Beyond the Living School

At the beginning of August this year, Matilda and I attended the last of our Living School Symposiums in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With that the formal part of our two year program, run by the Center for Action and Contemplation, officially came to an end.

The readings of the Christian mystics old and new, the introduction to bright minds, high thought, humble lives, honest searching, different ways of knowing, an unfathomable great and delicately small God, us as wondrous and limited, the discussions and the work on our “integration project” became such a big part of our lives that it is very difficult to imagine a time without it. But the Living School was never intended to be a purpose or goal in itself. It is a doorway into a new way of looking and living and for that reason we enter this new phase of our lives with excitement and anticipation.

Looking back and taking stock of the past two years, what were some of the discoveries we’ve made?

We have discovered – sometimes for the first time, sometimes anew :

• To trust God’s marching orders. From the very first stirrings that we’ve felt years ago on hearing about the Living School, we realized that from a South African, practical and personal perspective it was an impossible dream. It is just so very far to Albuquerque and so expensive. When we went through the rigorous application process in 2015 I said to Matilda: “You do realize that the day we walk through that front door of Hotel Albuquerque, it will be like walking on water.” We have been walking on water 4 times now, if you add the Intensive in February of last year as well.

• In that sense, the LS has been an extension to what we’ve experienced up to now here at Barrowfield and with The Restory. Things are opening up so that we can be in the right place and position to be of service to those who are in need and searching.

• Our rich Christian tradition. Spirituality in general and Christianity in particular are facing enormous challenges in the decades to come. Current ways of being church will actually become a hinderance in our efforts to address those challenges. But we can see in a new way and act bravely, compassionately and creatively from a very rich, very old tradition that has everything to prepare us for that. Unfortunately, over the centuries we have forgotten, distorted and neglected so much of that wealth and resources.

• Community. In a number of ways, our spiritual journey has been a lonely one. In the LS we found a community that spans the globe and who understands our fears, struggles and deep joys. Such a community is true gift when you have experienced  that many of those emotions that you struggle with or want to share are often counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. The guides and companions on that journey are few and far between.

• America and its people. In all honesty, the US has never been very high on our bucket list. We were therefore quite amazed at how much we’ve loved the country. Truth be told, we had a soft landing in the sense that the climate in Albuquerque is very similar to that of South Africa and the LS students are there after they’ve gone through a screening process. They are not necessarily a true sample of American society, but we found Americans in general helpful and courteous.

• Jim and Cynthia. For most of the students, the big draw card of the LS has always been Richard Rohr. It was indeed a privilege to be in his presence during these 2 years, to experience him and attend his sessions. But James Finley (or Uncle Jim as he is affectionately known by the students) and Cynthia Bourgeault have been wonderful discoveries. Besides the fact that all three of them are powerhouses in terms of being well-read and academically qualified, it is their deep humbleness and lived spirituality that made the deepest impression. You always had this sense that it is truly a living school with them traveling on this journey with you, constantly growing and learning as well.

• Afrikaans. Since the beginning of the LS in 2013, 10 students from South Africa have gone through the program. It is wonderful to be part of that local community as well where you do not have to explain or position yourself. We are all immediately just on the same page. With only Matilta and me being Afrikaans, English is the language of choice. If that is the case in SA, obviously even more so at the Symposiums in the US. You can imagine our utmost surprise one morning at this last Symposium to find this comment in the little visitors’ book at our exhibit (we had a slideshow of our work at The Restory) that formed part of the larger exhibition of this year’s integration projects: “George en Matilda, Dankie vir julle pragtige werk in Wakkerstroom / Utrecht en met die mense rondom julle! Sterkte vir elke dag. Milla McLachlan, 2020 Cohort.” Milla, who now works and lives in Oregon City in the US, still speaks a fluent Afrikaans. What a wonderful experience for us 3 to stand there in the sea of excited English conversations after our Sending Ceremony, speaking Afrikaans and mysteriously being tied to the African soil from where we’ve come and to which Matilda and I were about to return.

• There is a growing number of young people who apply and get accepted at the LS. One tends to think that people in the second half of life grow almost naturally through life experience into the contemplative spirituality. But these youngsters not only have a grasp on these matters but they have a depth that I can only admire.

• The gift of brokenness. Richard often says: “We thought we came to God by doing it right, and lo and behold, surprise of surprises, we come to God by doing it wrong—and growing because of it!” Proportionately, a large number of the LS students are also in AA programs. These are people whose lives at one stage have fallen apart, who have hit rock bottom and who had to face illusions of perfection. In that sense Matilda and I knew we were onto something good and solid when we had to name our mistakes and failings in life during the application process. For the first time in our lives we’ve applied for something where our very flaws played a huge role in getting us accepted!

So, we had our Sending Ceremony and have received our “non-certificates”, pieces of paper that, in the words of Richard, “mean as little to us as it means to you.”

After all the planning, the loans, the contributions and help of family and friends, 25 flights over 2 years, sleeping on an airport floor, late nights reading and studying, we have no degree, no diploma, no special qualification.

We do not blame people when they think we are mad.

Why did we do it?

The very short answer: we had no choice. We had to.

Like an Abram of old we have no idea what the end result of all this will be. But, as with the move to Wakkerstroom, something or Someone entered our lives that is bigger than us or our lives.

We cannot explain it rationally and there are times when we ourselves do not understand it.

But then you sit there at the Symposium and listen to Richard saying: “For each one of you sitting here, 5 other people all over the world would have loved to be in your seat.”

Why were we as a couple, with our meagre resources, accepted out of all the applications? If, according to worldly and ego standards, you have nothing in hand to show at the end of the 2 years, why do so many try to get into the program?

We do not know. We’ll have to live into the answer.

 What we do know is that this has been gift.


See also The Living School, The Road to Gaza and 100% Tuition Assistance. 

George