We are fast approaching the threshold to a new calendar year. Can you feel all that anticipation in the air? It’s the collective anticipation of a communally sanctioned refresh. An opportunity to release the ballast of the past and setting course for new waters of experience.
It’s interesting to me that this seafaring metaphor came through during the writing of this post. Mostly because there’s a natural correlation with this coming year’s tarot theme—The Hermit—with seafaring lore. The Hermit is very aptly represented by the isolated sod stranded on a deserted island. But we’ll get into this more as the post unfolds.
What makes 2025 the year of The Hermit? Excellent question!
In certain schools of Numerology, each year can be broken down to a single digit by adding up the individual numbers in the year. For example: For 2025, you’d add each number (2 + 0 + 2 + 5) to get a total number. In this case the sum is 9. That makes 2025 a 9 year. (If this number happened to be a double digit number, you’d add those two together to get a single digit. Next year will be a 1 year.)
The numbers 1-9 represent stages of development in the human experience. Each number encompasses a particular set of lessons being explored on both the collective and individual levels. Or, that’s the idea, anyway. And, in my experience, when I’ve tracked these energies during different years in my life, it is pretty impressively on point.
A 9 year is the last stage in the current cycle of development. It’s a period of culminations and integration.
And this certainly makes sense to me. The past decade has been a hugely transformative and disruptive period, and I am more than ready for a moment to let it all sink in and process. How about you?
The Hermit is the 9th card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. (This is why I say 2025 is the year of The Hermit.) And this makes total sense! The Hermit is the energy of taking a pause to allow for integration. The Hermit asks you to give yourself a little space, a little quiet, where you can sit in silent contemplation engaging with all you’ve learned on the road thus far. It’s a time to unburden, rest and reassess.
And it’s by taking this moment—away from all the distractions and obligations constantly demanding your attention—that you are able to find the clarity you need to set back out again. It’s like stopping to check your map. Are you still on course? Does your original destination still feel aligned, or is it time to look to a new horizon? Do you want to take the most direct route, or would the longer, more scenic option offer more reward?
A 9 Year can also call forth any unlearned lessons or unfinished business. This is not always comfortable, but the gift it offers is the opportunity to finally complete these lessons and pass these tests and graduate to the next set of lessons and experiences. It allows you to close out the old stuff so you can introduce what’s next. If used well, this time can ensure that you don’t continue to be plagued by the same painful patterns that have plagued you for the last decade. And that can be a beautiful thing.
How you choose to navigate this 9-year energy is a very personal choice. But there are some practices that have proved useful for me, so I’ll share them with you in the hopes that they can inspire and support you during your own process.
Regulate Your Nervous System. This is something that can be helpful at any time of any year, really, but it really comes in handy during times of transformation and transition. There are a number of ways to do this, but one simple way is to give yourself a moment to close your eyes, place one hand on your heart and one on your belly, and take 5 intentional breaths. To make it even more effective, inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 6-8. Elongating the exhalation can be very grounding, anchoring you into your body and helping to get you out of the monkey mind anxiety trap.
Meditate. This can be as formal or informal as you like. But setting aside some time to be alone, quiet and still can be hugely helpful when processing transformative experiences. Make sure you’re someplace where you won’t be disturbed by the outside world. And give yourself whatever time feels comfortable for you. If the thought of sitting quietly with your own thoughts for more than 2 minutes fills you with anxiety, then only sit for 2 minutes. Or start with one, and see what happens. The more you do it, the more comfortable it’s likely to become. Like anything else, it can take practice to become familiar. Consistency is more important than the length of your sessions … especially if you’re new to this kind of thing. The point of sitting quietly with yourself is to invite a dialogue with your inner wisdom. It’s a chance to explore your thoughts and feelings, which are the guideposts that inform you of how aligned you are with your Soul Self, and can give clues as to how to course-correct if that’s necessary.
Move Your Body. When your body is sedentary, your energy becomes stagnant. When your energy is stagnant, your growth becomes stunted. When your growth is stunted, your ability to joyfully engage in life is diminished. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but moving your body regularly can help you to keep your energy dynamic and flowing, which, in turn, makes it much easier to release what needs releasing and receive what’s ready to be received.
Call On The Divine For Support. Everyone has a relationship with The Divine. Call it God, The Universe, Allah, Science, Nature, Self, or Something Else, it’s all the same energetically. And during times of transformation and transition it can be really helpful to call on Divine support and guidance. There are a million ways to do this. Choose what feels right to you. You might sit in prayer. You might go to church, synagogue or mosque or another house of worship and communion. You might sit in Nature. You might consult the tarot, astrology charts, Human Design charts, your dreams, or other divinatory tool. Choose your own adventure, but be open to the wisdom you receive, and use it accordingly.
Pay Attention. In this day and age, it can be challenging to pay attention. With so much technology geared toward capturing our attention, distracting us at every turn, it is sometimes an act of true will power and commitment to consciously be aware of the world around and within you. Make the effort. Especially now. It will serve you well, giving you more data (and/or more clarity of the data you have) to work with during all your processing.
Take Time Alone. I realize this may sound very similar to the “Meditate” suggestion, above, but it’s not exactly the same. Spending some time alone doesn’t always have to be meditative. In fact, you can do something super frivolous on your own, like go shopping or do a crossword puzzle or have dinner in a restaurant. Sometimes just removing yourself from the energies of your friends, family, coll
eagues, and peers can give your Self the opportunity to be felt/seen/heard without all those other influences at play. It’s sometimes surprising (and highly informative) what can emerge when this happens.
However you approach this Year of the Hermit, I hope you find the transformation, healing, and magick that’s waiting for you there. And if I can support you in any way, I’m just a click away! In fact, if you’d like a tarot consultation to help you navigate this time, I’m offering a 9% discount on tarot readings. Use code: HERMIT2025 to book your discounted reading through the end of January.
Bon courage, blissmaker! xoxo 💋
N.B. You also have your own individual year number related to your birthday. This is not always the same as the current year number. Just note that this doesn’t negate the energetics of the year number, it just adds another layer to your individual experience.
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