Cave Dweller meaning

There is, of course, the common understanding of Cave Dweller as someone who lives in a cave – a self professed hermit of some sort. Although, we can delve deeper than that.

The cave holds many deeper connotations. My idea of it is specifically inspired by Porphyry’s ‘Nymph cave‘ and Orthodox Christianity’s Elder Joseph the Cave dweller, or Hesychast. This refers to someone that rejects the mortal pleasures of this world – an austere ascetic.

“What do I want money and the business for?  It would be better if I grew spiritually rich”. – Elder Joseph the Cave dweller

To put it simply, a cave signifies a portal to the eternal realm of the gods, which, in the case of hermits, is often accessed by rejecting the material world and focusing on the divine.