I opened the mount of oak blog and I noticed its title : "Monastic, Life-giving, Eco - community"...
It is in itself a prophetic definition of this place as there's not really an established community yet...so far, I'm the only one committed to live here on a long term basis... it has been an itinerant community of different groups of people who come and go... I still wait for those with the same desire to commit to live a monastic life together...
But what stuck out to me was the word "MONASTIC", which not many people might be aware of its meaning, and this rough meditation started... (sorry for the length and my limited english language)
"Monastic"... what does that mean to me ?
This will be simply my definition, or simple thoughts about it as I let my brain storm... It most probably will not sound as mystic as some people may see monasticism... so, I´m not a scholar either, so I apologise first of all for my ignorance and use of this term...
I used this term because I have a definition for myself, and that´s what I will try to explain...
When I think about monasteries I think about communities which emerged in times when the institutional church was going through some big crisis of identity, when its structures and institutionalisation were suffocating what Jesus intended the church to be (if ever Jesus intended the church to be as it became, an institution, or another religion)...
After Peter said to Jesus that he is the Messiah, the Son of The Living God, Jesus replied : "on this rock (I'm sorry to say, but I don't think Jesus is referring here to Peter being the rock, but his declaration instead), I will build my church"... "the church", in its original word "eklesia", means an assembly of people who govern themselves following Jesus´s teachings...
Jesus is the one who gathers people around his teachings of self-governance and independence from the Roman Empire... Jesus, or The Spirit of God, is the only one that can build the ekklesia, gathering men and women who know deeply in their hearts that Jesus is the expected Messiah, The Son of the Living God who will set us all free from Empire and oppression and bring real Peace and renewal of the Earth... These men and women included prostitutes, physically and mentally disabled people, thieves, gays, business people, tax collectors, lepers, religious leaders and even politicians ... It seems easy today "to do churches", or "plant churches" like some calls it, but who knows who is the "Ekklesia" of the Living God... only God knows I guess... and I guess we will all be surprised when we finally have our eyes and consciousness fully open one day ...
Going back to Monasticism...In times when men and women felt far from being part of the "Ekklesia", far from being a simple fellowship of broken brothers and sisters, friends of the resurrected Messiah, Jesus, there was a movement to retreat from the world/system and its institutionalised "church", and simply get focused on GOD ALONE... Men and women in solitude or gathering around the teachings of Jesus to remember and re-collect what was essential and important in the message God has sent through Jesus. Monasteries emerged ...
These were probably men and women who were already involved in "church activities" and "successful ministries", but who were feeling far from the Source and the simplicity of the Gospel : " - to love God above all things and to love our neighbours as Jesus would " (interesting the word "neighbour" in portuguese means both "the one who is closer", or "the one who comes after us"... but I'll leave this meditation for another time)...
I went too far already in my introduction here, sorry about that...
I was reminded by God about why I wanted to live in a community in the countryside... it was not only because I love to live in/with nature; it was not only because I wanted to escape the world/system (Babylon) and find a refuge myself; it was not only because I wanted to live together with other people... I can´t say it in any other way: - I felt called to live this life this way...
For many years I desired to live like this, but the time was not the right one yet... when I came to this land I was going through a journey of deconstructing the concept of "church" together with my community in Lisbon... I really felt we were (and are) in such times, when the institutional church is too conformed to the system that should be resisting to, helping those who suffer from all its injustices...
We need monastic communities to emerge again in Europe and all over the western world... both in the country and in cities... and I know it is happening already... we need voices in the desert calling out the Ekklesia to BE the Ekklesia...
We need to go out into "deserts" (where there's nothing to distract us) , to refocus on God ALONE and on what God called us to be in this world, at this time...
There is a need for places of prayer and devotion to God where people can stop their busy lives to hear the quiet voice that cries out inside of each one and keeps calling us to be who we're supposed to be... children of The Living God of Light and Love...
A sign that this is a real need in our days is that thousands of people are attracted daily to go to places like "Taize" (a modern day type of Monastery) to pray, or walk the "Camino de Santiago" ... even those who say they don´t believe in God...
In Europe, we not only killed God, but we killed the desire for people to belong to a spiritual community... Capitalism needs spirituality out of the way... It needs consumers, and preferably independent and lonely ones... those who value their freedom above anything else, including loving our neighbours or loving the Earth.
In my opinion, a monastic life should be a calling from God (either for life or for a season), it shouldn't be only for the "mystics", it shouldn't be a thing of the past, but it should be a reality today, it shouldn't be only for institutionalised monks or nuns, subjected to an official Order and obligatory vows and strict structures... (I believe the commitment to follow Jesus and looking after one another should be enough)
Here's my small brain storm on the word "Monastic"...
