The secular monastery is an idea I have long held in my head, but been a bit reluctant to start writing, as I still need to sort most of the details out. The basic idea came at least by the time I was a senior in high school (2000-2001). At the time, I wanted to enter a monastic lifestyle myself, but realized that my religious views were far too doubtful of God to devote myself to Him. As a result of my skepticism I wondered what it would be like to be in a monastery that has a more secular and almost humanist school of thought. I did not think of it as a fictitious piece for some time afterward but a few years later, while working at Ball, I did come up with the idea of simply setting the idea to a story. That would allow me to live the fantasy of being in such an organization without actually needing to do the nitty gritty of setting such a thing up. Although, someday I would in theory like to see such an organization realized, I am content with the possibility and the good stories I hope to write on the subject. The devil is always in the details and that no less is the case for this story too. The true problem, I feel is getting started and maintaining the quality I envision for this.
Basically it comes down to the way I set this up. So far, I have the hope to make a Chaucerian type story, based upon a common narrative, and going into the individual tales of the monks. The basic story (as it is now in my head), is of a young man who wants to join this monastery but feels the urge to inquire why the other monks joined it too. One by one, each monk tells their story as to what their life was like before the monastery, and what they have been doing since they arrived. After some time there, the young man decides to join for himself, even though it means a life of great sacrifice. Of course, there is a lot more in it than just this, and the most important aspects of it will be the philosophy and terms behind the monastery itself. The main philosophy of the monastery I am still having trouble arriving at, but basically it is most akin to the Enlightenment philosophies of the 17th century. The characters themselves may or may not be religious, but their purpose at this place is not to devote themselves to God, but rather to mankind. All of the brothers are great scholars and artists who devote themselves entirely to their individual life’s work.
They share certain beliefs in common, including the binding philosophy of the abbey and the devotion and need to reject all temptation of the external world. There are few rituals in the abbey, saving for meal times and a brief speech at the end of each night given by the abbot, followed by a brief time of meditation. The monastery is not meant to be a lifelong institution, but rather a place of several year long tenures. The majority of the monks come and join to complete their magna opera, and generally leave when they are done. There are however, a few lifelong members including the abbot. In a way though, the abbot’s magnum opus is the abbey, itself, and it’s ability to spawn so much creativity and goodness. The abbot is the most senior monk, and its of little wonder as he is also the founder. He does what I wish I could do, and that is to create this monastery altogether. When it is his turn to tell his tale, this will all be explained, but for now the origins of the monastery will remain a little mysterious. A couple other major points that will be explored more in depth later is the location and setting of the monastery.
Being a man of Colorado, I can’t help but want to keep it in the mountains. In my mind, it is at a place I think of as fairly sacred, and that is a Roman Catholic chapel called St. Malo, up by Rocky Mountain National Park. It seems ideal in that it is a good deal removed from civilization and truly captures the raw beauty of nature. Being surrounded by nature is important for the monks, because it helps them concentrate and also to find solace while retiring from all of life’s other temptations. Some of the people who come to join the monastery are in fact scientists who are looking to study nature, and the setting is meant to inspire them and all people. As to the size and appearance of the monastery that has yet to be decided, but it will certainly be of a medieval monastic build, and will be large enough to house all of the monks and their workshops. Financing of this place has yet to be invented by me, but that will be coming, I have little doubt as the story unfolds. This is the gist of what the story is about, I hope to do it justice when I write the rest of the story, but for now that should give a clear understanding into the Secular Monastery