This essay presumes acquaintance with the ideas presented in The Triadic Structure of the Tarot.
Whereas the moral triad is concerned with the passions of human interaction, the triad of self-mastery moves into a more private realm. The issue now is the true nature of the individual as a free agent. For, having learned the lesson of the moral triad, as personified in the figure of Justice, one comes to appreciate that true authority comes from within oneself. This realization promotes a philosophical mindset, in which one tries to view life from a distance and come to terms with it in all its subtlety.
Although originally a personification of Time, in the Tarot of Marseilles the Hermit's hourglass is very early transformed into a lantern, producing the prototypical solitary seeker of truth. He is Diogenes, taking his lantern to the streets in broad daylight, searching for an honest man. He is a Franciscan monk, committed to solitude and simplicity as a means of bringing himself closer to God. He is the lonely philosopher, the recluse, the wise old man, the wizard: Merlin, Gandalf, Obiwan. He is a learner first and foremost, ever reluctant to take action. His passivity grows from his sense of humility; he knows that his own knowledge is inadequate to the demands of taking responsible action.
For the Hermit, the search for wisdom has become life's one imperative. Aware that he has the ultimate authority for his own fate, the Hermit seeks to develop his own mind so that he can choose wisely. The task takes on a life of its own, though, and before long the Hermit pursues knowledge for its own sake. Although some may see him as aloof and disdainful of ordinary society, he is not that judgmental. His attitude, rather, is one of detachment. He has become an objective observer, witnessing the machinations of society from an outside vantage point. For him, status and security are irrelevant, and so he walks about the land with his staff and simple garment. He becomes like the Fool, but his simplicity is by choice, and it conceals a complex mental universe within.
The active counterpoint to the Hermit's philosophical detachment is the Wheel of Fortune, an image beloved by gamblers and cynics. Fortune is capricious and unpredictable. Riding the Wheel is the ultimate in active engagement with life's many twists and turns. Life is a gamble. Does luck favor the bold? As the Hermit echoes the Fool, the Wheel of Fortune echoes the Juggler. Both live in the world of the carnival, of easy-come easy-go, of making and taking advantage in the opportunity of the moment. But the Juggler is unflective, he doesn't yet see the big picture. The Wheel of Fortune is the reminder that all worldly success is transient, that the cycle of birth and death goes on without end, always coming back on itself. Progress is an illusion. This recognition of futility can lead to cynicism, a mindset perhaps superficially similar to the Hermit's detachment, but ultimately of a very different character. The cynic still identifies with the motion of the Wheel, feeling its ups and downs, and comparing its capricious gyrations against an imagined ideal of progress and reward.
Both the Hermit and the Wheel of Fortune represent humbling experiences. On the Wheel, life is cruel. The Hermit avoids those heartaches, but at the great cost of nonparticipation. How can one find a balance between the risks of disengagement and disappointment? This is the issue of the triad of self-mastery. How can one bring meaning into life? How can one find a role for oneself in an indifferent, capricious world?
The second cardinal virtue of the tarot is Fortitude or Strength, which represents bringing one's passions under the firm but gentle guidance of the higher self. She is endurance, dedication, and (as Hemmingway defined courage) grace under pressure. She is the faculty that allows the Hermit to re-enter the world. Fortitude can endure the motion of the Wheel without becoming discouraged and losing sight of her goal. She teaches us to roll with the punches, and she puts the Hermit's capacity for objectivity to practical use, by translating it into productive action. The excursion into the realm of philosophy has not been in vain, for out of it has emerged a person of stronger character, self-control, and clear purpose.
There is a sense of honor in this victory of self-mastery, just as there is in the Papess's religious approach to the demands of the physical world. Fortitude shows that the fully matured personality will not be content to drop out or allow cynicism to reign. She is pride in the face of adversity, the willingness to act in an uncertain world. She is self-empowered, which is a condition very different from the Hermit's self-containment or the Wheel's wild activity. In fact, she is the pinnacle of individual human perfection, the culmination of the learning process that began with the Juggler trying to improve his own condition in the world. The journey has taken us through the wrungs of society's ladder and beyond, into the world of self-creation and self-recognition. Fortitude is at the exact center of the tarot. What lies ahead? What can be higher than a completed self-empowered human personality? The answer will take us into the realm of the transpersonal, cosmic principles that are not limited to the individual psyche, but instead operate on a higher level.
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Copyright © 1999 Tom Tadfor Little