Retreating into the Shadows

The Hermit

Today's card, from The Medieval Cat Tarot, never feels out of place in a draw because he is so much a part of me now. People see him as a seeker of wisdom (wisdom being symbolised by the owl here) and in this version, he is returning from his retreat. In it's simplest of interpretations, the card usually comes up for me when I need to duck out of something. This has been on my mind for a week or two. My social circle have wanted to go out on the town a lot recently and too much contact and conversation can become overwhelming for me at times. That's just how I am. As much as I love my mates, I occasionally need to be in a place where I can hear myself think. I have a friend's birthday celebration to go to on Friday, but as this card suggests, after that I may very well retreat into the shadows for a bit. My boyfriend has already suggested that he would like a dry month.

My closest friend and her husband drove to see me today. I have known her since I was 4 and we are still as good friends as we ever were 35 years later. While sitting in the garden drinking our tea, she told me that they had some news - that they are expecting a baby. They have been trying for years to have a child and amongst complication and failure, they had actually signed up to adopt just before she conceived. Of course, I will not breath my sigh of relief until the baby is here with us, but I am very happy for them. It's a part of their jigsaw puzzle which has been missing for the last three or four years.

My friends and I had a lovely afternoon. They took me to the restaurant across the road, and after our meal, we sat out at a table in it's front garden and caught up. Nothing ever changes between me and my mate. She is as good of a friend to me as she has ever been and I love her husband very much too.

Today has been very hot. As I type before bed, it is still uncomfortably warm, so I have my window open wide. I don't know what my dad has done to the fountain in the garden pond, but it sounds like Niagara Falls. My boyfriend didn't come over this evening. He didn't sleep so well last night and was tired. After a full day with my friends, it was not a problem, so we talked on the phone and I read for the remainder of the evening. I am pretty tired too. I have a handful of emails I intended to reply to but decided to put them off until tomorrow.




Illustration from The Medieval Cat Tarot by Lawrence Teng