The soul is not some metaphysical construct, not separate from the body, mind and emotions. The soul is the same essence as, is the spark from, the Divine, and so theologians struggle to find metaphors for something that is omnipresent within each person. Ronald Rolheiser defines it: "Our soul is not something that we have, it is more something we are. It is the very life-pulse within us, that which makes us alive."(Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing, New York, NY: Doubleday, 1999, p. 12) So, keeping the soul cannot neglect the physical self, the mental self, the emotional self, or any part of one's self. Keeping the soul is central to each person's health, wholeness and well-being. Paradoxically, why then is soul keeping such a challenge, especially for ministry?
There is a certain inherent arrogance, yet vulnerability in many of the helping professions. Feeling the call to ministry, to teaching, or to service says on one hand that one knows that she has something worthwhile to give, while on the other, when facing burnout, fearing that there's really nothing worth giving inside. This echoes the dynamic in the soul as the desire to give, and give—pouring out energy, is balanced against our need to seek union and communion with the divine, with the still small voice in ourselves. Rolheiser explains that the soul has two functions: it must keep us energized and vibrant, full of desire, and it must keep us glued together or integrated, in oneness, and that "these two functions of the soul are always in a creative tension." (Rolheiser, p. 13-14.) If these two functions are out of balance, then going to the extreme of either can lead to one's end: a wild dissipation of energy or a slow stultification or turning completely inward and stagnant. Soul keeping then must include the practices that provide energy, the practices that encourage oneness, and the practices that bring those two into balance. Through life's demands, as ministers and as people, we lose touch with either our desires or our integration, or sometimes both. As we seek recovery in our spiritual selves, we then have to recognize our default soul patterns, and have to find compensating practices, and incentivizing and motivating practices to restore balance. Soul keeping is about finding and owning the spiritual practices that both fill the energy well, and sustain the integrated self: mind, body, spirit. It is not just about the reflective and quiet; it must also be about the vibrant and exciting. Soul keeping may be alone or within community or sometimes, too often, in spite of the community.
Where to start then, with those practices? "This is the first, wildest, and wisest thing I know," says Mary Oliver, "that the soul exists, and that it is built entirely out of attentiveness." (Quoted in Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004, p. 34.) Thus out of the tension of the soul's creative functions must come attention, and also intention, a stretching toward (from the Latin tendere) that is both readiness and resolve. (Webster's 9th Collegiate dictionary) Webster's Dictionary alternatively defines attention as notice or observation. First, then, in soul keeping, especially as ministers, we need to open our eyes, our ears, our selves to what is around us. Especially in things that don't nurture our souls we are barraged with what's going on, and that is much of the problem, because it leads to inattention. "Two streams in our culture contribute to our inattention. One is secularism, which regards the human self as a social construct with no created core; the other is moralism, which regards all concern for self as "selfish." (Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness, p. 35.) To pay attention, we must know or discover the love of God the creator for each of us, and we must reflect that love for and in ourselves and in everything else as part of God's creation. We are unique souls, loving, loved and lovable. We must tend ourselves, and love ourselves.
All of the practices that we have discussed, have done, and continue to do link together, and as well link to that great commandment of love present in all of the great faith traditions. It is, in summary, to love ourselves, our neighbors and our God. I define spirituality as being in relationship with yourself, others, the Other--as you experience or express that which is greater than you, and with all of creation/the universe. We are all spiritual beings, and it is my hope that in sharing these practices with you that you and I are becoming more spiritually, mentally and emotionally healthy and whole and able to be in loving relationship with ourselves and with others and with God, the Divine and Whole Other. Perhaps we are not yet Olympic caliber in our emotional, mental and spiritual health, but we have practices that point the way.
