Spending a week with the Monks of Christ in the Desert was a great experience for me as a poet and a person. There is something about silence and simplicity that makes one go to the roots of what is going on inside. The monks of this very international group live a life that is very old. While they are Benedictines (5th Century) they are also tied to the Egyptian Desert Fathers of the 3rd Century and back to a time when men and women took asceticism very seriously.
Today what is revered is 'success' but to these monks and to others what is revered is practice and being in communion.
It was a pleasure to partake in their live's and to understand how far we live from these ideals. I often think about the great ascetics, John the Baptist, Buddha, Gandhi, Jesus, the Yogiis and Zen masters and wonder what motivates them? And do I possibly have any of their strength?
So as I begin my day at work I think of the Wisdom of the Desert.
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