I noticed that most people who pass by here feel uncomfortable with some of the major aspects of a monastic life (again I remember that this is simply my ideas on a rough meditation)
These "stumbling blocks" are : REST, SOLITUDE & SILENCE.
A monastic life, in a way, it´s an act of resistance as it confronts the church and society lifestyles, which are often very BUSY, LONELY in the midst of crowds (different from solitude) and very NOISY...
Let me go through some of these aspects individually:
REST...
It is important and healthy to work (which is also part of a monastic life, and it´s more acceptable), but we shouldn't let the work become overwhelming or stressful...
work should be a blessing, and should never be done expecting anything as an exchange... we should work as a simple attitude of service and love (unfortunately some monasteries become businesses and loose the main focus of devotion to God)
I can tell you that, living on a farm in such a pioneer stage, work is something that never ends, we can constantly see things that need to be done... It is a discipline to stop working (and for some that's really hard)...
So, REST is the key to reach this discipline. A rest which does not make you feel guilty or lazy because there's so many things that need to be done... But a rest that tells us we are choosing the best part (see Martha and Mary's story with Jesus)... there should be times to work and times to stop working... because work will never end... I take this really seriously here...
Next one is SOLITUDE...
It is vital for a community to have fellowship with one another (the purpose of COMMunity, right?! something in COMMON which brings UNITY...), but we shouldn't let fellowship occupy ALL the time of our day (some people really like that)... we need time and space to be alone and to be with God (that scares some people as well), in order for our fellowship time to be of the best quality... 
Being always surrounded with other people, or any sort of "noise" is a way to avoid our inner self (sometimes our own emptiness), and to prevent God from leading us into the growth we're looking for. Being with our inner self should be part of a monastic living and our growth into God's likeness (both individually and as a body)... Of course, our relationship and fellowship with others confronts us with our inner self too (one of the best gifts of community, but also the most challenging sometimes)... We need to set ourselves apart in order to process the actions and reactions that take place within us when we are confronted with others... our instant and human reaction is to always think it's the other people's fault... but it is not even about who's guilty or not... all confrontations are but opportunities for us to look at our inner self and allow God to show us what to do or change (and not just expect others to change)...
SOLITUDE is as vital as fellowship... I often say that if I don't have my time alone, I have nothing to give when I'm with other people...and I've proved this to be true in my life...so, I really take it seriously...
people look for company, that is understandable...but if we don't feel comfortable with our own company, we'll always have expectations that others cannot meet...
And last, SILENCE... which for some can be seen as lack of communication...
Some people need communication ALL the time... either for lack of self initiative, or because they're so uncomfortable with themselves that they cannot bear neither silence nor solitude... or maybe because they lack patience to let silence speak...
yes, silence also speaks...
I agree some things are to be communicated at the right time, and the right way... but if we communicate things only with our spontaneous emotions we may not transmit exactly what we want to say and this often leads to lots of misunderstandings...
If we allow silence to process the thoughts within us, we will have more discernment of when to communicate the right ideas or words...
I do agree though, that there are things (specially when it comes to issues between 2 people) that should be communicated and resolved as soon as possible (preferably with a mediator)... forgiveness should be the breath of every community life...
So, these are some aspects I have in mind when I think about a monastic life in community:
...Living together with a small group of people who know/desire to appreciate and live in solitude, rest and silence...
...Living together with people with a loving and humble heart, ready to confront and be confronted in love... to forgive and be forgiven... being honest and transparent...
...Living together with people who seek above all else, to be devoted to God, who makes us One with each other... Ultimately,it is God who will show us the things we need to work on our lives, without judgment and with a lot of Love...
...Living together with people who are submissive to the basic structures and rhythms we need to function as a body ... yet, being aware that structures and rules are only a skeleton of the body and should not be what is seen... it should be something intrinsic in the life of the community...
There are other aspects about monastic life that come to mind... The fact for instance, that we are not called to live ONLY inwardly but also outwardly focused... (either simultaneously or in specific seasons).What I mean is that the focus should be not only our individual and communal inner work, but also be open to work and serve outside of ourselves or our community...
This makes me think about 3 other things that should be results of a monastic life ( not the life in itself, but fruits of it) , which are :
HOSPITALITY, TEACHING/LEARNING, SERVING THE MOST VULNERABLE ( seek justice)...
whatever we have to give/offer to others, needs to come from a place where we have received ourselves : either in our individual work with God (solitude, rest, silence) or in our communal lives with one another...
We cannot offer HOSPITALITY when we lack hospitality within the community (if we don't love and care for one another), or if we don´t look after ourselves and welcome ourselves as we are...
