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Yes, my monastic affiliation is with Holy Spirit Abbey in Conyers, GA. I’ve only been to Spencer once, but what a beautiful place! And the mothership for Centering Prayer.
You should definitely visit Holy Cross! A beautiful place, wonderful settings and great guys. I’m leading a retreat on the Desert Mothers and Fathers there July 8-10, in case that weekend is free for you!
I never became a journalist because I didn’t think I had the chutzpah for it. But I wrote for my High School paper (won a few awards, actually) and my college paper, and for me, journalists are — yes, the bards, the storytellers, the chroniclers. Those who diss journalists are probably the same ones who diss teachers. Talk about having your priorities messed up!
I remember Hugh, but I don’t recall knowing him well, I think when he was at St. Bart’s I was already off on my pagan adventure (I was at St. Bart’s from ’93 to ’97, pagan identified from ’97 to ’04, and began the journey to Rome in the fall of ’04). But I do believe we met, and St. Bart’s is of course where I met Sue and Stina as well.
Small world! Give my regards to Hugh, and again, so glad you’re here!
Hi Terri, and greetings from one Lay Cistercian to another!
I’ve never been to Wrentham but I sure do love the sister’s amazing dark chocolate with almonds! I’ve also enjoyed reading books by some of the nuns there, including Maureen McCabe and Agnes Day.
I think it’s fascinating to read MOTT in the light of all that the monks have taught me over the years. Perhaps you’ll have a similar experience; it will be fun to compare notes.
Hi Susan, my brother and sister-in-law live in Dunedin, so I have a fond relationship with your neck of the woods!
I haven’t read the Urantia Book, so I’ll have to rely on you to share any insights or connections that you discover along the way.
Thanks for being here!
Hi Jason! Glad you’re here. It’s a fascinating book, so I think we’ll have some interesting conversations.
Hi Faith! My dad hailed from Port Huron, Michigan, although I’ve lived my entire life in the south.
I’m glad you have found the books and the blog helpful.
And thanks for signing up for this course! I think we’ll have a lot of fun with this very interesting book.
Ed, welcome to this course — and good for you for completing this book — no easy task! With this course, I’m beginning my fourth journey through it, and I can say that each time I’ve read, I get so much more out of it. So I hope that’s your experience of it as well!
I admire quilters — what a gift that is so beautiful, practical, and long-lasting, all rolled into one. And I love Indianapolis, although I’m afraid I haven’t been there since about 1990 or so (maybe some church up there can invite me up for a weekend event?)
I think MOTT pairs well with Centering Prayer, so I hope that’s your experience of it as well. Anyway, welcome to the circle, glad you’re here!
James, welcome. What part of northern Virginia? I am a graduate of JMU (BA, 1982) and GMU (MA, 1984) and lived in the Fairfax/Vienna/Arlington/Falls Church area for about five years. Still have great feelings of affection for the area.
Yes, this book is definitely a slower task of love which is why I’ve set this up to be a year-long course. I hope people will enjoy the pacing — slow and steady wins the race.
Hi Mary! I’m active in the Contemplative Outreach of Atlanta and North Georgia chapter, I co-lead a local group on Wednesday nights. As you may imagine, much of what drew me to this book at first was the curiosity about how staunch Christian contemplatives like Keating and Pennington could endorse a book like this, and so enthusiastically no less! I’ve come to see that this book is a natural companion to so much of the Centering Prayer world, from the gesture of consent, to the welcoming prayer, to the unloading of the unconscious… again and again I see points of resonance and coherence. Hope you will find some interesting connections of your own as well!
Hi Melanie. Crows make me think of Celtic mythology, where they often show up. The Irish goddess Morrigan (who becomes Morgan LeFay in Arthurian myth) was a crow goddess among other things.
Christianity and esotericism do not always have the smoothest of relationships, but this book goes a long way to find the perennial wisdom at the heart of both. I hope you enjoy the journey!
Hello neighbor! (I live in Clarkston, GA) Thanks for being here. I think having a grain of salt makes plenty of sense, as I mentioned in the Unit I video I am not so much interested in the Tarot as it relates to the future, but am continually blown away at how it can speak to the present. It’s definitely an archetypal treasure chest — so I hope you will enjoy the exploration.
Ann, welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m not familiar with GCS, but I have a brother and sister-in-law who live in Dunedin, and Fran and I vacation every year for a week in Santa Rosa Beach, near Seaside. So Florida is definitely a special place for us.
I understand your delicate situation — I work part time at a Jesuit parish and my work as a spiritual director is in association with a Jesuit retreat center. The Jesuits tend to be pretty laid back about inter-spiritual stuff, but I know some people find esotericism or Hermeticism or the Tarot a bit scary. My suggestion is, just participate at whatever level feels safe and good for you. It’s all good!
Aída, welcome! You’ve given me a new phrase to meditate on: “a riotous kind of holiness” — sounds like my kind of holiness! And I love the description of your faith background. That kind of interweaving is very much what I think is the *best* of catholic spirituality, and very much what undergirds the spirit of MOTT.
I’ve never been to Cuba but I want to go there some day, because Thomas Merton had a mystical experience in the Church of St. Francis in Havana back in 1940. Would love to visit that site (Merton had three major mystical experiences: the first one in Havana, the second one on a street corner in Louisville KY, and the third one at a Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. I’ve only visited the Louisville site, but the other two are on my bucket list).
