit guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with introspection, solitude, inner guidance and a search for truth. Brigit Esselmont's yes or no tarot overview at Biddy Tarot notes that readers assign yes and no values differently, which is true, and it is why I state mine rather than pretend there is one correct table.

Why the upright card reads this way

I read the Hermit as no because the card is about turning away from action toward reflection: the mountain, the solitude, the lamp held up to see by. When a question wants a go-ahead, the Hermit says the going is not the point right now; the seeing is.

The no is often temporary. The Hermit comes down from the mountain. What he decides when he does is not settled while he is up there, and the card is honest that the answer to your question is being worked out rather than given.

The Hermit reversed as yes or no

Reversed, I read the Hermit as unclear. The reversal describes withdrawal that has become avoidance rather than useful reflection: the lantern put out, the solitude used to hide from the question rather than to answer it.

If you drew the Hermit reversed, ask whether the stepping back has gone on past the point of usefulness. The card is not giving a yes. It is saying that more withdrawal will not produce one either.

The Hermit yes or no in a love question

In a love question, the Hermit is a no to pushing: to the big conversation this week, to the declaration, to forcing a decision from someone who is still thinking. It is often a card about the other person needing space, and it is sometimes a card about you needing it. Reversed, it asks whether solitude has become a way of avoiding love altogether.

The Hermit yes or no for work and money

For work and money, the Hermit is a no to the immediate move and a yes, by implication, to research, reflection and getting advice before acting. It is a good card to draw before a big decision and a frustrating one to draw when you wanted permission to act today.

When a yes or no draw is the wrong tool

The Hermit's no is about timing and readiness. It is not a verdict on the thing you asked about, and treating it as one, especially in love, tends to end things that only needed patience. A single card answers a single, well-formed question. If the question is really three questions, or is about another person's choices, a yes or no draw will give you a confident answer to the wrong thing. My guide to a one question psychic reading explains how I handle questions that need more than one card.

What to record before drawing again

Keep three short notes: the exact question you asked, what you would need to understand better before acting, and when you will draw again. The third note matters; the Hermit's no has an end, and setting a date keeps the mountain from becoming a home.

For comparison, the Fool yes or no and the Hanged Man yes or no answer differently. The the Hermit card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Hermit as timing and the Hermit as feelings cover the two other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for your own question with the yes or no tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.