Carl McColman Interviews Cassidy Hall
November 6, 2018
How did you get inspired to create a film about Thomas Merton and his hermitage? … More Carl McColman Interviews Cassidy Hall
Tag: Silence
Notes on Silence… is here!
April 13, 2018
Many of you know I’ve been working on co-authoring a book with Patrick Shen. We lovingly titled the work Notes on Silence based on our extensive deep-dive into studying silence over the last four years. It includes nearly 300 pages of original essays, images, quotes, notes, and transcripts from the silence experts featured in the documentary film, In Pursuit … More Notes on Silence… is here!
Encounters with Silence – Thomas Merton’s Hermitage
March 19, 2018
To go seeking for something which cannot be sought. To go on looking for something which cannot be found. To attempt to do something which cannot be done. … More Encounters with Silence – Thomas Merton’s Hermitage
The Uncertainty of Silence
February 12, 2018
(This will be among the many essays featured in the forthcoming book Notes on Silence that I’m co-authoring with Patrick Shen which can be purchased here.) “…I want to be with those who know secret things or else alone…” Rainer Maria Rilke I was around 8 years old when I began to have reoccurring dreams about … More The Uncertainty of Silence
The Encountering Silence Podcast is Here!
December 28, 2017
Many of you know I’ve begun recording a podcast with my dear friends, fellow writers and thinkers, Carl McColman and Kevin M. Johnson. They’ve focused on silence and contemplative studies for years via writing, speaking, and personal practice. We’re finally on iTunes sharing our podcast with the world. It’s titled Encountering Silence because of the way silence is … More The Encountering Silence Podcast is Here!
When Letting Go Is Holding On
November 17, 2017
“My dishonesty with myself and others hinders the honesty of all humanity, hinders the progress of all people.” Journal entry on 2/12/12 In 2012 I made the decision to let go of some certainty in my life for the sake of exploring something unknown. I quit my job. I quit my salary-paying, insurance-giving job full of security … More When Letting Go Is Holding On
“Cassidy Hall found silence in an Iowa monastery and brought her discoveries to a new documentary” Des Moines Register
April 5, 2017
“A cricket chirped in the monastery’s library. That and the swish of a turned page, Thomas Merton’s “New Seeds of Contemplation,” was about it for sound. Cassidy Hall stopped on page 81. Merton did not write on the absence of sound on that page but the abyss of solitude in the soul: “You do not … More “Cassidy Hall found silence in an Iowa monastery and brought her discoveries to a new documentary” Des Moines Register
The Voice of the Heart
September 6, 2016
Listening to the voice of my heart has never come easy for me. I’m usually quick to assume a present feeling is final, an agony is forever, or that all of my questions should have answers and answers NOW. … More The Voice of the Heart
I Wasn’t Ready To Write This
August 4, 2016
“Love alone could waken love.” Pearl S. Buck There are moments in life that I won’t be ready for. That doesn’t mean they won’t happen. That doesn’t mean I should sit back and do nothing. I wasn’t ready to write this. This isn’t another article about names in politics; this is an article about you and me. The … More I Wasn’t Ready To Write This
The Great Anesthetic of Modern Day Life
May 12, 2016
(Originally posted on The Huffington Post Blog.) “The world is like an anesthetic… people are not going beyond the superficial to the meaning of life — they don’t even ask that question because they’re caught up in that anesthetizing process.” A Monk of Holy Trinity Abbey, Utah I woke up this morning with an overwhelming … More The Great Anesthetic of Modern Day Life
