They are given special qualities which help them to fulfil their purpose in life, especially a thirst for solitude so great that it will lead them to look for it externally at periodic intervals. If they do not succeed, their vocation will wither on the vine. They use holiday time, for instance, to get away to lonely places, to walk alone, to make a formal retreat of some length. They create places in their homes which remind them that they are always dwelling in solitude – at least they commonly do these things at an early stage in formation. I would be loath to allow this discipline to lapse even in an experienced person.
Hermits need spaces in each day when there is sufficient external silence, space and aloneness to reinforce the interior solitude. This may mean, and often does, that, rather than trying to fit their vocation into their work and lifestyle, they choose a lifestyle and work to suit their vocation. Provided that they get what they need – and the amount of external solitude needed varies with each person – they will feel well, function well, be quite gregarious when with other people and be well socialised. If they do not, they will either wither or be destroyed in other ways, becoming reclusive, dysfunctional, unsociable and less than fully human.
The second quality such people have is an ability to cross boundaries in prayer. For them to be "in Christ" means finding everyone else is also there. They can transcend natural and created barriers between themselves and those with whom their lives become intertwined. Space has no boundaries for them.
They are able to be as present, for example, in a condemned cell in the United States, a harem in India or a scruffy hovel in South America, as the inhabitants themselves. Sometimes they have the gift of bilocation, and are felt to be physically present by the people with whom they are praying. But this is rare. Quiet, unseen, hidden "being present with" other people is much more common.
The third quality found in modern hermits is an ability to hold two opposites in tension. From time to time everyone who has this vocation will have to hold good and evil, his or her own good and evil, in full consciousness and stand before God waiting for Christ to accomplish the victory.
This means that the hermit will be aware not only of the evil in the cosmos, the world, the locality, the people for whom he or she is interceding, but also of his or her own evil – upon which the external evil is fastened – and be content to feel consumed by it, knowing that he or she is absolutely safe because Christ has already overcome the evil. (To some extent we all are the space in which Christ continues his work of overcoming evil – the hermit simply exists to point us all to our baptismal vows and to encourage us to be true to them in our lives.)
Hermits have to learn to be so rooted in Christ that in his strength, not their own, they can endure the worst storms. And this is where the devil often has a lot of fun, because "young" hermits tend to be swept away in the storm for a while and confuse what is happening to them with the belief that they have become evil incarnate. So they feel they are betraying God, and indeed some of them do launch into real sin because they are unable to hold themselves in balance. Others have psychological breakdowns because of the strain, which is just God’s way of ensuring that they get sufficient time to recover their balance.
I am not talking about weird psychic experiences here, nor about deliverance ministries. I am talking about prayer that reflects Christ’s descent into hell, the prayer of Holy Saturday, the prayer that feels as if there is no resurrection, but knows by faith alone that one is safely held in resurrection life.
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http://www.hermitary.com/faqs.htmlWhat is a hermit?
A hermit is a person who lives apart from society. Traditionally, this has meant living alone and self-sufficiently, but not always. The word "hermit" is derived from the Greek eremia for "desert," in reference to the Desert Fathers of the fourth century; and eremos came to mean solitary. The Latin equivalent is solitarius.
The term recluse is often taken as a synonym but it has a more behavioral sense to it, while the term "hermit" often retains its deliberate, even spiritual sense. For example, the famed eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica defined "hermit" as "a solitary, one who withdraws from all intercourse with other human beings in order to live a life of religious contemplation." However, the American Heritage Dictionary defines "hermit" as "a person who has withdrawn from society and lives a solitary existence; a recluse."
What about people who live apart from society but seem to have "problems"?
Solitude must be an option based on a mature level of consciousness. Enforced solitude is not at all what we refer to here. Psychological and mental problems, social conflict, addictive and violent behavior, imprisonment, diseases - all have been factors in isolating people from society. Even voluntary solitude such as survivalism or egoism is not the solitude to which we refer. These concepts have no relation to the tradition of solitude and eremiticism seen over the centuries and across all cultures.
How can one be a hermit when daily life is so complex?
An Eastern passage describes the true hermit as one who can be in a crowd. Of course, that is not a literal eremiticism, but the point that matters is the consciousness of the individual. The responsibilities and entanglements of the world must be understood for what they are, from a philosophical or spiritual perspective. How to go about it?
Externally, simplifying one's life is the best path toward peace of mind, and peace of mind is a prerequisite to solitude. At that point, solitude can begin to enhance and strengthen the conviction of how external things are precisely that: external.
In the Zen tradition, one is bidden to begin practicing (i.e., meditating) at once, not to begin by trying to analyze one's responsibilities and entanglements and present life situation or predicament. Meditation will begin to put all these externals into perspective.
In the Christian tradition, one is bidden to give up what one has and follow the master, which is to say, the Way. The point here, as in Eastern tradition, is to simplify one's life as soon as possible, and the results will begin to manifest themselves if the individual is honest. This process may culminate in solitude and eremiticism in a person so disposed.
In the philosophical tradition, one is bidden to identify with mind and nature and to observe the harmony of the universe as a wonder. Every philosophical tradition has been open to this sense of being, usually without hostility to spiritual tradition (distinct from institutions) because the philosophical tradition actively seeks the perennial in all wisdom traditions.
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I have begun to wonder if perhaps I have actually been Called to the Solitary Life... if perhaps this need and desire to be one with God, to be still in His presence, is but one manifestation of this Call.
The list of gifts - those three things that every hermit is given - I felt those inside me when I read the descriptions.
- To require spaces in each day for physical solitude, and reminders that solitude is necessary.
- To cross boundaries in prayer - I don't cross physical ones so much as spiritual ones, but I do cross boundaries during times of prayer.
- To hold opposites within oneself, aware of what is being held and what must happen - to be consumed by the fires of evil and stand firm in the knowledge of Christ's saving grace.
Amazingly enough... the prayer of desperation, that knows not resurrection but expects it through faith... that has been a cornerstone of my life, throughout this crazy journey I call my faithwalk.
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