Did you know that if you add the digits of the year together, the number we get corresponds to a tarot card that represents the undercurrent of the collective energy for the year? For this year, if we add 2+0+2+5 together, we get 9. This number corresponds to The Hermit, and at the start of this year, I wrote this post about it. But tarot is useful for more than just looking ahead. It’s also a useful tool for looking back. In particular, if you read tarot, looking at the cards in a reflective way like this can certainly be a great way to further develop your understanding of the cards.

So. Year of The Hermit. What did we expect? Well, The Hermit is a card of introspection, self-reflection, personal journeys and spending time alone. This meant that, at the beginning of the year, the expectation was a prioritisation of the self, a deeper understanding of the self and a withdrawal from ‘always available’ culture. On the less favourable side, we could expect to see loneliness and obsessive navel-gazing. You can read the full breakdown here.

And how exactly did this energy appear in our lives over the course of the year…

Last week, you may have seen my reflection on 2024 as The Year of Strength, the 8th card in the tarot. If 2024’s tarot card was Strength, this means that 2025’s tarot card is The Hermit.

The Hermit is the card of introspection, self-reflection, personal journeys and spending time alone. In essence, it is focused on our internal world, rather than the external. Personally, I have always loved this card, but it is actually one of the most divisive cards of the tarot deck. A lot of people fear this card, or at the very least, dislike seeing him in a reading, and what I have come to find is that, generally, our opinion of The Hermit seems to reflect how comfortable we are being alone with our thoughts. For some of us, spending time alone feels like peace and tranquility, to others, spending time alone feels like our own personal brand of hell.

Regardless of whether we are comfortable in The Hermit’s presence or not, I must stress that his presence is usually incredibly positive. Introspection leads to growth, it leads to enlightenment, it leads to self-love. Improving our relationship with ourselves is invaluable. At the end of the day, the only person we can count on being with us from the moment we’re born until the day we die is ourselves, so having a good relationship to self can only be a good thing.

So, what does this mean for 2025, and what can we learn this year?

Strength is a multi-faceted card, and I don’t think we can fully understand it without first looking at the imagery, because it really is the root of all of the various elements to the card. One of the things I love most about it is the fact that the term ‘Strength’ is so overtly masculine, and yet, the card itself expresses a feminine energy. We often associate the word with force, endurance and physical strength, which has very masculine associations, but the beauty of this card is that it encourages us to question that narrative. The woman in the card is clearly no match for the physical might of a lion, and yet, she is able to open the lion’s mouth.

She has not attempted to capture and dominate the lion, forcing it to open its mouth. Rather, she has befriended the lion, and he is allowing her to open his mouth. To dominate the lion is to operate from a place of fear and create a powerful enemy. To befriend the lion is to operate from a place of compassion, despite the vulnerable position it puts her in, and create a powerful friend. So, which approach is really ‘stronger’, after all?