Mystic Jade

Community story

I am the jealous person in any circle

Jul 31, 2026

I came across a story that made me think of The Hermit card. Someone shared that they had slowly removed themselves from almost every social connection in their life. They left family group chats. Deleted Facebook, Instagram, and almost every trace of their social media presence. They stopped checking people’s updates — who got married, who had children, who found success, who was struggling, who was traveling, who was moving forward. They explained that part of the reason was their belief in “evil eye” — the idea that intense jealousy or excessive admiration from others can bring negative energy, even unintentionally. But beneath that belief, there seemed to be something deeper. They said they were already very aware of their own struggles. Their insecurities. Their failures. Their fear of social situations. The feeling that everyone could see their desire for success, but also see how far away they were from achieving it. They were also struggling financially. And constantly worrying about money changed them. They became more frustrated. More angry. More sensitive to comments from others. When people joked or made sarcastic remarks about their situation, it only made them want to disappear even more. So they chose solitude. And surprisingly, being alone helped. They felt calmer. They slept better. They could eat peacefully. They could enjoy their time. They could create art, learn new skills, and focus on improving themselves. But there was another side. When you stop following everyone’s lives, you also lose parts of those connections. They no longer knew who was pregnant. Who had children. Who was studying. Who started working. Who was healthy. Who was struggling. They avoided asking because they didn’t want the conversation to turn back to their own life updates. Reading this story, I thought about The Hermit. The Hermit is not someone who hates the world. The Hermit steps away because they need silence. They need time to understand themselves. But the shadow side of The Hermit is staying alone for so long that protection slowly becomes isolation. The question is not whether solitude is good or bad. Sometimes solitude saves people. But sometimes we need to ask ourselves: Am I choosing to be alone because I finally found peace… or because I’m afraid someone will see the parts of me I’m still trying to heal?