Exploring Contemplation + Mysticism Through a Queer Lens
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The Single Garment of Destiny
“…I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, Read more
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(Another) Ode to Mary Oliver
That’s the big question, the one the world throws at you every morning. “Here you are, alive. Would you like to make a comment?” (Mary Oliver, Long Life, Forward) We’ve all been reading a number of poems by and tributes to Mary Oliver since her death on January 17, 2019. And, to be honest, that’s Read more
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A New Year Offering
In Parker J. Palmer’s On The Brink of Everything, he writes, “I no longer ask what do I want to let go of and what do I want to hang on to… Instead I ask what do I want to let go of and what do I want to give myself to.” For me (like most of Read more
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Merton’s Voice For Today
In a world of destruction, ignorance, and falsities—there is not only a place for love, but love is the only answer… Read more
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Carl McColman Interviews Cassidy Hall
How did you get inspired to create a film about Thomas Merton and his hermitage? Read more
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New film project: DAY OF A STRANGER
Many of you know I’ve been working on my directorial debut: DAY OF A STRANGER. This short film is about the world-renowned Trappist monk, Thomas Merton. Best known for his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, Merton is said to be one of the most influential religious writers of the twentieth century. From 1965 until his Read more
What would it mean to queer contemplation? To disentangle contemplative spirituality from heteronormativity, patriarchy, and Eurocentricity, and instead engage with openness, curiosity, and a little weirdness?
Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality
Contemplation
Contemplation as a daily practice of reflection + action.
Mysticism
Mysticism as an accessible encounter of interconnection to self + others + the Divine.
Activism
Social Justice activism as the pursuit of love + liberation for all.
“Many poets are not poets for the same reason that many religious people are not saints: they never succeed in being themselves…”
— Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Dr. Cassidy Hall, DMin, MDiv, MTS, MA 