WELCOME

WELCOME to the "Millennial Monk," a fictional story placed in

the Future.  It's about not only an experimental monastic group,

but also about a pioneering monk-architect dedicated towards

building and teaching in areas that support the sustainability of

burgeoning populations in the 21st century.

To follow the story, go to the very last post, which is the 

Introduction and work your way forward.

(2) Passing the Torch

In the meanwhile I continue to ponder, sitting comfortably

in the garden.  Like any elderly person, I suppose, I tend

to remember so many of friends and family--especially

those who have passed on.  In particular I oft dwell on the

memory of my good friend Brother Philip, who was so

instrumental in changing the course of my life.

Occasionally I do wonder whether I have been a successful

monk.  It somewhat bothers me, that maybe I haven't really

followed the monastic vocation more specifically.  Still long

ago the Millennial Monasteries started out as an 

experimental community that emphasized  that the 

"Lord's Service" was to serve in God's good world,

working for the benefit of God's good people,  

It's just that I chose a somewhat different route,  Whereas

most of our monks worked teaching theology and religion,

others in medical and some technical fields, I was nearly the 

lone wolf when it came to architecture.  Still I managed a 

focus that was true (in a sense) to the ideas behind 

Eco-Spirituality.  And there's no doubt that one of the

greatest challenges of this 21st century of the New 

Millennium has been that of Sustainability of our populations.  

Anyway, I believe that in some strange way I managed to

merge both my monastic and architectural vocations to

support this great effort to "sustain" and keep well our

people here in the San Diego area.  And from what i have

learned, many are continuing this effort throughout the

country.  For me, it has been a spiritual effort doing this.

Oh I must now be off.  Evening prayers are calling, then

a good night's sleep.  

(1) Passing the Torch

Now having retired from Southwestern some ten years ago, 

I am indulging looking back.  It's easy to consider my 

passing the torch--if you will--when it comes to those 

wonderful students I taught at Southwestern,  A goodly 

number of them went on to become successful architects, 

and some especially advanced Environmental Design 

when it came to the buildings and facilities they developed.

Sitting here on my bench in our lovely garden, I now 

ponder mostly about the Past,  Goodness, what else

should an 85 year old do!  It wasn't all about Southwestern,

however,  In the midst of my teaching duties I also still

did some  work on a few new monasteries that the

Millennial Monasteries contracted with my old 

architecture firm,

Fortunately I wasn't the lead architect, first tutoring than

assisting a young bright architect who the firm designated

to work on these new monasteries,  Specifically I assisted

him in designing a fascinating monastery in New Mexico,

near Santa Fe,  We chose a form of Pueblo architecture

for this particular monastery.  Later we worked together

up near Seattle, building a new monastery in the Pacific

Northwest,  We decided  on a Japanese motif when it

came to the buildings--and I thoroughly delighted 

creating some wonderful natural Japanese gardens 

that enhanced the property.

Of course, too, I continued teaching periodic retreats

when it came to Eco-Spirituality.  But I have fellow monks

much younger than me who have jumped into this full

force,  They are the future and have already added loads

of new material to this retreat,  

So it would seem that I have left my interests, my dedication

over the years in good hands, whether at Southwestern or

the building of new monasteries.  Have to smile because

my young protege at the firm has recently been asked to

design two new Millennial monasteries in Florida and

Louisiana.  It would seem our squatting monks are moving

into a whole new territory, expanding from the Western 

states to the South.

I had to laugh when my young protege suggested I might

fly out to Florida with him.  He wanted to take me on a

tour of the Everglades.  Sounds like an interesting 

proposal.  Though I have been walking with a cane for

awhile, I mused over the prospect  of using it to ward off

an attacking alligator.  What's stopping me?  Maybe I will

go visit the Everglades!

(3) Teaching Time

Also, since I was a teenager, California has been installing

desalination plants up its coastline from the San Diego region all

the way to the Monterey Bay area.  However I chose to visit two

of the oldest plants in our region, in nearby Rosarito, Mexico.

The Rosarito desalination  plants were sponsored initially not

only by Mexico but the local San Diego Water Authority.  Thus they

were included as part of the string of such facilities up the California

coastline.  And they were by far the largest of all these plants that

provide desalinated water from the Pacific Ocean.

The Mexican company was very hospitable and agreed that I could

periodically bring my Southwestern students down for tours, which

it would provide.  Without going into a lot of detail, a desalination

plant pipes in salt water from the ocean, where via reverse osmosis

the brine is separated from the water supply.  And eventually this

desalinated water is piped into the regional water supply.

Finally satisfied, I prepared my courses on Energy and Water

Resources and was ready to become a teacher.  And I happily

taught dedicated students for some 20 years, until I retired at the

tender age of 75.  Looking back I think I was even more satisfied

teaching the young than I was actually working as an architect

building facilities dedicated to the idea of Sustainability.  Perhaps

I felt by passing on my knowledge to the young would go a much

longer way than just designing a building here and there.

(2) Teaching Time

San Diego County has a number of water reclamation facilities,

but I chose to visit the one in South Bay, situated literally next

to the International Border between the United States and Mexico.

