Sage Leaves: The Hermit and the Heroine's Journey
Healing Ancestral Wounds Through Tarot
In This Week’s Sage Leaves
Welcome to this week’s Sage Leaves, arriving in the full shimmer of high summer. As we move through this sunlit season with the weekly Tarotscope, we also begin a new cycle guided by The Hermit—that quiet seeker who walks alone not to escape the world, but to listen more deeply to its truth. In the Heroine’s Journey, The Hermit appears when solitude becomes sanctuary, and when wisdom is drawn from the still places within.
This week, let that same wisdom guide your physical care. Hydrate before thirst calls your name. Dehydration doesn’t always announce itself—it lingers in fatigue, mood swings, dizziness, and scattered thoughts, especially for those navigating chronic conditions or heightened sensitivity. Spiritual clarity depends on embodied presence. As The Hermit teaches, tending the vessel is part of the path. Let the insights of this week nourish both body and soul as you walk more intentionally through this season of light.
Midsummer Herbal Iced Tea: "Summer Shade" Blend
Ingredients (makes 1 quart):
1 tbsp dried hibiscus petals (cooling, rich in vitamin C)
1 tbsp dried lemon balm (calming to the nerves and digestive system)
1 tbsp dried nettle leaf (mineral-rich and gently energizing)
1 tsp dried spearmint (refreshing and uplifting)
1 tsp dried rose petals (soothing to the heart and gently astringent)
Optional: a sprig of lavender or spearmint for garnish
Instructions:
In a quart mason jar or heat-safe container, add all herbs.
Pour 4 cups of just-boiled water over the blend.
Cover and steep for 30–45 minutes, or until richly colored and fragrant.
Strain, then chill in the refrigerator.
Serve over ice with your chosen garnish. Add a touch of honey or agave if desired.
Notes:
This tea supports hydration and nourishes the adrenals, while the hibiscus adds a tangy brightness that’s perfect for summer. The rose and mint bring a touch of joy and cool elegance, making this not only medicinal but a beautiful ritual of self-care. If you are not in a situation where you can grow your own herbs, purchase from a quality retailer such as Mountain Rose Herbs, From Nature With Love, or The Bulk Apothecary.
The Role of The Hermit in the Heroine’s Journey
In the Heroine’s Journey, The Hermit stands as a quiet but powerful figure. This card does not shout for attention. Instead, it asks you to turn inward and listen to the voice that has been trying to speak through the noise. The Hermit represents solitude, reflection, and the search for inner wisdom. For the Heroine, it marks a turning point where she must leave behind external validation and walk into the unknown, guided only by her inner light.
The Heroine’s Journey is different from the more well-known Hero’s Journey. While the Hero often battles enemies in the outer world, the Heroine must first face her own doubts and wounds. She begins by disconnecting from a world that has often silenced her or shaped her identity for its own comfort. She may feel lost, tired, or unsure. This is when The Hermit appears. Not to give her answers, but to give her space to find her own.
The Hermit doesn’t come with a map. Instead, he carries a lantern, lighting only a few steps ahead. That’s all the Heroine needs. This card tells her that wisdom doesn’t arrive all at once. It comes slowly, as she walks in silence and begins to hear the truths within her. She learns to trust her own insight more than the voices around her. This is one of the most sacred tasks in the journey toward wholeness.
When The Hermit shows up in a reading for someone on the Heroine’s Journey, it’s often a sign that she must pull away from distractions. She may feel like retreating, journaling, or spending time in nature. These are all forms of sacred solitude. They are not about running away, but about returning to herself. The world will still be there, but The Hermit asks her to first find clarity within.
This card can also represent a mentor or wise guide. But in the Heroine’s Journey, that guide is often a part of herself she has not yet claimed. It could be her intuition, her dreams, or a quiet voice she once ignored. The Hermit helps her reconnect to these lost parts. He reminds her that the answers she seeks are not in another person’s book or belief system. They are already within her.
