A Hermit and a Fool: What Personal Myths, Astrology, & Tarot Helped Me Discover About My Dual Nature
Today, I am driving to Portland, OR, to attend the Northwest Tarot Symposium.
I have no idea what to expect from this conference, but it will be an adventure.
I met a new friend at the IASD Annual Conference in Ashland, OR, last month, and she told me she was going to be a presenter at this tarot conference.
I had been thinking I would like to do something new and exciting each month, so why not go?
I got a ticket, booked my hotel room, and here I go!
You see, one of my core personal myths is that I am very much like the character of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
What do I mean?
Well, like Bilbo, I love my comfortable hobbit hole.
I love to stay inside and relax.
I like to eat.
I like to step outside and lie out on the deck to get some sun (or probably smoke some Old Toby from the Shire, if I had any).
This part of me likes to get up early, make a nice hot cup of coffee, and let the relaxing and chilling begin.
I’ll search for some interesting stuff on the internet.
I might read a chapter of a book.
Eventually, I’ll talk myself into going out for one of my strolls.
I take in the beauty of the place I live.
Peaceful.
Easy.
Quiet.
Not bothered by going on nasty adventures.
But when do I really come alive?
When I get dragged—or kick myself in my Bilbo butt—to get out there and explore the world.
Just like Bilbo, I have a very dual nature.
And I am like Aragorn that way, too.
I am happy to sit in the shadows near the fire, sipping a pint, taking it all in at the Prancing Pony.
Oh, I have a depth to me that others may not recognize because I am on the outskirts, not one of the townspeople, shabby and strange to the innkeeper.
But like Aragorn, I have always, from the time I was very young, felt there is a part of me that represents a noble destiny.
And like Aragorn, my mission in life is to eventually fulfill that destiny when the time is right.
And by doing so, I will be rewarded by being united with my beloved.
Look, I’m not saying I will be king.
I’m just playing around with the idea in a fun way.
Sort of like Mel Brooks saying, “It’s good to be the king.”
I have decided that It’s good to have it as a personal myth.
In a previous article (“Becoming Your Truest Self: A Short Introduction to Personal Myths”), I shared how this dual nature has shown up through the study of my dreams, active imagination, and personal myths.
There is a very strong tendency toward a dual character.
One is my Gallant.
The other is my Goofus.
One is the Trickster.
One is the Wise Old Wizard.
I am both.
There is a costume party at the conference on Saturday night.
We were asked to come dressed as a past life.
I decided to go again as a Trickster Traveling Troubadour, like I did at IASD.
First, I’ve got a lot going on and didn’t want to spend the time coming up with another costume.
Second, I think it fits.
I’m sure that, at some point, I was some other kind of Trickster character, too.
But that isn’t something I’ve really dived into.
It did get me thinking, though.
What tarot card is most associated with the Trickster archetype?
I did a Google search.
It said there are two: The Magician and The Fool.
The search also stated that both cards are ruled by the planet Mercury.
Say what?
I didn’t know tarot and astrology were linked.
Well… I guess I kind of did, because all these mystical systems seem to connect in one way or another.
But honestly, I had never really thought about it.
Okay…
I’m a Gemini Rising.
That means Mercury is the ruling planet of my astrological chart.
So I searched again, asking which tarot card is most associated with the Wise Old Wizard archetype that keeps showing up in my dreams and active imagination alongside the Trickster.
Two cards came up: The Hermit, ruled by Mercury, and The Hierophant, ruled by Venus.
Oh…
Very interesting.
You see, my Sun sign is Taurus, and both my Sun and Mercury are in the 12th House—the house of the hidden, the unconscious, and the mysterious.
In fact, I have a large stellium there.
Jupiter and Mars are also in my 12th House.
Bingo.
From a symbolic perspective—and from my lived experience—that explains a lot.
The dual nature I perceive living out through my mythic narratives of Bilbo and Aragorn is also present in my dreams and active imagination.
And it is reflected symbolically through both my astrological chart and these tarot Cards.
The Fool represents my Trickster archetype through my Gemini Rising, ruled by Mercury.
The Hermit reflects my 12th House Mercury.
They are Often at odds with one another.
I will go on an adventure…
…after my second or third breakfast.
I will sit patiently in the shadows…
…until the moment is just right to help a bunch of wayward Hobbits complete their quest.
Yes.
It explains a lot.
I find it fascinating.
And I can’t wait to learn more at the conference.