One and the Same

From the Anima Mundi Tarot, the Hermit; from the Nature's Pharmacy deck, Myrrh:

The mundane and the sacred are one and the same.

~Alan Watts

This Hermit is illustrated with a common octopus, a highly intelligent invertebrate that spends much of its life alone living in the crevices of rocks and coral. With dark ink that hides its form and smell from predators and the ability to change its color and texture to blend in with its surroundings, the octopus is a fitting symbol of the hermit. Hermits were spiritual individuals who sought temporary or permanent solitude in wild places. Cutting ties with the material world, their goal was to experience life rather than accumulate things in an effort to receive wisdom and insight. Myrrh is a resin extracted from the thorny, shrubby trees of the the genus Commiphora. It's been used for centuries for a variety of sacred purposes: to embalm mummies, as a key ingredient in anointing oil, and as a special incense. Its humble appearance is a reminder that spiritual understanding can be found in the most common surroundings if we aren't intent on seeking the phenomenal.