A holy man, or the Wise Old Man, will often appear in dreams as the hermit, suggesting that we are discovering the dimension in ourselves which has a spiritual awareness. There are two types of hermit: one withdraws from life in order to live an entirely spiritual existence and knows that others will care for his bodily needs, whereas the other travels throughout the world using his knowledge and expertise to help others. There is a kind of loneliness and singularity within many people, which prevents us from making relationships on a one-to-one basis. This may manifest in dreams as the figure of the hermit. In a womans dream the hermit may represent one of her links with the Divine in the same way as a priest does. In a man's dream the hermit will often highlight his own links with his god, whatever form that takes. Also consult the entries for Ascetic, Monk and Wanderer/Wandering.