'Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.' Aristotle

April’s card of the month is the Hermit and before you dismiss this with a Greta Garbo-esque ‘I want to be alone’, consider for a moment all the ways in which this could be just what you need!

The Hermit usually depicts a lone figure holding a lantern in one hand and a staff in the other. He represents withdrawing from external distractions and seeking guidance from within. He invites us to take a step back from the rat race and social whirl, to remove distractions and retreat into solitude to do some soul searching away from the opinions or expectations of others.

The Hermit’s beard represents wisdom through experience, literally older and wiser, his lantern is inner guidance and the staff of Asclepius is the same symbol for healing as medical doctors – it’s that important! The darkness around him is the spiritual wilderness.

The inward journey that you are being invited to begin will bring spiritual learning and emotional reward. Let the lantern reveal secrets, motivations and fears. In other words, do your shadow work!

But what if you don’t have the time or money for a 3 week retreat doing yoga stretches in a mountain monastery or would like to support weekly talking therapy sessions with something you can do at home? Here’s a reminder of things you can do to slow time, turn down the volume, and…. just…. be.

Take a break from tech. Try tech free Sundays.

Turn off the notifications that are designed to pull your attention back to your phone.

Use this distraction free time to enjoy the silence. It’s easier to access your thoughts when you can hear them!

Walk in nature – look for signs of the changing seasons. What has changed since you last walked here?

Choose activities that promote ‘flow state’ where you are challenged but still enjoying. Meditate, stretch, journal, run, craft, paint, knit.

Slow. Your. Mind.

Sit with any discomfort for just a while until it fully manifests and you can see it for what it is, name the feeling and understand where it came from. Then, you are in a much stronger position to be able to let it go.

Got a decision to make? Take your time and contemplate. Get back to you. When you are not drowned out by the distracting noise of the external world you will rediscover the wellspring of wisdom that you have always had and be able to start trusting your wise inner self.