We cannot TEACH/LEARN, if we don't receive it from God with an open heart to practice it in our own lives (again coming from solitude, rest and silence)... In the same way, we cannot TEACH/LEARN if we don't have humble and teachable hearts to learn from one another... that's one of the richest gifts of living in a community, that each single person has something special and unique to share with the others...
We cannot SERVE THE MOST VULNERABLE unless we recognise in our own inner self that we too are vulnerable, and that Jesus is in those who are vulnerable... Not that "they" are less and "we" have something to offer that "they" don't have, but that WE are equals and because we know when we are vulnerable we need other´s help, we can be compassionate with those who are vulnerable and it´s our time to help.
This realisation needs to be also present within the community...
I know some monastic orders have a vow of poverty, but as I said earlier, I don´t think we need necessarily vows, but in this area, I think it is important to be committed to simple living, and using no more than a minimum wage from the country we chose to live in. We are aware that most part of the world´s problems is fruit of human´s greed for more than we need. If we all choose a simple lifestyle, there is plenty for everyone.
In all this (and I know it's getting way too long), my ultimate goal is to reach this balance, between my time of prayer and devotion, my time of work, my time of fellowship, my time of service and my time of rest... to reach a state when is not a matter of time given to one or other aspect, but that it is all one and the same : my life´s journey with God.
I want all this to be intrinsic in my life, as I cannot imagine it any other way... The way all this is put into practice may vary, but these are the essentials.
I will have loads to chew on here myself...
I hope it does speak something to you too, and be free to comment about it...
It's been great to be alone here for the last couple of weeks and to have the time to rethink about all these things again...to have the time to write...and also to enjoy the company and take care of the animals, of the plants and of myself ...
Somehow the last few years on this place have been a bit busy for me... too many people coming and going, too many changes, too many "issues" to resolve, too many things to think about... And I realise I haven't got enough time for myself , even though some people think I retreat too much and I'm too quiet... but the truth is that I need lots of time alone and with God to be sane and to have something to give to others... I'm slow, and I easily get drained when there's too much action around me, or when people seem to demand action from me... maybe this is just me and my personality... and it is essential for each one to know themselves...
I'm finally having time to do things I wanted to do for so long... like taking more time to meditate and write... like organising my stuff that was still in boxes since I left Lisbon 3 years ago... like replying to the long e.mail list I have (I'm still working on that)... and above all, I'm enjoying simple things like watching the sun set, reading a book, watching the animals, swimming under the hot summer sun... I was doing all these things to some extent, but there is a degree of contemplation that I was missing... I´m still working but it feels like a holiday...
I do love when people are around , don't get me wrong... but I needed this time to refocus myself...
There was only one guy here this week (he leaves after tomorrow), and I felt a bit sorry for him when he said it is too quiet for him... he walked the "camino de Santiago", but in the end of each day he always had lots of people to chat with... we had to laugh noticing how people are different... here am I, so thankful for the quietness, and this guy is stressing out because of it...
I'm also really grateful for having so many beautiful people passing by (some for longer or more often than others)... I love serving others and I've been served as well... I've received and learned a lot from all...
Now I really feel God is leading me to contemplate the "vision" for this place again ...I don't want to claim I have it all figured out, but I'll only speak about the glimpses I've had so far... I might be totally wrong as well...
When I wrote the description of this "not yet" community, I wrote it in faith, as what I've seen in the spirit, and not what I see at the moment...
It's a bit like what I'm doing now with the permaculture design of the land... I first designed the land as it is, and now I'll put the layers on top of it as I want it to look in the future...
It might be confusing for some, but I chose to live by faith anyway...
I believe in the God who calls out things which are not yet, as if they were...
And I love this God... sometimes I think God has too crazy ideas... but anyway, I trust ...
That's why I'm here doing what I'm doing... being who I'm called to be...
I recently asked people to pray for more faith in my life... so I want to thank all those who did pray...it seems to be working.
I finish now, with some words my good friend Andy
shared with me this morning...
"PEACEFUL IS THE ONE WHO'S NOT CONCERNED
WITH HAVING MORE OR LESS...
UNBONDED BY NAME AND FAME,
SHE'S FREE FROM SORROW
FROM THE WORLD
AND FROM HERSELF"
(Rumi)
A Monastic life should lead us to this kind of peaceful life...
A peace that doesn't depend neither on our circumstances, nor the environment or the people surrounding us...
A Peace that comes in our inner self and it's given by God alone...
BE PEACEFUL...
solitude is not lonely at all...I've been having great times with my surroundings... My camera is not that great, but still I have fun !!!
...a little harvest for dinner...
the spot Muxima chose for her bed...the shower place in the bus...she does love water !!!
