John Horgan is a science journalist, skeptical about spiritual topics but intrigued enough to pursue what he calls (and titles his latest book) “rational mysticism.” So his pursuit of the Catholic lay brother, writer and part-time hermit David Steindl-Rast (now at Sky Farm Hermitage), is interesting for what it reveals about Steindl-Rast’s eclectic spirituality and how his eremiticism is a part of his personality and thinking. The essay is “A Modern Catholic Mystic” at John Horgan’s own web site. URL: http://www.johnhorgan.org/work6.htm.
Irish anchoress
Here is the web site of an anchoress in an “isolated hermitage atop a remote Irish mountain.” Includes prayers, reflections and wonderful photographs. URL: http://www.iol.ie/~anchorhold/. Brought to our attention in a communication from the anchoress.
Mennonite recluse
This page from Mennonite Life tells the modest story of the reclusive Ohio Mennonite Abraham Nofziger and reprints posthumously his sayings. URL: http://www.bethelks.edu/mennonitelife/2002dec/wiebe_story.php. Submitted by a friend of Hermitary.
Wisconsin hermit/homeless
A 1934 photo from the Wisconsin Historical Society labeled “Joseph Smith, Hermit” portrays a man “rescued from squalid shack.” URL: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=16121.
Hermit image in tarot
“Iconology of the Hermit Cards” is an article by Dr. Robert O’Neill that traces the depiction of the hermit in the tarot as preliminary to identifying its meaning. URL: http://att.tarot.com/about-tarot/library/boneill/hermit.