Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art

One Way of Seizing Happiness

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A famous Zen koan A man walking across a field encounters a bear. He fled, the bear chasing after him. Coming to a cliff, he caught hold of a wild vine and swung himself over the edge. The bear sniffed at him from above. Terrified, the man looked … [Continue reading]

Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life: A Visually Splendid, Deeply Philosophical AND Christian film.

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I loved Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. It’s the only film that I've watched, dazzled—and then immediately watched again. Terrence Malick, the auteur--who studied Philosophy at Harvard; was a Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford … [Continue reading]

Remember the Poor

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Image: Francis of Assisi in Franco Zefferelli's gorgeous film, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,”         Galatians 2:10 Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis describes how, during the conclave, as … [Continue reading]

7 Quick Takes: Kew Gardens, Wisley, Leighton House, Univ. Parks, Oxford,Daughters, Progress on NY Goals,

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1 We are taking a walking course in London, with Joanna Hall of The Walking Diet. With her walking technique, I am walking faster—much faster—and, more importantly, really, really enjoying it. I am walking about 4 miles a day around London, when I … [Continue reading]