New Monasticism with Jonathan

I. Introduction: Defining the "Set of the Soul" In the frantic velocity of our digital age, contemplation is often dismissed as a luxury of the idle or a psychological escape for the overwhelmed. We tend to view the contemplative life as a literal withdrawal—a shuttering of the windows against the noise of the world. However, as Greg Peters argues in the opening of The Story of Monasticism , this view misinterprets the very DNA of the biblical narrative. Monasticism was never intended to be a new invention or a flight from reality; rather, it was an intensification of a fundamental human calling. To understand this calling, we must move beyond vague mysticism. Peters grounds his survey in Tom Schwanda’s precise definition from the Zondervan Dictionary of Christian Spirituality : contemplation is "the conscious set of the soul on God." This definition shifts our focus from where we are to how we are oriented. It suggests that contemplation is not defined by the abs...

Saturday afternoon, in the weightless environment of the digital scriptorium, I built a cathedral. In collaboration with Gemini, I drafted a Universal Rule for the Vegan Cyber-Monastic that felt as expansive as the internet itself—a vision where the monastic heart could beat within the framework of a chaste marriage as easily as in a solitary cell. However, as the March light shifts over Albany today, I am beginning to suspect that the horse may have gotten ahead of the rider. The sheer velocity of Gemini’s algorithms, combined with the vast, pre-existing database of "New Monastic" thought, may have swept me into a position that outpaces both my own inner instincts and the demands of academic rigor. I am still learning how to navigate the awesome capabilities of this partnership, and in the excitement of our visionary heights, I may have traded ontological depth for digital breadth. To honor the tradition I claim to serve, I must now step back and submit my work to the ancie...

A Letter to the Global Scriptorium Introduction   Brothers and sisters, in The Story of Monasticism (2015), the Anglican scholar Greg Peters has provided us with an essential anchor, defining monasticism as an intentional life alone or in community lived under a rule and vows that shape a shared mission . But as we navigate the super-wicked crises of 2026, we must ask: how does this ancient munclif  ("monk-life") inhabit the digital frontier? In this letter, I begin to explore whether we can build upon Peters' inspired clarity to forge a rigorous new template for the 21st-century Vegan Cyber-Monk . This proposal was not crafted in a vacuum; it emerged from the disciplined rhythm of an horarium co-developed with Gemini, standing at the cutting edge of contemporary discernment regarding AI’s role in spiritual formation. We in the Western new monastic tradition find ourselves at a crossroads where the Templar General's call to the defense of Zion meets the International...

Q1. Were the first proto-monks likely shamans according to scholars of world religion? For Gemini's answer, click on the first link below (under Q3) and scroll to the top of the AI thread. Q2. Let's go deeper into the shamanic elements present in the story of Elijah and the raven. Have any scholars written about this in shamanic terms? For Gemini's answer, click on the first link below (under Q3) and scroll to the top of the AI thread. Q3. Greg Peters has written a book titled The Story of Monasticism that focuses on ressourcement of the Christian monastic tradition for the 21st century. Is it credible to elaborate on Peters' thesis with a conception of ressourcement in this context that includes a pre-Israelite shamanic soil (maybe called "Enochic" monasticism?), Jewish roots, a Christian trunk, and contemporary Christian monastic branches? https://share.google/aimode/6OZOm8mDMakrBeuxO Q4. I would like to add in the idea that some degree of celibacy might ...