Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Merton's Hermitage - a short video

3 comments:

  1. thank you Beth
    very good stuff
    like the viedo thing
    Blessings -------------------------

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  2. Beth, good video! Thank you! (And bless remission, and you). It looks like the hermitage has been upgraded and is in use; I recall Merton writing about using the outhouse and chasing away the visiting snakes). This video reminds me of those about Lax's hermitage in Greece: simple surroundings with no pretentiousness, every part sustenance for contemplation. Oh, I liked the music, too.

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  3. I liked the video too. It's evidently a few years (4 o5) old. What impressed me were the artistic touches Merton made to his very simple, concrete wall and floor, space. I've heard that the hermitage is essentially just as he left it, down to the books on the shelves. He has made it quite beautiful. I have a friend who can do this with his surroundings as well - taking the simplest of things and turning it into something quite extraordinary.

    I've heard that one can still visit the little place in Greece that Lax had.

    It's rather awesome the way that Lax and Merton recognized some very special contemplative quality in each other when they were still in college - and held onto each other as friends throughout their lives.

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