This is one of my favorite cards of all time. Whenever it shows up in a reading, I breathe a deep sigh of  contentment. . .  that is how deeply my need for Solitude (with a capital S) is rooted inside of me.

When I first made this card, I had no idea what she represented. I only knew that every placement of every item felt absolutely “right” to me.  Her presence only became clear to me after asking her some questions and listening carefully for her answers.

Who are you?
I am the wild feathered one who dances in the forest alone.   I am the one who is at home in the woods.  The trees are my friends.  I am the one determined to remain alone in these woods, in my home in the trees.  I find light and mystery and surprise in my alone-ness.  I find my strength and passion in solitude.  Behind the doors of my soul is where all of the answers lie, and these doors are accessed through solitude only.  My freedom comes from being alone.  I am free here in the wilderness of my Self, to dance and sing and be exactly who I am, to discover who I am, to revel in the beautiful mystery of my Soul’s expression.

What do you have to give me?
I give you a deep yearning for solitude.  I give you a wild imagination for soul-searching.  I give you freedom.

What do you want from me?
I want you to never be ashamed of your need for solitude.  It is more than a passing need, it is an integral part of who you are.

Recently, I drew this Neter in a reading and her answers to my questions deepened her meaning for me:

Who are you?
I am the one who goes behind the door where the Light is.  I am the one who stays there, alone, until I feel like myself again. I am the one wearing feathers. I am the one who is gazing intently ahead.

What do you have to say to me today?
My message for you today is this: I love moving through the French doors and sitting on the sun porch with the doors closed and windows open. I love sitting alone in that small space and being Quiet. This feeds my soul! Thank you for giving me what I need.

Questions to Ponder

Feel free to play with one or more of these questions in your journal, or respond in the comments below.

1. Did a particular phrase or sentence from my sharing hold special meaning for you? Copy just that into your journal and write about what it means for YOUR life.

2. Are you someone who craves solitude? Has this always been true for you or is this something new? Either way, consider what your own Hermit looks likes, sounds like, feels like.  Seek out some images and create a card for him or her. You might call this part of you Solitude Seeker or Monk or Anchorite or Sister Solitude… or whatever comes to mind!

3. Even if you don’t have a card for this part of you yet, ask it “Who are you?” and “What do you want?” and “How can I help you?”  Listen carefully for the answers you hear before writing.

When I first made this SoulCollage^® card, it was just the image of the woman looking out to sea.  I just loved how she was sitting there.  After I did the initial interpretation of the card (see below), I realized that she represented a part of me (Committee Suit) that is patient and calm while waiting, so I added the nautilus shell and blue spiral symbol in the bottom right corner to give it an added feeling of patience, calm, and grace.

Patience was never my strong suit, but this card has helped me get in touch with my own capacity for slowing down and letting Time do its work. It’s an excellent reminder to have in my deck about the fact that even though I don’t naturally come by the personality trait of patience, I can activate it when I need to.

Who are you? I am the one with nowhere to go and nothing to do. I am full of patience and abiding grace. I like to sit in silence and peace and let the world go on around me. I am not in a hurry. The world goes on and time goes on, and I am content to let it be. There is a stillness inside of me which passes all understanding, and when I access that, all else becomes unimportant.  I am waiting, waiting, and wanting for something to come to me over the horizon and into my view.  I am waiting, but with poise and calm and grace, and an inner knowing that it will come to me in its own time and way.  I wait for it without agitation.

What do you have to give me? I give you patience- calm, abiding patience… waiting that is without frustration or agitation or anxiety.

What do you want from me? I want you to follow my example.  Ask for this gift of patience, for it is truly a gift.  Notice the presence of patience and impatience in your life… ask for patience whenever impatience has too strong of a voice.

Additional bits of wisdom offered by this card when it has showed up over the years in daily readings:

What I say to you today is this: make a card to honor your Impatient Voice, for that is a voice which is controlling you lately.  Listen carefully to what IT is telling you. Impatience is getting in the way of getting your body back to its natural weight.  I, Patience, can help you, once you remove Impatience from his throne of power in your daily life.

 I am the one who sits by the salt water, absorbing its healing essence with my stillness and an open body. I am the one who is healed by the water.  I am the one who allows myself to be healed, who wants to be healed, who is eager to be healed by the water.

I am the one who cherishes the waiting, who knows that this is the journey as well.  You can learn so much in the times of patient waiting. You are doing the work… now be still once the work is done… be still and allow the good things to come to you.