The imagery of this card is so austere. For the longest time, I have been getting flashes of the Hermit standing on the same cliff as the Fool, months later, and just peering down to serenely witness what happened or is happening below, what came out of the raw potential of that jump.
The Hermit wears the gray robes of solitude against a sky that seems neither day nor night to me, but not a dawning or sunset either. His thick beard makes him seem older and more masculine than a lot of the other personages in the RWS. His staff is the gold of divinity and hints to me that he might be a god of wisdom like Odin in disguise. As does the lamp: it has the six pointed star which ties it to Tipareth in my mind's eye and I read somewhere that hexagrams in general present six divine attributes in kabbalistic philosophy: power, knowledge, wisdom, majesty, love and compassion or mercy I think?
I never get the sense that The Hermit is lonely, but that he is patiently waiting for his light to be seen and for its rays to lead all of us, one at a time, to him.
As for meaning, The Hermit often shows up for me when the querent (especially myself) has had a recent setback and is now reflecting on what happened. Seeing this card in that context reassures me that it is a good time for pausing, ruminating, being by myself and not taking any immediate action- especially not talking to anyone I'm upset with until after I have fully processed my emotions and found new knowledge and wisdom on the far side of them.