PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — I've got a cookie (in case we get hungry), two bottles of water, and a lighter — because we’ve got to light the sage. Intrigued? This week on “Shara in the City,” we're visiting the Hermit’s Cave in the Wissahickon Valley — which has a long and mysterious history connected with the occult, paranormal activity and biblical doomsday prophesy, going all the way back to the 1600s.
I recruited a friend — because there's no way I'm doing this alone. Jacob Patrick Ellis is a yoga instructor at Cocoon Philly. He spends a lot of time in the woods. He’s the perfect companion for an adventure.
“I basically live in the Wissahickon. You know, in the woods,” he says.
So, deep in the Wissahickon, there’s this little cave carved into the side of a hill. It might take you a minute to find it, but the Cave of Kelpius is at 777 Hermit Lane. It’s a dark and winding trail through the trees. You’ve got animal sounds. Watch out for the poison ivy. And you’ll come to what looks like “a light at the end of the tunnel” from a movie.
It's not a horror movie. Don’t psych yourself out. Have fun with it.
“The real thing I want to land here, as a message for people, is play,” says Jacob.
He describes our approach: “We're walking up on a hillside, and we're looking at a small entryway into a dark abyss with stones around it, and a tree bordering it, and a beautiful — what looks like a giant tombstone.”
Or a tablet? It has something etched into the side of it: “Johannes Kelpius PhD A.D. 1673 to 1708.”
There’s also an old mailbox with the letters “FJB” on it.
When his mentor died, Johannes Kelpius, at age 26, became the leader of a mystic cult of alchemists, botanists, mathematicians and astronomers focused on the imminent apocalypse, which they calculated would be in 1694.
It sounds really dark, but the apocalypse obviously didn’t happen then. So consider that a silver lining.
William Penn’s settlement was the perfect place for them to practice their underground faith and wait for the end of the world in peace. Kelpius and his monks sustained themselves on 175 acres of land in what is now called The Hermit’s Glen, on the west side of Wissahickon Creek, a mile upstream from the Schuylkill River.
Kelpius, who was called “The Hermit of the Wissahickon,” is believed to have lived alone in a small cabin or cave on the site.
Venturing further into the cave — bring your flashlight — the space is maybe the size of an alcove or a small room. There are animal footprints everywhere and weird sticks and discarded Dunkin’ Donuts cups.
It could have been used as a sanctum for meditation and prayer. It could have been a root cellar.
If you want to know a little bit more about the cave, go visit it yourself and add a little playful mystery to your life. The cave is maintained by the Friends of the Wissahickon, and tours are available.
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