It was one of the oldest of such facilities, but it was also the closest

to the university.  The staff there were very gracious and really

provided me with an in-depth tour along with architectural designs,

operation manuals, etc.

I was really surprised how huge this facility was, in that it took a lot

of hiking around.  In more ways than one, it took my breath away.

Anyway, I came to learn that it was about purifying waste water,

so that it can be reclaimed.  The procedure was as follows: the waste

water would blow into what is called the Primary Sedimentation

Basins.  The solids would sink to the bottom of the tanks.  "Scum"

(grease and cooking oil)  would float to the surface.

The raw sludge is sent back to the sewer system, and after the

"scum" is skimmed, it, too, is returned to the sewer system.  After

these steps, the waste water mixes with bacteria that eat soluble

organic material; and, eventually, the waste water flows into what

is called Aeration Basins where diffused air is pumped into the

water.  At this point the bacteria start to ingest and digest the

organic solids.  There are continuous second stages to this process.

But, finally, the treated water can either be discharged into the ocean

or bay--or moved onto additional treatment for reclaimed

water applications.

After visiting the older water reclamation facility in the South Bay,

I arranged a tour at one of the newer Advanced Water Purification

Facilities that "met all applicable drinking water regulations."  The

oldest of these advanced water facilities was built back in 2011,

but several others followed since.  In a nutshell, as put: waste

water reuse has become a part of not only California's but the

nation's water supply portfolio.

There's very careful testing at these advanced facilities.  Such

testing included flushing out not only microbial contaminants 

and other pollutants, but also pharmaceuticals that aren't

regulated in drinking water.

Need I say that I was more than impressed by all the effort involved,

not only in the building of these special water reclamation facilities

but additionally the careful architectural design that supported the

process.  These water reclamation facilities proved to be an

"eye-opener" for me, so I fully expected they would impress my

students too!

(1) Teaching Time

Chapter 8.  Teaching Time

The Southwestern Vocational University is located not too far 

from the monastery, so the few days a week that I taught there

I could commute.  The arrangement made me happy in that 

finally I could live permanently at our monastic home up in

the San Ysidro Mountains.

As for the university itself, more than 30 years back it was only

a community college; however, the various community colleges

in California eventually evolved into vocational universities.

It was decided back then that the need for seriously academic

training, directed towards specific vocations, was needed to

meet the job standards of an ever growing high technology

economy.  The vocations were more diverse than expected, 

hence new schools within these vocational universities kept

emerging.  Hence Southwestern's Architecture School was a

recent addition.  Consequently there was a need for teachers,

thus I was hired and slid into a nice slot: Professor of

Environmental Design.

Before I even reached the point teaching students, I was given

time to develop my course that I would teach in-house, 

via video, and online--as well as arrange tours of facilities.

I focused on the subject of Sustainability for all my courses.

California was burgeoning with huge populations, and especially

its Energy and Water resources were the main issues when it

came to sustaining these populations.

It was easy aiming in on the Energy resources, because I had

worked for years in these areas--ranging from photovoltaic

roofs to designing new geo-thermal plants.  On the other hand

I couldn't claim a background when it came to the design of

the Water resources that were necessary for California and

its future.

So I had to arrange some serious time contacting special 

Water facilities in the area, talking to the designers, to the

people who worked there, taking tours myself, before I could

even begin to map out a course on this important and

necessary resource.

(3) Inner Work

To make a long story short, I eventually discovered what Jungians

call the Animus--the major masculine archetype--and the Anima, 

who represents the major feminine archetype that prevails in a 

person's mental landscape.  Beyond these major archetypes there

are secondary archetypal forces that prevail in this inner world of 

the psyche.  The focus of dream analysis is to understand how these

archetypes speak to us, how they determine who we are, who we

become.

Much to my amazement, my personal Animus represented himself

as a monk--robed, but wearing a warrior's boots.  And my Anima

presented herself as a woman I knew who was a scientist and teacher.  

Philip oft asked me what these descriptives meant to me.  It took time 

to bring forth what they meant, but eventually I determined the

significance of such for me.

Yes, I was meant to be a monk--but one who lived and worked out

in the world.  As a monk-warrior I very much spiritually engaged the

issue of sustainability: i.e., as an architect engaged in Green 

Architecture, as one who focused on the major issues in my region

where the major requirements were about Energy and Water.

And much to my amazement even before I was *conscious* of

any of this, I was unconsciously, naturally, living out this archetypal

map.

I found, too, that I had to attend more to my personal Anima.  She 

was represented by a woman who was a scientist and teacher.  

Philip got me thinking what this might mean for me.  I had taught

a retreat seminar about EcoSpirituality over the years at the

monastery, but I felt that now I had to extend more out into the

world in some significant way.

Perhaps blind luck, but at this point a friend at the nearby 

Southwestern Vocational University contacted me, informing me

that a teaching position at the Architectural School was open--and

would I be interested?  Indeed I was, and soon I found myself in a

new capacity: as a Professor of Architecture!