Traveler In The Mist
A website for the creative pursuits of Gary Michael Hassig
About
I sit in silence for long periods of time, then make joyful noise on the drums! I guess that makes me an oxymoron.
Blog
I hope the things God has used to deepen me will add depth to your spiritual walk as well.
Books
My book explores contemplative prayer, the ancient practice of waiting on God in silent wordless prayer.
So, Traveler In The Mist—what’s that all about? Why am I calling myself a traveler, and why in the mist? Because that’s what we all are. Life is a mystery, a mist we’re all traveling through; we’re all searching for answers, for light in the darkness, for truth—or at least for a way to live this life with hope, grace, and hopefully a bit of joy and love along the way. My lifelong search for light and truth and meaning has taught me that God is the heartbeat of the universe, Jesus is the way to life and peace and freedom, the Holy Spirit is the lover of our souls who lights the way through the mist.
Traveler In The Mist is also a literary reference—a couple of them actually. First of all, it refers to The Cloud of Unknowing, a 14th century classic written by an anonymous English monk. The book deals with contemplative prayer—silent wordless prayer—which is one of my main interests and the subject of my book and blog. Also known as centering prayer, and similar in some ways to meditation, the experience of contemplative prayer can be like walking in a heavy fog: you can’t see where you are or where you’re going, yet you’re in perfect peace, “the peace of God which transcends all understanding” (the Bible, Philippians 4:7).
The other literary reference is to the book Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, a historical account of the Osage Indians in the early 20th Century. It details the sad story of their victimization by whites in Oklahoma. The Osage phrase translated “traveler in the mist” refers to a person within the tribe who helps guide their people through difficult times. While I can’t claim that stature, I believe that contemplative prayer and spirituality and the teachings of the Christian mystics, from Jesus, John and Paul to teachers of our time such as Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating and Cynthia Bourgeault, are wise guides for all in our own troubled times. And the primary lesson of all the mystics of all times and places is love, the best and wisest guide of all. I’ve included a page of quotes from Christian mystics through the centuries.
In addition to the writings of others on that subject, my blog and book chronicle my own Christian mystical pursuits. Book excerpts are posted on my book page.
You can also explore my other creative interests here. Enjoy!
A Contemplative Blog
Since contemplative prayer has become such an important part of my life, helping me to search with the Holy Spirit into “the deep things of God,” that’s mainly what I write about. Feel free to comment on any blog.
All writing, photography, video, (etc.) on this website is the creative endeavor of Gary Michael Hassig unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved. No portion of the writing or other creative product on this website may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means–electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other–except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior express written permission of the author and domain owner.