After almost four years of writing articles for this newsletter, sometimes I’m not sure what to write that won’t seem redundant or unimportant. So this time, I consulted the oracles in the form of Ciro Marchetti’s Legacy of the Divine Tarot.
I pulled the first card to represent the subject of the article and turned over the major arcana card, The Hermit.
The first thing that comes to mind is the idea or state of solitude, of being alone, apart through physical, mental, emotional or spiritual distance.
Being a hermit is a long-standing practice among many cultures, starting with sacred or divine figures such as Jesus (his days in the desert), Buddha (under the Bodhi tree), and shamans on spiritual or vision quests. There are hermitages in many places of the world, some in huts or buildings and many older ones in caves or the woods.
According to Rachel Pollack in her book, Tarot Wisdom, “The Heirophant directs the learning that we all can find in doctrines, books, ceremonies. The Hermit reveals mysteries that we must experience directly.” And the Hermit, when it appears, can represent either the teacher/mentor or you as a seeker on the path to self-discovery.
And with that self-discovery comes the ability to illuminate that path for others. What does this mean to you as a creative? 
Well, I pulled three more cards to illuminate the Hermit for us.
Judgement. With time in solitude for reflection, for seeking self-awareness comes a deeper understanding of purpose, creative and life, and with that clarity, comes an ability to call forth that same awareness from others. Awakening to your creative gifts gives you the ability to be a role model for others and to light their paths.
2 of Cups. Here you see two hands holding Cups, reflections of a man in one and a woman in the other. The sign of Venus glows behind them, below them we see Cancer the Crab holding the heart pendants of the pearl chains 
on each wrist. The message as related to the Hermit is that self-awareness brings self-love, not the ego-centered kind, but the kind that acknowledges both short-comings AND gifts. And that the integration and acceptance of both plus the integration of the active and receptive selves, brings forth a new partnership within the self, and a new opportunity to bring those creative gifts into the world. Here is a visual toast to that integrated, creative self.
The Star. Who does not love seeing the star-spangled blanket of the night sky? And who does not, as a creative, want to be the star? But it is hard to shine in life and in your creative work if you are not truly awake and aware to your particular light. After seeking and searching in the silence and solitude of the Hermit, then with new 
awareness and self-love can you truly shine in all your creative glory and inspire and light the path for others.
My recent retreat participants repeatedly mentioned the value of the retreat’s Muse Time, free time to write, create, nap, explore or daydream, that they had each day. They acknowledged the difference it made in their abilities to integrate what they had discovered through the group time, and to gain clarity on their creative projects.
It becomes increasingly difficult to hear the voice of the Muse in the midst of ever-present cell phones, television, and the internet, not to mention work and family.
But time alone, the solitude and seeking of the Hermit, is as necessary as water to the hermit in the desert.
Without it, will you create with vision and purpose? Will you accept your gifts as imperfect as they may be.
Will your light shine its brightest?