Hermitage Update

Dear Friends,

One year ago I shared with you my intention to begin a year long hermitage retreat following my retirement from active service in the community mental health counseling field. At the time I did not realize that we would be selling our home and moving. That involved, needless to say, a disruption in the cultivation of silence and solitude. Nevertheless for most of the year I have been able to enter into a most satisfying depth of silence and devotion to interior practice in the path I have chosen. During this time I have also had the space to discern where grace is moving in my life, and what gifts, if any, I have to share with the larger world.

In part this stage of life one's life is increasingly shaped by the physiology of aging, as well as the developmental processes that accompany aging. There is a natural turning inward toward the being of life from the doing of life. (The yogic tradition calls this the movement from householder stage, to hermit, and finally to renunciate.) I have also had some medical challenges that shape my life. I believe that my life as an adult has been concerned with the healing of human suffering of soul, my own, and that of humankind. It began with my entry into the seminary at the young age of 15 and continued through my interest in international relations and world peace as a college student and in post-graduate studies. I left the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies at age 22 because I realized there would be no peace and no healing in the world until human beings began to experience the peace that comes from within, until human consciousness is transformed, until human souls are healed. And I began a conscious journey of training in meditation/contemplation and spiritual practice taking me from my apprenticing with teachers of Zen to Christian Contemplation and Spiritual Direction. My concern with the healing of soul took me into the field of mental health counseling where I obtained an M.A. in Counseling Psychology to encounter the consciousness of human beings, to learn from and to support my clients in finding healing. In this journey I have been graced with much healing myself and have much more to do. That is the true meaning of healing. It is, as Julian says, the "oneing" of our souls with the Beloved of our hearts.

Many years ago I saw an medieval image of an anchorite, a simple drawing. It imprinted strongly on my mind. It might have been a rendering of the life of Julian. The image showed the woman anchorite (anchoress?) being present at the window of her cottage/monk's cell listening to a person outside seeking spiritual consultation. I understand that this historically is a fair representation of the life of the anchorite. It is a life devoted to spiritual practice, of inner communion with God, in solitude and silence, yet a life that still has connection and service to the world. That is the life that I find myself turning to now. My window is the internet, and the spiritual direction room in my home, the occasional retreat that I lead. But mostly I am in solitude and quiet.

Now that the weather is good I sit outside in my back yard, and listen to the sound of the water flowing in the creek there, feel the breeze on my skin, and enjoy the inflow and outflow of my breath, as I breathe Yeshua, and bow to Yeshua, the Living One, in all creation around me. This inner communion with the Beloved of our hearts, is the source of our healing, and the healing of the soul of humankind. The invitation of Yeshua is always offered to us "Peace be with you, my peace I give you." This peace and healing is accessible to all of us, to all of humankind. The Beloved appears in many forms and under many names, and the heart of the Beloved is universal and encompassing of all beings. We begin and end with our own breath and our own givenness, the life of consecration, the life of inner communion with the Divine.

So I am deeply grateful to have this freedom and this spaciousness to remain in my hermitage with the support of my spouse, and to work in apprenticeship with those who wish to deepen in the Way. This year has been a gift to establish me in these new life-giving patterns and commitment to continued growth. I plan to continue to write and share reflections and insights with others, and to learn from others. I wish to broaden my approach to articulate the path for those who have been hurt by religion or are rightfully distrustful of it. This year has been a time to help me transition into this new life of consecration, of solitude and freedom to be given to my heart's desire. If there is any way to support you in your life of consecration, I am happy to do so. This is the purpose of this online community.

My prayer for this community is the prayer of all mystic teachers and students of the great Way: "Let there be peace, and let it begin with us."

In the Beloved's love and abiding peace,
Bill Ryan