An anchoress was a woman who set herself aside for God and was enclosed into a small room made into the side of a church. She was kind of like a hermetic nun, if you will.
She had to be a free and independent spirit. She had to be extremely strong-willed, but balanced and even-tempered. She had to love study and meditation, but at the same time possess gifts of communication. She preferably had relevant life experience, as mistress of the house and as a mother, for example. She was a minimum of thirty, preferably forty years old.
Through strict ascetic practices and a life of exemplary virtue, the anchoress has struggled free from the limitations of human existence. She possesses true calm, which means she can hear God’s voice without impediments. She experiences mystical ecstasies, during which she is admitted into heaven. She then sees what others know only from hearing, and knows with an infallibility characteristic of God Himself. She witnesses that God (Christ) stands as judge over the quick and the dead in her own surroundings. Back on earth, she informs those concerned of God’s decrees. She lets it be known who is elect and who will come to a bad end.
She walks the path of sapientia, acquiring en route a knowledge of the Bible and theology that equals or surpasses that of professionals. As a prophetess she is charged to proclaim the word of God to the community. When necessary she criticizes the local clergy.
She enters the service of Mary, the archprophetess and Queen of Heaven and Earth. As Mary’s servant, she carries out the orders of her mistress. Her task lies here on earth during this life, not in heaven after her death. At the same time, however, she has left earthly existence behind by having herself enclosed. She is both dead to the world and alive for people around her.
She lives the life of angels. Residing on a piece of holy ground, she brings salvation into the here and now, making it visible and tangible–graspable, in the full sense of the word–for the faithful. She imparts the grace of God to whom it is due.
She is a living saint.
~Excerpt taken from Lives of the Anchoresses by Anneke B. Mulder-Bakker in 2005
~Song of Mary~ 