A Contemplative Path…
“Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in others.” —Marian Wright Edelman
Since a recent conversation, I’ve been pondering the different ways to experience a more contemplative way of being and why that matters so much today.
If you’ve been exposed to a variety of contemplative communities or organizations, you’ve likely come across three distinct paths that emphasize quieting or connecting with the mind, heart, or body.
Of course, all three are valid and valued. Depending on your spiritual ‘type’ or orientation, you are likely drawn to one more than another. At Eremos, we tend to emphasis dropping from the head into the heart but offer programs that support meditative practices to quiet the mind and movement or breath practices to ground and connect with the wisdom of the body.
“We have to slow down a bit, and take the time to contemplate, meditate, and even pray. It is the only route to a more meaningful and efficient existence.”
— M. Scott Peck
Technology today can twist and turn the truth into false narratives and at first glance make something fake appear real and true. Combine this with a time of rapid change and we can see how our inner light or wisdom is vital to guiding us forward; helping us to just survive some days and hopefully thrive more often than not.
Marian Wright Edelman calls this contemplative time getting “quiet enough to hear the genuine within yourself.” That’s a worthy goal in and of itself, but these times call for us to go the next step so we can discern or “hear it [the genuine] in others.”
Called “the only route to a more meaningful and efficient existence” by M. Scott Peck, these times in contemplation in whatever form you’re drawn to are life and light-giving support. Not just nice to do when we have the time, but a needed part of our daily life.
What type of contemplative practices are you drawn to? If you already have a daily practice you love (Bravo!), could adding or trying out a different type of contemplative practice enhance your ability to access inner wisdom when you need it?
“Silence within a contemplative perspective is truly an invitation to be with the One who loves us into silence.”c— Jean Springer, Eremos Founder & Spiritual Amma
May you feel the invitation, presence, and guidance of the Holy One whenever you say yes to a moment of contemplative silence.
We Need It…
“Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to contemplate what’s working and what’s not, so that we can make changes for the better.”
—Sarah Ban Breathnach
A Dangerous Activity!
“Contemplation is a very dangerous activity. It not only brings us face to face with God. It brings us, as well, face to face with the world, face to face with the self. And then, of course, something must be done. Nothing stays the same once we have found the God within…. We carry the world in our hearts: the oppression of all peoples, the suffering of our friends, the burdens of our enemies, the raping of the Earth, the hunger of the starving, the joy of every laughing child.”
―Joan D. Chittister
Seeing Clearly
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” ―Buddha
You’re invited to take the time to see the miracle…
Photo Courtesy of Julie Bowman.
