I heard the call to monasticism as a young Atheist in near Cleveland, Ohio. Through the strict filtering of media and focusing on traditional monasticism, I developed a set of contemplative tools that have helped me to focus on the important things and get down to what I considered to be meaningful work. Though I never was able to find faith in a god, and admittedly, I have periodically lost my way more than a bit, but have always been able to lean on these tools as needed, and continually ‘hear’ the calling of the underlying methods and principles.
After several decades of getting and spending (raising my son, finishing my education, and jockeying my professional life to a point where I can focus on my Monastic Rule), I am in a good place to share about my contemplative efforts and my experience. This site lays out an individualized approach to monasticism that can be adapted to suit most people, today. The webpage, MonsDomus.com, is a developing blog about my personal journey while building my Secular Monastic experience.
My hope is that you find some useful tools to navigate this crazy world. Personally, I needed to make a lot of adjustments in my approach, maybe you will benefit from just a tweaking.
In any case, peace and wellbeing to you!
~Dr. Blake Ketchum