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Cassidy Hall

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Cassidy Hall

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A beautiful day for a monastic stroll with Brother Paul Quenon of Gethsemani Abbey. Today, we walked to a toolshed Thomas Merton began using for more solitude in January of 1953. From this shed in 53-54, during a few hours each day, he wrote “Thoughts In Solitude” (published in 1958) (which hosted the original title of "Thirty-Seven Meditations".) He named the toolshed "St. Anne's,” and wrote about how the surrounding landscape of St. Anne’s reminded him of his walks as a youth in Sussex England: "I recognize in myself the child who walked all over Sussex. (I did not know I was looking for this shanty or that I would one day find it.) All the countries of the world are one under this sky: I no longer need to travel... The quiet landscape of St. Anne's speaks of no other country." (February 16, 1953) ————————————— In his journal, he wrote: “It seems to me that St. Anne’s is what I have been waiting for and looking for all my life and now I have stumbled into it quite by accident. Now for the first time, I am aware of what happens to a man who has really found his place in the scheme of things. With tremendous relief I have discovered that I no longer need to pretend. Because when you have not found what you are looking for, you pretend in your eagerness to have found it. You act as if you had found it. You spend your time telling yourself what you have found and yet do not want. I do not have to buy St. Anne’s. I do not have to sell myself to myself here. Everything that was ever real in me haas come back to life in this doorway wide open to the sky! I no longer have to trample myself down, cut myself in half, throw part of me out the window, and keep pushing the rest of myself away. In the silence of St. Anne’s everything has come together in unity” (February 16, 1953) ————————————— In a letter to Dom James, Merton wrote: “It is the first time in my life—37 years—that I have had a real conviction of doing what I am really called by God to do. It is the first time I have “arrived”—like a river that has a been running through a deep canyon and now has come out in the plains—and is within sight of the ocean...” #thomasmerton #hermitage #shed #contemplation

Coming off of a week-long class on activism, organizing and social movements (and my first full year of seminary @cts_indy), I climb back into the walls of a silent monastery. The tension of paradox is not lost on me. And in being present to the paradox this suggests, I’m remembering a different way of being which allows the contemplative to be an activist and the activist to be a contemplative. In her book about Contemplation and Justice, Therese Taylor-Stinson wrote, ”So that contemplation can be whole, it must consist of both inward solitude and reflection, and outward response to the situations in which we find ourselves present and awake." In other words, for me, it is the step away which allows me to both awaken and stay awake to the things I’ve seen and heard. ... "You can't do justice work today in America without understanding the history of the contamination of theology." –Tim Conder (Professor of activism, organizing and social movements for CTS, held in Durham, NC) ... “... it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything.” –Thomas Merton to peace activist Jim Forest, February 1966 ... (writing a longer post about this tension of paradox on my website, cassidyhall.com) #thomasmerton #activism #contemplation

“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour...” — William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

A great chat with Sister Meg Funk for the Oblates of Our Lady of Grace Monastery about her latest book, Renouncing Violence. A book she wrote in response to the 2016 election. One of my favorite aspects of the book includes her personal stories about renouncing self-violence whilst writing this—the ways she listened to what she needed, fled from self-abuse or imposed tension, and was gentle and loving towards herself and the work throughout the process. How else could a book about renouncing violence—ALL forms of violence, make any sense? Grateful for her voice in the world and her willingness to host me to join her in this talk. #RenouncingViolence #Benedictine #Oblate #Monastery

“Wisdom isn’t knowing more, it’s knowing with more of you.” Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with author Cynthia Bourgeault @festoffaiths We talked about everything from anger as a limitation to transformation, to her longing to be back at her seaside hermitage in Maine. The time she spent with me discussing the contemplative world and its lack of women representation in leadership was enriching, kind, important, and genuine. Her presence on stage at @festoffaiths was so very alive. @carlmccolman @kevin.kjohnson and I recently had the honor of hosing Cynthia on the podcast if you care to learn more about her work individually and with @cacradicalgrace and Richard Rohr. ... “As we enter the path of transformation, the most valuable thing we have working in our favor is our yearning.” Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind #FOF2019

What an appropriate place to celebrate the release of this book! I’m honored @liturgicalpress asked me to endorse this important work by Thomas Merton as edited by my friend @jonm.sweeney To have my name on the same page as @carlmccolman and Richard Rohr of @cacradicalgrace still blows my mind. Exploring the desert spiritually of Christianity via the desert ammas and abbas is so very close to my heart and I’m thrilled this work will be out in the open. You can find it on amazon now with its release day being TOMORROW! #thomasmerton #FOF2019 #amma #abba #desert #monk #richardrohr

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Filmmaker and friend, Patrick Shen
In Pursuit of Silence, Documentary Film
Author and friend, Maggie Ross
Author and friend, Carl McColman
Author and friend, Gordon Oyer
Filmmaker and friend, Brandon Vedder
Author and friend, Christopher Pramuk
The Inner Room
Author and friend, Jessica Mesman Griffith
The Sick Pilgrim Blog
Author and friend, Daniel Horan, O.F.M.
Author and friend, Jim Forest
Author and friend, Pico Iyer

© 2019 Cassidy Hall

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