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to an abandoned monastery of the same period, which now has grass growing in clumps out of the walls, but has not lost its dignity of proportions and its grave force. On Christmas morning, Betty & I went to the church, which was crowded from wall to wall with every inhabitant of the village, all ages including a baby being nursed at the breast beside us and little boys running up & down the aisle doing what was clearly a jig. We had the good luck to stumble on a "first" - an experimental mass exploring the possibilities of the old local music & instruments of the valley. It has been worked out by a folklorist named José Raúl Hellmer, an anthropologist, Dr. Michael Maccoty, & several Mexican composers. The Kyrie Eleison was based on an indigenous dance (the little boys responded to this), & the instruments were drums of the [[strikethrough]] old [[/strikethrough]] pre-Columbian Indian style, made of hollow logs, flutes, guitars, wind instruments made of gourds & others unknown to me. The Indian dance was stronger in it than European Christmas music, but it seemed perfectly appropriate in that village where the inhabitants are themselves mostly descendants of Indians & speak an Indian language.

Before coming back we spent several days in Yucatan, sitting among the ruins at Chichén Itza and Uxmal, & climbing up & down the steep stone steps. It was the first time we had been there, & I found those great stone structures more impressive even than I had expected.

Back in New York, I give a great deal of my time to the Gurdjieff Foundation (a small private organization, run on a volunteer basis, to promote the study of the Eastern tradition of self-knowledge as brought to the West & translated into Occidental terms by that controversial genius of the inner life, George Gurdjieff (now dead), whom Betty & I first met over 30 years ago. It means that I work with study groups of young people, take part in discussions, etc. I find the association with the young satisfying and a source of life.

Betty joins me in all best wishes to you both and in hopes that you may some day find your way to our doorstep. 

Ever yours
Larry 

Transcription Notes:
Needs 1 word clarified in 3rd paragraph