Does a Particular Spirituality Work Best for Hermits?

 [[Hi Sister Laurel, If I wanted to become a hermit is there a particular spirituality that works best for that?]]

 Hi yourself. It's a good question, but I would think that any well-known (I want to say "mainline") spirituality would work with eremitical life. All of the main ones have had hermits or can support eremitical lives because all of them put God first and have a strong sense of ecclesial faithfulness. Since there is no contradiction between life as a hermit and a commitment to the faith (ecclesial) community, even those most associated with active ministry can work well for a hermit. (Think of the unique eremitical expression associated with Franciscanism!) I think most of us gravitate to one form of spirituality or another, not because that's the one that "should" be embraced by hermits, but because they (and their representatives) resonate most personally with us. They will also support contemplative life as a way of loving others and building the Church.

I would encourage you to read widely until you feel yourself drawn to a particular spirituality, and then do a deeper dive into it to see where it leads. If more than one spirituality speaks to you, explore these more fully. See who they call you personally to be and the ways they humanize (deify or divinize) you and your life. Spend time reflecting on their representatives and founders, and what they were trying to live and why. You may want to visit houses formed in specific spiritual streams and get a sense of the living tradition that interests you. Have conversations with these representatives and pray about it all. 

In this way, I believe you will discover the spirituality (or spiritualities) that resonate(s) most creatively with you and your own call, whether that is eremitic life or not. My own journey began as a Franciscan and moved into Benedictinism and Camaldolese Benedictinism. Only later did I find myself drawn to Cistercian spirituality (also a form of Benedictinism that focuses on the monastery as a "School of Love"). Today, as I return to John of the Cross and other Carmelite writers, I recognize that these have all influenced my spirituality and, while I am a Camaldolese Oblate for whom the "threefold good"** is central in inspiring and informing the way I live out c 603, my hermit life is enriched by all of these streams.

** The Camaldolese triple good or triplex bonum is solitude, community, and evangelization.