Happy Contemplative Birthday to You Today is my birthday. Yes, three days before Christmas. Happy contemplative birthday! The winter solstice has had special meaning for me my entire life, shaping me since the day I was born. My birthday is the first day of winter, the day with the longest night of the year. My perceptions and memories grow out of my own inner life more than they are the product of what happens to me. I do not remember... Read more
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? For many of us this is not the most wonderful time of the year. All the kids jingle belling and everyone telling us to be of good cheer does not help make this a most wonderful time. Some of us prefer to be left to our own devices, or at least to warmer weather. I talk with quite a few people whose holidays are not particularly wonderful. Some people tell me this time... Read more
Searching for Light in the Darkness We live in a world of deep darkness, searching for light in the darkness. Darkness surrounds us, seeping into how we live our lives and see ourselves. Some of us are afraid of the dark and refuse to acknowledge its presence. The darkness makes some of us feel tired or frustrated. We want to stay in bed wrapped in blankets with our eyes closed. Maybe the darkness will go away. Some of us struggle... Read more
Contemplative Christmas Eve This uniquely challenging year gives many of us an opportunity to practice a contemplative Christmas Eve. Some of us have learned how to spend time with ourselves this year. We may have begun to remember who we are in our deepest selves. Some of us have begun to find time for much needed rest and reflection. This year of staying at home and stillness has shown some of us how to start slowing down and pay attention.... Read more
Online Centering Prayer A few months ago a friend of mine, another spiritual director, and I began an online centering prayer group which meets each week. We create space in the midst of all the confusion and noise online where we can find some stillness. Centering prayer is both a form of prayer and a way to practice becoming more open to the presence of the sacred. It is based in understanding God, the sacred, is always with us. When... Read more
Contemplating Fire in a Fireplace After the long, extended stretch of this year, we are finally entering the season for contemplating fire in a fireplace. Where I live most of this year has been hot and dry. Our evenings are only now getting cool enough to contemplate a fire in the fireplace. It might be my favorite contemplative spiritual practice, though I also enjoy staying in bed to read books. When people want to start contemplating fire in a fireplace... Read more
Talking About Spiritual Life There are people who talk to me who seem particularly uncomfortable talking about spiritual life. Some of them ask me whether I really am a Christian and, if I am, why do I not sound like one? They think all my talk of spiritual life and sacred stillness sounds a little vague. Some people want to understand how I experience spiritual life. Others seem a little nervous I am trying to put something over on them.... Read more
What is Advent All About? I belong to a liturgical church. Each year we ask ourselves, “What is Advent all about?” When we get together we remember part of our story and we share a meal. One thing which make us “liturgical” is we follow an annual pattern of the parts of our story we remember called the liturgical year. Each year has something in common with other years; each year is unique. Our liturgical years have seasons, just like... Read more
What is Thanksgiving All About? We are one week away from Thanksgiving Day, 2022. What is it all about? Is it even still its own holiday? It can be more than a precursor to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, or the day “shopping season” begins. It is more than Turkey Day or the next stepping stone to college bowl eligibility. Retailers are desperate to generate revenue, and we want to do what we can to help the... Read more
Finding Stillness in the Busyness This can be a contemplative time of year. It is often a challenge for us to find time for stillness in the busyness. It begins in the wake of costumes and frivolity with false selves on display for all to see. The days grow colder and darker, almost as if the year itself is turning inward. Candles and treats give way to the dark evenings of standard time. Much of November is about letting go.... Read more
Strategic Monk
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