What is a Hermit?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined a hermit as “one that retires from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons.” A Christian hermit seeks solitude in order to be “with Christ” (Col. 3:1-3).

The English word “hermit” is based on the Greek word eremos, meaning desert or wilderness. From this we get the Latin word eremite. The practice of being a hermit is called eremiticism.

Solitude is the defining spiritual discipline for the hermit. The difference for a hermit is the extreme solitude he or she seeks. No contact with people except upon necessity. I avoid all contact except for Sunday church.

Personally, I am married and have a cat, so I am not completely alone. But I spend most of my time in my cell. A cell is what hermits call their prayer room. The whole house is my heritage.

There are a number of married hermits. But as Paul and Karen Fredette warn, “Too much togetherness can destroy the original inspiration of solitude, silence, and independence that marks a genuine eremitical life.”

Henri Nouwen on Solitude

Henri Nouwen wrote:

“In solitude I get rid of my scaffolding: no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me—naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken—nothing.

“It is this nothingness that I have to face in my solitude, a nothingness so dreadful that everything in me wants to run to my friends, my work, and my distractions so that I can forget my nothingness and make myself believe that I am worth something.”

Welcome

Welcome to my little space on the Internet.

My plan is to share my journey with you as I travel the mystic path and practice the spiritual disciplines.

I will begin posting as soon as I finish all the setup stuff.