“The Hermit doesn’t bring answers—he brings space,
so the Heroine can remember she’s had the answers all along.”
The Hermit also shows that this part of the journey cannot be rushed. It takes time to let go of old stories. It takes courage to be alone with your thoughts. Many fear The Hermit because they fear what they’ll find in the silence. But the Heroine learns that silence is not empty. It is full of possibility. In that quiet space, her real voice can emerge.
After her time with The Hermit, the Heroine often returns to the world changed. She is less likely to be swayed by outside pressure. She makes choices from a deeper place. Her path may not look the same as others, but it feels true. That is the gift of The Hermit. He doesn’t promise comfort. He promises truth.
In the end, The Hermit’s role in the Heroine’s Journey is to remind her that she is her own compass. She can light her own way. And in doing so, she becomes not just the seeker, but the guide for others who are still walking in darkness.
Sage Leaves Weekly Tarotscope: July 15-21, 2025
As the week begins, The Devil rises on Tuesday alongside a harmonious trine between the Moon in Pisces and the Sun in Cancer. Midweek brings the bold and brash Knight of Swords charging through Wednesday under the intense conjunction of the Moon and Neptune in Aries. By Thursday, swift movement arrives with the Eight of Wands, mirroring the electric spark of the Aries Moon trining Mercury in expressive Leo.
Friday marks a shift, both celestial and symbolic. As Mercury turns retrograde in Leo, the Three of Swords emerges, signaling the potential for emotional echoes and past pain returning for resolution. The weekend begins to soften on Saturday with the appearance of the Knight of Cups, supported by the stabilizing influence of the Moon in Taurus trine action-oriented Mars in Virgo.
On Sunday, nostalgia lingers as the Six of Cups floats into view beneath the gentle influence of the Gemini Moon sextile dreamy Neptune in Aries. Finally, the week closes on Monday in a spirit of lush embodiment and creative grace, as The Empress blossoms in step with the Moon conjunct Venus in Gemini.
A Week of Reckoning and Renewal
This week begins with a provocative spark and ends in lush possibility. The Devil opens the story—enticing you to look at the ways your desires, attachments, or habits might be pulling your strings. The Empress concludes it—inviting you into a space of nurture, creation, and self-sovereignty. Between those poles, you walk a path of swift thoughts, fast-moving energy, emotional reckoning, and surprising grace. Two Knights appear as agents of movement. Two Swords cut and clarify. Two Cups flow with memory and feeling. And in the middle of it all, Mercury begins its retrograde on the same day you draw the Three of Swords. You may be asked to revisit heartbreak, but not to relive it.
Tuesday – The Devil
As the Moon in Pisces forms a harmonious trine to the Sun in Cancer, you may feel dreamy, soft, or even sentimental. Yet The Devil confronts you with a much starker question: what are you chained to? Are you indulging in distractions to avoid discomfort? This card isn't about damnation—it’s about awareness. On Tuesday, you're asked to look clearly at what seduces or entraps you. That might be a relationship, a habit, a belief, or even your own perfectionism. Pisces’ sensitivity and Cancer’s emotional intelligence can help you feel what needs to change, but first, you must be willing to see it.
Wednesday – Knight of Swords
The Moon conjunct Neptune in Aries gives Wednesday a fiery, surreal quality. It’s easy to leap without looking. The Knight of Swords matches this energy perfectly—he is bold, brilliant, and often too quick for his own good. You may feel a sudden need to speak your truth or defend an idea. But be careful. Neptune can cloud judgment, and Aries can push you to act before you think. Use your voice, but temper it with reflection. The Knight of Swords can be heroic when guided by clarity. Don’t let illusion control the reins.
Thursday – Eight of Wands
The pace picks up dramatically. With the Moon in Aries trining Mercury in Leo, thoughts and communications race forward. The Eight of Wands is a card of momentum. On Thursday, you may receive news, clarity, or an opportunity that arrives fast and unexpectedly. This is an excellent day for writing, launching, messaging, or making travel plans. Just be mindful—Mercury is slowing down in preparation for Friday’s retrograde, so any plans you make now may need review or revision later. Still, the energy is clean and direct. Ride the wave while you can.
