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: solitude
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
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
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
When Doing Nothing is Doing Everything
February 2, 2016
As originally posted on Huffington Post and Patheos: “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving.” Bell Hooks This time, after jumping in my car, no maps were necessary as I navigated my way towards New Mellerary Abbey for the 10th time since 2011. Maybe I had gone enough times to know my way, … More When Doing Nothing is Doing Everything
Creative Intention
June 6, 2015
Before embarking on the winding roads leading to the Redwoods Monastery last weekend, I briefly stopped to rediscover a friendship that has been on pause for 14 years. This dear friend is an artist whose spirit and company can take anyone on an inward exploration. Her words are as striking as her movements and depending … More Creative Intention
