Virgo Tarot: The Hermit
It’s a very exciting time in the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League season, with the final round of the playoffs starting yesterday. It’s extra special for fans of underdog stories, with the lower-seeded teams in both Polarities pulling off stunning upsets over heavily favored opponents. But since the championship matchup lasts for two weeks, I have plenty of time to analyze the rosters of Libra and Taurus, while today is my last chance to talk about Virgo’s connection to the Tarot during Virgo season.
The sixth sign of the zodiac links up with Major Arcana #9: The Hermit. On the surface, we can infer from this connection that Virgos are inherently antisocial, which is reflected in the “research.” But according to Arthur Edward Waite’s “Pictorial Key to the Tarot,” the meaning is not tied to “the idea of occult isolation.” Drawing attention to the star-containing lantern (referred to as a beacon) held by the robed and bearded figure, Waite explains that, “this is a card of attainment… His beacon intimates that ‘where I am, you also may be.’”
Virgos have certainly attained a high place in the annals of baseball history, with nine players in the top 50, according to baseball-reference.com’s version of wins above replacement. That’s the most out of any sign, as is the 931.2 bWAR accrued in the careers of those players. The 2021 Virgo Playaz barely missed out on making the postseason, but a lot of that has to do with some tough luck pitching injuries and key Taurus players getting hot at the right time. But I would expect to see a strong Virgo team next year, as the Hermit card’s main divinatory meanings (prudence and circumspection) are conducive to mounting a bounce back season.
For the next part of this exercise, I’m shifting to the Hermit’s corresponding card in the Baseball Tarot, which is titled Reflection. In their book about the deck, Mark Lerner and Laura Philips lean into the more traditional aspects of hermits that are eschewed by Waite, claiming the card represents “solitude, inner search, inner guidance.” They also frame this idea of self-knowledge in the context of a player coming to terms with the inevitable end of their baseball career. “However, at this reflective moment, the talent of the past has not been lost. It is in the process of maturing into a wisdom that can be passed on to future players.”
This is the card of an “old soul,” someone who is able to put things in context and look at the world from a big picture perspective. Also someone who will be able to effectively communicate that perspective to other players in need. While Reflection refers specifically to players, it seems like no coincidence that the other Earth sign we’ve seen so far (Taurus) corresponds to The Manager card, a role that requires sound perspective and good communication. I’m starting to think that the analysis of this spiritual side of astrology is going to provide better insight in evaluating players than calculating statistics…
Since I’ve reached the 30-year milestone in my reverse-chronological trip through FABL history, I’m going to pause the yearly recaps for the foreseeable future while I update my All-Time database, adding in players who started for their Fantasy Astrology teams in the 1990’s.