Archive for Thursday 1st August 2002 - All alone in the wilderness

All over Asia and in parts of Europe are mountain ranges full of caves. Many of them are artificial, made by ancient hermits. You find them also in Britain, sometimes on island rocks in the ocean. No one could possibly live there, you would suppose. But solitary men and women have spent lives upon isolated rocks, and died there in old age.

Everyone has times when they feel, they would like to be alone - but not for too long. Most of us enjoy company and the pursuit of love, and could not bear life without them. So here are mysteries. Why do people become hermits? How do they live, and how do they spend their days?

I have just read a new book on hermits, A Pelican In The Wilderness by the novelist, Isabel Colegate, and enjoyed every page of it. She goes into the reasons why hermits do it. Some are disappointed by this cruel world, or feel guilty about crimes they have committed. But the most dedicated hermits are those who seek liberation from earth and access to the world of spirit.

The hermitical approach to life is said to be very rewarding. You can learn the languages of animals, communicate with angels and become wise and holy. But it must be a difficult process. You are tormented by demons and the frustrated demands of human nature. You may think you are finding God, but the world thinks you are mad. This is too good a subject to cut off here, so it will be continued next Thursday

Order Isabel Colegate's Pelican In The Wilderness from Mirror Direct for £15.99 (p+p is FREE). United Kingdom only.
Call 0870 0703 200 or send cheque/PO payable to Mirror Direct to PO Box 60, Helston, Cornwall TR13 0TP.

John Michell