To understand what attainment really is, we need to distinguish it from accomplishments. We accomplish something in the external world, like climbing a mountain. Attainments are internal, like the attainment of wisdom, understanding, or empathy.
The white-haired man in the picture has reached some peak of attainment. He’s a Picasso or Hemingway or Bobby Fischer. He climbed that mountain by acquiring wisdom, practicing skills, and using the power of suggestion constructively.
He knows the hardship of pursuing attainment firsthand, which makes him an empathic fellow. He holds up the light of wisdom to guide other people up the mountain of attainment. Those who have attained feel the urge to give back.
The respective power of consciousness is union. To understand what a union really is, we need to distinguish it from syntheses. A synthesis combines things to form a connected whole. A water molecule is the synthesis of one hydrogen and two oxygen atoms. When we split a water molecule, the hydrogen and oxygen atoms will reappear.
Energy and vibes unite. So does consciousness. You know the latter as gnosis, which is knowledge by union. Gnosis occurs when our consciousness unites with an object of contemplation. It is not possible to reverse gnosis.
The gray garment of the wise man in the picture symbolizes union. Mix two complementary colors, and you get gray. Gray is also the color of wisdom (the 2’s).
Two important types of union are the union of the above and below and the union of two opposites. Both are great mysteries. The picture indicates the union of the below (personality) with the above (wisdom). You may know this as the divine touch. The sense of touch is an important attribute of this card.
Gnosis is a higher form of knowing than intellectual knowledge. We get to know things intellectually by distinguishing their polar expressions. For instance, we distinguish between hot and cold. But in reality, hot and cold don’t exist, only a seamless spectrum of temperature. Intellectual knowledge pixelates.
The principle of polarity is one of the seven Hermetic principles. The Kybalion described it as follows: Everything is dual. Everything has poles. Everything has its pair of opposites. Like and unlike are the same. Opposites are identical in nature but different in degree. Extremes meet. All truths are but half-truths. All paradoxes may be reconciled.
Intellectual knowledge can recognize dualisms, but it can’t penetrate their mysteries. Only gnosis can. Here are a couple of mysteries for you: we all know that hot and cold belong to temperature, but what expresses through life and death? What produces the opposites of good and bad? And what can manifest as beauty and ugliness?
Accordingly, people who have gone through enough good and bad times realize that there are no good and bad times, only times. Those who have heard enough good and bad news realize that there is no good and bad news, only news. Those who have succeeded and failed enough times realize that the only failure is the failure to try.
Intellectual knowledge produces the sense of separation. The sense of separation is the sense that we are on our own and that people, nature, and the universe are working against us. The sense of separation is an illusion. Souls are siblings, and mankind is a grand family. Kurt Vonnegut got to the heart of the truth by saying, “We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.”
The sense of separation is the mother of all conflicts. Without the sense of separation, we would clarify misunderstandings, negotiate conflicts of interest, and collaborate on solving mankind’s challenges.
The sense of separation is also the mother of all psychological complexes. For instance, it can manifest as loneliness, anxiety, and competitive compulsive disorder.
If this card signifies union, why is the Hermit alone? Attainment may cause us to feel lonely because those who have not attained wisdom won’t understand us. But the hermit isn’t really alone. The picture doesn’t show it, but there are other souls on other mountain peaks nearby. Attained souls may be solitary, but they’re not alone.
On a side note, the word symbolism comes from the Greek sym-ballein, which means to throw or to put together. This implies that symbols have a unifying effect and can overcome the sense of separation. As you can see, the authors of Tarot designed the cards’ symbolism to unite the individual within himself and with higher states of mind.
An auspicious Attention card calls for the attainment of gnosis, knowledge, a skill, and/or experience in order to overcome a challenge. It also calls for depolarization, reconciliation, and union.
An inauspicious Attainment card may indicate the sense of separation and polarization. This may be an internal polarization, like between a desire and a thought, or an external polarization, like political polarization.
Mind the sense of separation is the worst use of the power of suggestion. It produces negative imaginings, thoughts, and emotions, which the law of attraction turns into external conflicts.
An inauspicious Attainment card can also indicate unwarranted attainment. In this case, people didn’t climb to the mountaintop but were thrown up there. Since they didn’t climb, they didn’t gain empathy. The urge to give back may become an intrusive thought, which may lead to OCD or an idealistic inclination. Example: evangelism.
On the Tree of Life, the path of the Attainment card connects the sphere of Grace (4’s) and of the Higher Self (6’s). The blue sun represents Grace. The hexagonal (6), yellow-golden star in the lantern symbolizes the Higher Self, which emanates guidance to all souls.
The titles and the five core meanings of the Attainment card are:
Enlightenment Tarot title: Attainment
Traditional title: Hermit
Power of consciousness: Union
Constructive use: Reconciliation
Unconstructive use: Polarization
Auspicious state of mind: A sense of union
Inauspicious state of mind: The sense of separation
On the spiritual-intentional level, the Attainment card stands for gnosis.
On the creative-feely level, the Attainment card stands for creative attainment, e.g., creativity mastery and wisdom.
On the intellectual level, the Attainment card stands for literacy — the attainment of knowledge. In particular, on this level, an inauspicious Attainment card may indicate the sense of separation. Psychologically, it may signify internal polarization, and, in extreme cases, a split personality.
On the bodily-practical level, the Attainment card stands for the attainment of health and longevity. An inauspicious Attainment card may indicate a polarization of body and mind, mood swings, and/or a borderline personality disorder. An inauspicious Attainment card may also indicate, in particular in children, sensitivity to the following afflictions: malnutrition, typhoid fever, cholera, appendicitis, and peritonitis. (see the body zone below).
More Attributions:
Number: 9
Letter: Yod, meaning closed hand. A closed hand symbolizes grasp and gnosis. Mind that Yod has the form of a flame and is the root letter of the other letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the so-called flame alphabet.
Astrology: Virgo
Color: Yellow-green
Body zone: Small intestines, digestive system