Meet the Hermit Who is the Last of His Kind

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I often find myself envying hermits. I think it’s a case of “grass is always greener” because I seem to have ended up with way too many worldly responsibilities and it makes me question whether I took the right path in life.

I may never be a hermit in this life, although sometimes my lack of meaningful social contact other than poking my devices on the Internet feels pretty hermit-y. But they are interesting to read about, especially those who live in a natural setting. I always wanted to live in a tree like St. Simon Stock.
 
I remember seeing a woman on tv once who described herself as a hermit. She lived in a terraced house in a suburban street, very quietly. This seemed odd to me but I’d Didnt pay it much attention at the time to be honest.

I would’ve liked to live in a tree too. When I was young I’d climb anything, even an internal doorframe! Now, well maybe the rope ladder would be just a little too much of a test especially in the rain.

I do like the thought of peace and quiet though self imposed isolation is probably always better.

Peace be with you Tis. 🙏
 
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Yes, I read (maybe on here) about a lady who had lived a very worldly life for many years, was very beautiful, had a wealthy husband who died. She had traveled and had many nice things.

At some point in her later years she downsized everything and became a hermit attached to a convent. She pretty much lived in one little room or apartment and just came out for limited periods of time, like to walk around for exercise.

I found that very interesting and I can see it being a lot more practical to be in a populated area with stuff like plumbing and medical care, and it seemed similar to when people lived as anchorites, but there’s something about being out in a nature surrounding that appeals to me. Although I’m not sure how this Father gets much hermiting done when he has 100 high schoolers and a CNN news crew showing up on his doorstep. Perhaps he has “visiting hours”.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
Although I’m not sure how this Father gets much hermiting done when he has 100 high schoolers and a CNN news crew showing up on his doorstep.
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That’s very funny.

I often think similarly when they show how some celebrity ‘survives’ in the wilds for a week.

Was Julian of Norwich an anchorite? I’ve seen the cell she occupied at Norwich and it was very small. Quite an odd thing to do really.
 
In your case, you’d probably like the books “The Hermitage Within” and “Poustinia”.

One needs to know spiritual combat to be able to handle actual eremitism. Your family, friends, co-workers, and fellow parishioners are your community. Serving them and following your required schedule help develop the necessary discipline for actual eremitism.

The anchorites of old actually were Laity. I think I remember reading about a group of Third Order Secular Carmelites being a somewhat organized network of anchorites in the Middle Ages. Anchorites, out of necessity, will have “turn hours” where they greet people at a window. There they pray over the person and/or give advice.

“Walled In Light” by the late Mother Mary Francis, PCC, gives a good description of St Colette’s time in the anchorhold.
 
I have lived as a hermit in different situations: one was in a laura (a loose collective of other hermits who share certain things like daily Mass, Saturday Vespers, one shared meal per week, followed by a recreation together on Sunday. The other was alone in the bush using rain water, wood stove for heating the room and water, and a small generator for lights at night (when I could afford the petrol). There was no fridge, no small or large appliances and no toilet (I would use a bucket at night and then bury the results the next day). During the day I would dig a hole and then cover it. The grass grew very well over these spots! LOL

I learned a lot about self-reliance, but also about physical hardships. The main hardship for me was dealing with spiders and snakes and insects. The advantages were the beauty of the bush, especially the wildlife, and the quiet time to spend with God. The closest town had Mass three Sundays a month and a communion service on the fourth.

I think living the hermit life is a good thing for anyone to try for awhile - just to learn how to live without the so-called necessities of life and to focus on living closer to nature. It is also a good opportunity to grow spiritually. I am glad I tried it, especially in different ways and I think it has influenced the way I live my life now, even though I now live in relative comfort in a small country town.
 
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