Friday – Three of Swords
Here it is. Mercury turns retrograde in Leo, and the Three of Swords makes its painful appearance. This card is never subtle. It shows up when something breaks, stings, or opens an old wound. With Mercury turning backward, the past may come knocking—particularly the romantic kind. Old lovers, unresolved conversations, or painful memories could surface. While your instinct may be to respond or reengage, pause. Ask yourself if healing is truly possible, or if you’re simply being tested. The Three of Swords doesn’t ask you to dwell in sorrow, but to let the truth of the pain pass cleanly through.
Saturday – Knight of Cups
After the storm comes softness. The Moon in Taurus trines Mars in Virgo, grounding your emotions while keeping you motivated. The Knight of Cups arrives gently, like a balm for the soul. On Saturday, you may feel a strong desire to connect more deeply—with someone else or with your own heart. This is a day for art, music, poetry, and emotional expression. Let the Knight offer comfort without attaching strings. Especially if Friday reopened old wounds, Saturday reminds you that tenderness is not weakness. It is the beginning of repair.
Sunday – Six of Cups
Nostalgia reigns as the Moon in Gemini sextiles Neptune in Aries. The Six of Cups encourages you to look back—but sweetly, not with sorrow. Childhood memories, long-lost friends, and innocent joys may return to you. Let them. Let yourself feel the richness of where you’ve come from. But resist the urge to recreate the past. This card is about remembering what shaped you, not staying stuck in it. Sunday may also bring synchronicities or small gestures of kindness that open your heart again.
Monday – The Empress
The week ends in full bloom. With the Moon conjunct Venus in Gemini, and The Empress presiding, you are invited into a space of creative, sensual, and emotional abundance. After a week of reckoning, speed, grief, and reflection, Monday offers the gift of embodiment. This is a day to create something tangible, to rest deeply, or to share love and beauty in whatever way feels true to you. The Empress doesn’t just nurture—she grows. You are no longer bound by The Devil’s chains. You’ve earned this softness.
Themes and Reflections
Two major arcana appear this week, and they are placed at the beginning and end. The Devil opens the gates of self-examination, asking you to confront the ways you may be giving your power away. The Empress closes the cycle by showing you what it feels like to reclaim that power, not through domination, but through self-love, creativity, and connection. You start in shadow and end in light.
The presence of two Knights—the Knight of Swords and the Knight of Cups—signals movement in both mind and heart. One asks you to speak boldly. The other reminds you to feel gently. Together, they encourage a balanced journey through the week’s ups and downs.
Two Swords cut through illusion. Two Cups stir memory and comfort. These pairings highlight the polarity of emotion and intellect, pain and healing, separation and reunion.
The most pivotal moment comes Friday, when Mercury stations retrograde and the Three of Swords appears. That combination should not be ignored. It suggests that someone or something from your past could try to return—but that reunion may only reopen wounds. The appearance of the Knight of Cups on Saturday suggests it’s better to let that door stay closed, while still allowing yourself to feel what needs to be felt. You don’t have to walk backward to honor where you’ve been.
This is a week of transformation. You begin tethered to old patterns, but you end in full bloom. Let it unfold. Let yourself unfold. The Empress is waiting.
As we head toward Lammas and the first golden whisper of harvest, let this be your gentle reminder to stay hydrated, wear your sunscreen, and savor the bright generosity of the summer sun. These days ask for presence—feet on the earth, skin in the breeze, breath in rhythm with the turning wheel. Until next time, may your days be rooted in stillness and lit by small revelations. May the cards speak clearly, the herbs offer comfort, and your own inner wisdom rise gently to meet you.
Take care, be well, and good-bye for now.
With warmth from the liminal in-between,
—Dr. Winkler