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

by Steve T. Georgiou

A disillusioned young man journeys to a remote Greek island in search of renewal. By chance, he is introduced to an elderly hermit who over time helps him in his quest. This sage turns out to be none other than Robert Lax, major spiritual poet of the 20th century and friend of Thomas Merton (Merton’s classic autobio-graphy of faith, The Seven Storey Mountain, mentions Lax more often than any other contemporary.) The Way of the Dreamcatcher relates the story of a unique friendship between the hermit Robert Lax and a young Californian, Steve Georgiou, as they talk about art, faith, spirit and commitment during their visits spanning a period of seven years. On the holy island of Patmos, where St. John wrote The Book of Revelation nearly 2,000 years ago, a contemporary young man experienced his own revelations with the help of a creative mentor steeped in ancient and modern spiritual traditions. The result is a fascinating portrait of the man that Thomas Merton said "was born with the deepest sense of who God is." It is also a fascinating book about a young searcher who encounters deep wisdom and affectionate mentoring at an important time in his life.

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are individual lines that are gems--and I find myself underlining them, but the overall toone is too worshipful. Instead of letting us discover the richness in the poet Robert Lax, S. T. Georgiou keeps telling us how wonderful he is. Still, there is genuine wisdom in this book and so I would rate it worthy of reading and mulling over.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book several months ago, reading a few pages every morning as part of my "morning practice" as there is a spiritual quality to it. Two days ago I decided to read to finish it and it was very satisfying. There is a lot of wisdom in it. Robert Lax had an extraordinary life and outlook. The only part that sometimes bothered me were the comments the author made in the conversational components of this book. They almost seemed to put words into Lax's mouth, though Lax, with humble good humor was up to it all. Often I laughed at his simple answers to the complex questions the author posed.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this because of Robert Lax. I enjoyed the religious focus from an academic point of view, but felt it was fairly superficial on the part of Steve T. Georgiou. However, Georgiou's (often covoluted) questions did lead to some interesting answers from Lax.

Unfortunately, I found the general tone of the book odd and Georgiou prone to making (or forcing Lax to make) conclusions that were either too easy or too personal. It was worth reading for Lax's insights into his poetry and faith.