nomadman108

[nomadman108]

A Few Thoughts on the Big Question: Why a Monk's Life?

Just now, on rediscovering a quote I’d noted down months ago, I spontaneously decided to download again the book I took it from. This will be the third reading: seems to be one of those books that keep calling you back. The book (The Abbot’s Shoes by Peter Robertson) tells the story of the author’s foray into monastic living in New Zealand way back in the early 1970s when he was twenty…

[nomadman108]

Foster Your True Self: A Big Deal

Today I finished watching  a beautiful and extremely fascinating documentary.  It was about life in a Trappist monastery as well as a fascinating history of that movement. I was struck by something one of the monks said. He was referring to what he and his fellow monks are actually doing with their lives in the monastery. He said their lifestyle was helping them to: ‘foster who we truly are…

[nomadman108]

To Sleep or To Not Sleep?

One of the stories I’ve been telling myself for pretty much as long as I can remember, is that my life has been impacted, influenced, directed, controlled, by depression and fatigue. As with all stories, there are elements of fact, fiction, fantasy, real life experience, truth, and the not so true in this one. Anyway, with the fatigue factor in mind, I’ve recently made an intention (I call it a…

[nomadman108]

The Hermits (and the Lion) Sleep Tonight

The Lion Sleeps Tonight. That’s the song name I always think of. Sometimes you might hear it called Wimoweh. While it’s the song’s Zulu title, it’s actually not a real word: it references a mishearing (and subsequent recording by a group in the early ’50s) of Uyimube (the original chorus) which is Zulu for you are a lion. In any case, I feel like I’ve known the song all my life. I suppose I…

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A Story of a Door

The walk from the Hermitage to the coffee shop at the Village Green takes around five minutes or so. This morning, noticing a pause in the rain, we thought we might take the opportunity to get some fresh air and a walk, at the end of which there would be coffee. So, we stepped bravely forward, with the faith that the gods of the rain were indeed taking a break. ‘Look over there, ‘ said my…

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What Will Please You Lord? A Prayer Contemplated

Namaste my friends In my last post I reflected upon the meaning for me personally of a Bhagavad Gita verse that had particularly struck me as I carried on with my renewed inspiration to read the text from the beginning. Today, I didn’t even get to the place where my reading left off yesterday. Before reading I like to pray some or all the prayers I have pasted in the front (and the back now).…

[nomadman108]

Friend Or Foe?

Your enemies will now question your capabilities. Is there anything more painful and shameful than that? Bhagavad Gita 2:36 Thanks to inspiration from my partner hermit, I’ve once again begun reading Bhagavad Gita from the beginning. The quoted verse came up this morning as I continued through chapter 2. Setting the scene, the Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Krishna (God) and Arjuna, a…

[nomadman108]

The Hermits Visit a Coffee Shop

Namaste and Greetings Welcome to another poetic sharing post. There have been a few lately haven’t there? I had thought that once I had the new page Poems of Devotion up and running that I would only feature one every now and again in its own post. However the one I feel inclined to share with you today is slightly different. Well, not really: it’s still a devotional piece, but for some reason…

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Out Beyond Capricorn: Poetic Offering

Namaste and greetings It’s been just over a week now since the new page on the blog went live. I have to say that it’s been very satisfying setting it up, then uploading some of my devotional poems. Actually, it was while uploading one yesterday that I thought, I’ll feature this one in its own post. I did mention that I would like to continue this occasional practice. There’s not too much to…

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I'm 'Giving Up' ... To Amend My Life

Renunciation. It’s a popular topic here at the Hermitage. Perhaps popular isn’t the right word; let’s say it’s a subject of conversation, thought, and contemplation on a quite frequent basis. As it is, I think, for most people attempting to live a spiritually focused life. For today, however, I really want to focus on some of my own thoughts around renunciation. For those of us oriented towards…

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You Are Invited to Visit the New Page on the Blog

Have you seen the new page on the blog? It’s called Poems of Devotion (no prizes for guessing what’s on that page). What you’ll see when you get there! You are warmly invited to head over there to read and enjoy a poem. Or perhaps two, or seven! The choice is yours. The page, as you already guessed, seeing right through the extremely obscure title, is dedicated solely to devotional poems I…

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It's Dhal Day Today

This morning I announced here in the Hermitage to anyone within range, that today, I would be making lentils. No, I thought, I can’t ‘make’ lentils; my job is to cook them so they might become Dhal.  Jokingly to myself I stated by way of correction in my best mentally affirmative voice ‘It’s Dhal day today.’ Dhal is an important staple for us here at the hermitage. Please don’t imagine I’m…

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Realisation of Reality; It started With a Joke

‘I like looking at you,’ says the hermit. ‘You must be sick in the head,’ replies, as quick as  you like, his partner hermit of 40 odd years. (Obviously an old and oft shared joke). ‘Of course I’m sick in the head,’ bursts out of the hermit in response. ‘It’s like saying the sun comes up every morning. It’s a given, a simple fact of life.’ Problem is, it’s not true is it? the sun I mean; it…

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Don't Stick Your Feet Out

Just now (as in earlier today) I had some perfectly natural, normal, and expected thoughts about my prayer life. If I’m to be honest though, and perhaps a tad overly tough on myself, the thoughts I had felt slightly ridiculous given my professed commitment to praying constantly, and my supposed understanding of the meaning and function of prayer.  In other words, there I was again: putting some…

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Sounds and Vibrations

Today’s post opens with what I think is called an oxymoron (funny word that) No need to repeat here that I am a hermit; there you go, I repeated it, but it’s true nonetheless: I am a hermit. The oxymoron bit comes in when I make another obvious statement to the effect of, as a hermit I very much prefer to spend the vast majority of my time right here where I am right now:  in our…

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Cause and Effect: A Poetic Sharing

Greetings my friends, and welcome Another poetic sharing today. My resolve, my prayer, to write more devotional poetry does indeed seem to be bearing fruit, and I am deeply thankful. With gratitude and with humility I make this offering to You. Love and Peace CAUSE AND EFFECT Every moment is a cause in which lies a potential effect Spiritual growth. This is the effect. Yet, as we grow, our…

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The Hermitage Surrender is a key issue for our community of Hermits. Surrender in the sense of, to put it really simply, how to just go with the flow; how to recognise that the universe moves as it does, and how might we fully realise that while we do what we can, playing our part, in the final analysis, life unfolds as it does. Like I guess, most people we often have trouble accepting the…