Way of the Dreamcatcher: Spirit Lessons with Robert Lax: Poet, Peacemaker, Sage, The

Spiritual Life, Fall 2004 by Noffsinger, John

The Way of the Dreamcatcher: Spirit Lessons with Robert Lax: Poet, Peacemaker, Sage. By S. T. Georgiou. Foreword by Brother Patrick Hart, OCSO. Novalis, Saint Paul University: 23 Main Street, Ottawa, Canada, 2002. Pp. 284. Paper. $19.95.

For many years Robert Lax seemed destined to be known solely for his role as "Thomas Merton's best friend," but with this volume Steve Theodore Georgiou reestablishes Lax as a "poet, peacemaker, and sage" in his own right. Lax was, of course, a friend of Merton's, a fellow student at Columbia in the 1930s and a fellow convert to Catholicism (though Lax converted from Judaism). In The Seven-Storey Mountain, Merton recounts that it was Lax who suggested with great simplicity that he (Merton) "become a saint," since all that was necessary for this seemingly enormous leap was to "want to be one." Lax went on to live a full life as an editor and writer, and he is known as well as one of the foremost "minimalist" poets of the late 20th century. From 1964 until his death in 2000, Lax lived as a hermit on the Greek island of Patmos.

The Way of the Dreamcatcher begins with an anecdotal account of how Georgiou's path crossed with Lax's in Patmos in the summer of 1993. The author was visiting Patmos, in part to rediscover his Greek roots, when he heard a native tell of a "wise old poet in the hills" named "Pax." Intrigued by this information and by the unconscious pun on the poet's name, Georgiou sought out Lax, introduced himself, and became enthralled by Lax's quiet spiritual strength. Georgieou returned to the island for a number of years, each time seeking Lax's advice, conversation, and wisdom. In 1999, the year before Lax's death, Georgiou began a series of interviews with the "sage-poet having to do with his life, work, artistic interests, and spiritual beliefs" (p. 14). Combined with material he had gathered from informal instruction and previous conversations, Georgiou constructed a series of "dialogues" clustered around various topics: Origins, Craft, Art, and Spirit. At the core of this volume are these dialogues, although Georgiou includes, in addition, a prologue and epilogue in which he reminisces about the influence Lax exerted on his life.

In "Origins," the most overtly biographical section of the book, Lax shares his reflections about his life and about the people and authors he found most influential. Among the former are many familiar to readers of Merton: Mark Van Doren, Jacques Barzun, Ad Reinhardt, Dorothy Day, and Jacques Maritain. Among the latter, and Lax cautions "it's a long list," are the Bible, Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, St. John of the Cross, Chaucer, Dante, Rabelais, Pascal, Swinburne, Thoreau, Wittgenstein, Joyce, and Oscar Wilde. And these are just some of the Western authors. Like Merton, Lax had a great interest in the wisdom of the East and knew Confucian philosophy, the Dhammapada, and the Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation. This eclecticism certainly led to Lax's reputation as a sage. In this section, as in others, Lax also reveals his sly sense of humor. He explains that Georgiou probably considers him young because he "has no adult interests," and in response to Georgiou's question about whether Lax ever considered entering a monastery, he responds negatively, explaining "I don't like being bossed around!" (p. 78).

"Craft" focuses in particular on the art of writing: on Lax's calling to be a poet, on what he admires in the writing of others, and on the creative spirit. In response to a query by Georgiou, Lax claims he hopes his writing causes people to "slow things down... [for as we are] increasing our speed, we are simultaneously losing our space" (p. 143). Both words and space play a significant role in Lax's poetry. He loved to experiment and to be playful with words and with typography. Lax believes the act of reading poetry forces us to focus, to pay attention to the moment. Lax's advice to young writers is, above all, to write and to keep on writing. He also believes writers should not be dissuaded by what others think of their writing: "The bottom line is to believe in your original vision, your unique voice. Write to keep your vision going, and everything else will follow" (p. 149).

"Art" focuses on the philosophy of art as well as on the work of various artists Lax admired, including Mondrian, de Chirico, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Klee, and Reinhardt. Lax also admires jazz and reminisces about jazz artists he and Merton heard at clubs when they were students at Columbia in the thirties. At times the dialogue between Georgieou and Lax in this section resembles jazz improvisation, with each one "scatting" in response to the other. Once again, Lax reveals his playful attentiveness to language.

The final section of dialogue, "Spirit," contains Lax's most sustained reflections on the nature of religious experience. Here we receive the fruits of Lax's meditations on his long life. Many of his observations in this section could be presented as aphorisms: "looking and listening lead into everything else"; "everything we need to live well is already within our possession"; "Just continue being mindful"; "Every moment is an invitation, and whatever you do in that moment, if it's dedicated to God,...is a prayer." The ultimate lesson we receive from Robert Lax through Georgiou is the healing message that "love is at the core of what really matters." It becomes clear that Lax lives at the intersection between Christian simplicity and Zen mindfulness.