Note:
Living as a hermit but in the world is not impossible. One can live in the hermit’s cell within. John Michael Talbot catches the way this can work for those of us whose station in life requires us to be ‘out and about.’ We can still live the hermit’s spiritual life of reclusion. He calls this being a semi-hermit.

Quote:
“So how does semi-eremitism apply to you? In more ways than you might think.

“On a weekly basis you might go to church only on Sundays and holy days. At the very most you might have one other day or evening dedicated to the work of the church. But all through the rest of the week you choose to find your own rhythm between solitude and communion in the family and the work place. You learn this from studying, praying, and practicing. You cultivate the hermit within. You meditate. You cultivate awareness of your relationship to God and all creation. You trust that you cannot  wrong. Your inner voice is the voice of the Holy Spirit.”  (pages 57-58)

Source: Talbot, John Michael. The World is My Cloister: Living From the Hermit Within. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2010.