around the web – Page 5 – Hermits around the web

April 3, 2009March 30, 2020

Solitude & Judaism

Finding websites on eremitism and solitude from a Jewish point of view is easier now with these representative web sites:

Rabbi Dovid Sears and “A Simple Jew” maintain the new site titled “Solitude” (hisbodedus in Hebrew). The site includes selections from and commentaries on historical Jewish teachings on solitude and meditation. Sears also collaborates on the blog “A Simple Jew.”

An early presentation of a similar theme is the blog “Jewish Contemplatives” maintained by Norman Davies, who describes himself as a hermit residing in Granada, Spain.

URLs:

Solitude-Hisbodedus: http://solitude-hisbodedus.blogspot.com
A Simple Jew: http://asimplejew.blogspot.com
Jewish Contemplatives: http://jewishcontemplatives.blogspot.com

June 11, 2008

Hermit nun interviews

Sister Laurel O’Neal, whose blog is Notes from Stillsong Hermitage, is a hermit of the Camaldolese Benedictine tradition. She was interviewed by Sister Julie Vieira, IHM, of A Nun’s Life. The two installments are: first and second.

Sister Laurel makes a realistic point appropriate to both religious and secular solitaries. When asked what she would recommend to someone interested in the eremitical life, she replies (among other things):

If you have substantial healing of your own to do, get to it before you make any commitments to eremitical life. The hermitage allows for such work to be done but actual commitments to the life need to have that out of the way as much as possible.

March 5, 2006

Ordination of a hermit

Of special interest to Catholics is this report by a Catholic bishop in Oregon which discusses the unique ordination of a canonically-recongnized hermit to the diaconate. URL: http://www.sentinel.org/articles/2006-9/14518.html.

September 13, 2005

William McNamara interview

Issue 18 (Fall-Winter 2000) of What is Enlightenment? magazine included a thematic collection of articles under the heading: “What Does It Mean To Be In The World But Not Of It?” The section “Renounce” includes an interview with the Carmelite monk and hermit William McNamara. Other viewpoints under “Transcend” and “Embrace” make this issue of lively interest.

February 14, 2005

Desert spirituality

A 1992 article entitled “Desert Faith” in Spirituality Today on desert spirituality, inspired by the author’s residence near a Colorado desert. URL: http://www.spiritualitytoday.org/spir2day/92441hatch.htm. Brought to our attention by a friend of Hermitary.