The Cloister Walk

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Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world -- its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community -- can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives. Despite my constant waiting for the “right” moment to read this book, it found me right when I needed it. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

You want to share this great discovery, giving her work as a gift3/4or you simply shove a copy in the face of a friend, saying 'Read this.Not that metaphor isn’t there, just that often times people like to say the entire thing is some sort of allegory, or at least the bits they don’t want to personally do are a metaphor for some soft-soap like adage of “ah, just love your fellow man. They take the time to sing, chant and read the psalms aloud, leaving plenty of room for silence, showing a respect for words that is remarkable. With her lucid, luminous prose, hard-headed logic, and far-reaching metaphors, Norris has brought us the cloister at its most alive.

This is only, of course, a brief (ok, not so brief) look at some of the content Norris covers, at least the focuses that were most powerful to me. She found herself deeply moved and spiritually enriched by the daily Liturgy of the Hours, the oral recitation of Scripture, and the spiritual practice of hospitality within this community. As a young man (end of college days) I visited a Trappist Monastery when a boyhood friend was studying to become a Trappist, and I was allowed to walk with the Monks in processional at a High Mass (which they have every day). It depicts a depth and beauty of spirituality in monastic life that has survived the vicissitudes of Roman Catholic politics and pomp. The Benedictines though are not afraid to tackle the difficult bits alongside those peaceful passages we all love.In this stirring and lyrical work, the monastery, often considered archaic or otherworldly, becomes immediate, accessible, and relevant to us, no matter what our faith may be. Kathleen Norris is an award-winning poet and the author of Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, as well as three volumes of poetry, the most recent of them Little Girls in Church. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, in various anthologies, and in her own three volumes of poetry. When an idea strikes, she tells us, the poet must be ready to attend to it even when they can’t see where it’s leading, even when they don’t know what it means.

Built in 1504 by Prior Thomas Docwra, St John’s Gate was the south gateway to the Priory of Clerkenwell, the headquarters of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem.Norris's magnificent spiritual memoir of acedia (a complex cousin of depression) gets an uneven audio treatment. Byatt excepted here- and to be honest, only Possession– that gorgeous thing that somehow manages to be commanding and passionate at the same time, and stared you down with its intelligence while never losing heart. Kathleen Norris is the award-winning, bestselling author of Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith; The Cloister Walk; and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography. How can this practice lead to forgiveness and love – and to the “conversion of heart” sought by all Benedictines?

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image. Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world– its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community– can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives. The author’s spiritual quest required unlearning the lessons and attitudes about church from her childhood. you want to share this great discovery, giving her work as a gift-- or you simply shove a copy in the face of a friend, saying, 'Read this. She brings to life the reality of Benedictine life - the hospitality - the humour - the deep love of Christ and the rhythm of the liturgical year.I experienced being a part of the sea breeze, the movement of the water and the fish, the light rays cast by the sun, the colors of the palms and tropical flowers.