The Hermit and The Moon: Thoughts for the Lunar Eclipse in Pisces
As the lunar eclipse in Pisces arrives in the heart of Virgo season, on September 7 2025, we find ourselves caught between shadow and illumination. Astrologically, eclipses are thresholds: the Moon slips into darkness, and for a moment the familiar light disappears. In that obscurity we are drawn inward, asked to sit with what is hidden and to pull to the surface those truths which are currently submerged.
In the Tarot, Pisces is in fact represented by the Moon: one of the form’s most evocative and mysterious images. In the card, as drawn by Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith, a full moon shines above, omitting a dim, shifting glow, suggestive of intuition and illusion, rather than sharp, clear vision. Bearing a human face in profile, this moon furrows its brow and casts a glance away from us. Beneath it, a path winds into the distance, flanked by two towers. From a pool of water crawls a lobster, emerging from the depths of the subconscious and beginning its uncertain journey along the path. A dog and a wolf howl up at the moon. Together, this pair of canids stand at once with ease and with a tension between the known and the unknown, the tame and the wild, the conscious and the unconscious. They show that the Moon’s light awakens both sides, pulling us into a liminal space where we are asked to navigate these instincts with care.
The Moon card speaks to intuition, the subconscious, dreams, illusions, and the thin veil between reality and imagination. It reminds us that under moonlight, things are not always what they seem. Shadows distort shapes, and what we fear or desire may be magnified. This card asks us to trust our inner senses, to pay attention to what surfaces in dreams, feelings, and premonitions, even when logic cannot confirm them. It can point to confusion, uncertainty, or deception, but also to the rich world of imagination and psychic sensitivity.
The Hermit, too, who represents the sign of Virgo, is one of the Tarot’s most contemplative figures. Standing alone at the top of a mountain, cloaked in a grey robe, leaning on a staff for support, he holds a lantern within which burns a six-pointed star. The landscape around him is sparse and quiet, showing that he has withdrawn from the busy world below to seek clarity in solitude. His gaze is cast downward toward the lantern’s glow, suggesting that illumination comes not from blazing sunlight, but from the small, steady light of inner truth.
Symbolically, the Hermit represents introspection, soul-searching, and the pursuit of wisdom. He is not cut off from the world forever, but he has stepped aside for a time in order to listen more deeply to his own inner guidance. This card often appears when the querent is being called to withdraw from distraction, to take space for reflection, meditation, or study, and to find answers not through external validation, but through their own discernment.
The lunar eclipse in Pisces unfolding within Virgo season creates a dialogue between the two archetypes of the Moon and the Hermit. When these cards appear together in a reading, they create a very inward-facing, contemplative pair. Together, these cards can indicate a time when clarity will not come from the outer world, rather, the lesson is to withdraw, reflect, and learn to trust one’s inner light in the face of uncertainty. The Moon may stir up the fog of doubt, but the Hermit shows us how to walk carefully through it, one step at a time. On the shadow side, these cards together can warn of getting lost in illusions or withdrawing too much, becoming isolated or consumed by uncertainty. However, when balanced, they offer a path of deep inner truth: the Moon asks us to trust what rises from the depths, and the Hermit teaches us how to carry that truth with patience and clarity.
This lunar eclipse, surrender to the mystery, but do not get lost in it. Remember: the Moon invites us into the dream, and the Hermit ensures we return with wisdom to guide our next steps.
Love and light,
Madeleine