THE HERMIT: Trying to Find the Light w/ Chad Hutchinson

In this episode, we explore The Hermit card with poet and writer Chad Hutchinson, who is also a friend of mine. In our conversation, Chad talks about his personal Hermit story — how he spent much of his adult life "on the run," trying to escape The Darkness that found him when he was alone.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and Chad was forced to sit with himself, he made the choice to sit still on a blanket in his backyard, where he met a neighborhood cat and discovered a sense of peace.

Since then, he's missed only ten sunsets. And he's started a prolific writing practice, which he shares on his three-year-old Substack newsletter (which I helped him start) called Transmissions from the Future.

Chad's newsletters feature his poems, little prose pieces, mostly writing about his memories growing up in the 80s and 90s, his friends from music festivals, women he's loved, and the impressions and stories he gathers from sitting outside, visiting with the critters and watching the sky change. He also includes playlists and grainy photos from decades back.

In our conversation, we get into various aspects of The Hermit — making the unconscious conscious, connecting with one's personal wisdom, confronting darkness, and finding the truth within. We discuss why alone-time is helpful to a Hermit's process, and what happens when we finally allow ourselves to grieve. We also touch on nostalgia (harmful or helpful?), befriending squirrels, turning off our phones, and fighting for happiness.

Subscribe to Chad's Substack newsletter "Transmissions from the Future." And follow him on Instagram.

You can find a lovely essay — "Walking with The Hermit" by Typewriter Tarot's Claire Bowman — over on our blog. It explores confrontations with the Hermit when alone time seems impossible to find.

Thanks to Chantal deFelice for sound production and editing of this episode. And thanks to Ami Plasse for our podcast logo.

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