The wise old man archetype is one that is recognized by almost everyone! Everyone has seen a variety of depictions of this archetype everywhere – be it stories, or movies, or cartoons. Today, lets talk about how this archetype is represented in the Major Arcana of the Tarot cards.

The Wise Old Man Archetype is depicted quite nicely in The Hermit card in a Tarot card deck. This is an archetype that talks about someone who is wise and knowledgeable, and in a position to advise and guide other people.

About The Wise Old Man

The Wise Old Man is often depicted as an aged person, and many a times is shown as one who is living in isolation (either deep in a forest, or on top of a mountain in a cave, etc.). The wise old man is also often shown as a kind person, and a father figure. He often uses his wisdom to guide people and can often be portrayed as someone mystical or mysterious.

Carl Jung also used the word ‘Senex’ to describe this archetype. In Ancient Rome, this was the title given to elderly men with families, who had a good standing in the village.

Many Jungianians also consider the Wise Old Man to be an aspect of the Animus, who reveals the nature of the Collective Unconscious to the Hero.

The Wise Old Man Archetype in The Hermit Card

If you see the picture of the Hermit card, you will see clearly what I have been talking about. Here, we see an old man (white hair and white beard) who wears gray colored clothes. He stands all alone in an ice covered environment. The surrounding atmosphere suggests either twilight or pre-dawn.

In one hand he holds a golden colored wand, which he might even be using as a walking stick. And in the other hand, he holds a lantern with a shining six pointed star.

His eyes are closed, suggesting that he is thinking about something, or looking inwards.

This is a man, who has gained all kinds of experiences in the world, and is spending time in isolation, thinking about it and internalizing the lessons that he has gained from those experiences.

However, he is not averse to sharing those lessons and those experiences with whoever comes and asks him. He wants to shine the light of his knowledge out into the world. That is why he stands there with the lantern.

Thus, a Wise Old Man depicted in this card fully represents all the different aspects of the archetype.

The Wise Old Woman Archetype

Just as the Wise Old Man archetype exists, so does the Wise Old Woman archetype. You won’t find that image in many typical Tarot cards, but I often don’t ascribe genders to cards in readings. Therefore, for me, the Hermit card could very well talk about the Wise Old Woman as well.

This archetype often appears as an older woman, who lives all alone and is wise with her experiences. She often needs to be coaxed to reveal the answers. Aspects of this archetype can be seen in Queens, Mothers, Grandmothers, and she is represented often in fairy tales and myths as a (good) sorceress or a witch.

We might even go on to say that some of these aspects might be found in the High Priestess card, and the Empress card as well.

Your Turn…

So what do you think? Does this make sense to you? Are there any other cards where you can find depictions of the Wise Old Man archetype and the Wise Old Woman archetype?

Please, do share your thoughts in the comments section below.