Thank you for sharing yourselves, your stories, your sacred time and for listening attentively to my stories as well. My thanks also to those classmates, colleagues, teachers and spiritual leaders who companion me and have guided and are guiding my own work and journey on this path for spiritual wholeness. I hope that they see the fruit of their work and of the Spirit reflected here. I suspect this will be my final posting on this blog for a while, as I must focus on other projects for a while. I welcome your comments both here and directly.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sabbath in Blessings—attention and gratitude
In the first two chapters of Genesis there are three blessings: at the end of the fifth day when God blessed the birds and sea creatures to be fruitful and multiply; at the end of the sixth day when God blessed the animals, creeping things, and humankind to be fruitful and multiply. "And on the seventh day God finished the work that God had done, and God rested on the seventh day from all the work that God had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that God had done in creation." Genesis 2:2-3. Abraham Joshua Heschel notes that, "It is, indeed, a unique occasion at which the distinguished word qadosh [holy] is used for the first time … How extremely significant is the fact that it is applied to time: 'And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.' There is no reference in the record of creation to any object in space that would be endowed with the quality of holiness." (Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1951,1979, p. 9.--a wonderful book!)
To create a mini-Sabbath, a brakha or blessing can also set aside time. Time can become holy as we pause to honor gifts received or grace perceived. In the Jewish tradition there is a rich practice of saying blessings that are rituals designed to increase mindfulness, gratitude, relation and connection. "We begin in the silence that precedes any sound or movement. Jewish tradition asks that we not say a brakha until we have quieted the mind and focused our attention on the blessings' purpose." (Marcia Prager, The Path of Blessing, New York: Bell Tower, 1998, p. 31.) The spiritual practice of blessing is to open to the sacred, and "each acknowledgment of divine abundance cycles more blessing into the world." (Prager, p. 13.) In the Jewish Orthodox tradition, the goal is to say one hundred blessings a day, thus opening the world to the divine at least one hundred times each day. (Mary Beth McCauley, "100 Blessings")
While the practice of a full 24 hours of Sabbath is something I would recommend, the practice of blessings ties Sabbath to attention, gratitude and mindfulness in a powerful abbreviated form that can create a spacious and relaxing time in a much shorter amount of time all through the week. Bless you, and the blessings that you share.
To create a mini-Sabbath, a brakha or blessing can also set aside time. Time can become holy as we pause to honor gifts received or grace perceived. In the Jewish tradition there is a rich practice of saying blessings that are rituals designed to increase mindfulness, gratitude, relation and connection. "We begin in the silence that precedes any sound or movement. Jewish tradition asks that we not say a brakha until we have quieted the mind and focused our attention on the blessings' purpose." (Marcia Prager, The Path of Blessing, New York: Bell Tower, 1998, p. 31.) The spiritual practice of blessing is to open to the sacred, and "each acknowledgment of divine abundance cycles more blessing into the world." (Prager, p. 13.) In the Jewish Orthodox tradition, the goal is to say one hundred blessings a day, thus opening the world to the divine at least one hundred times each day. (Mary Beth McCauley, "100 Blessings")
With a deep breath I reached toward the basket of warm dinner rolls and lifted it up, closing my eyes to be alone with the sensations. Steamy-hot, just-baked bread. I inhaled its warm sweetness. For just a moment it seemed that I held the fertile earth sprouting ripening wheat and saw the dough rising in an extravagant explosion of yeast. My fingertips touched the hot loaves. I sang: "Barukh Ata Adonay, Eloheynu Melekh Ha'Olam, ha'motzi lechem min ha'aretz. A Fountain of Blessings are You, Source of Life of all the Worlds, Source of the nourishment that is this bread, which You bring forth from the earth."The hallowing of time in blessing, as in observing Sabbath, gives an important foundation for the ritual practice of blessings. "In making a brakha we separate out time before we consume, use, or enjoy something of the world in order to create a space where something other than thoughtless appropriation can unfold." (Prager, p. 13.) This personal ritual has a form and spontaneity, and is done with intention, and not only can address our hopes, but also our fears. When hearing thunder, for instance, one woman prays, "Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, for Your strength and Your power fill the world. … Isn't that better than [telling a fearful child], 'God is bowling'?" (McCauley, "100 Blessings".)
After sharing the bread the husband spoke:
"I grew up so angry!" he said. "All these blessings, these brakhas and prayers that I had to memorize. Always some rote formula to recite, another phrase to mumble. When I finally discovered Buddhism, it was such a relief. I embraced meditation and cultivated a practice of insight and mindfulness. … One day, … I was with someone and he stopped what he was doing to make a brakha. Like you just did. Suddenly I got it! All those years of cultivating mindfulness and I didn't see. Making a brakha, the act of blessing, it IS a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is what blessing IS." (Prager, p. 2-3)
While the practice of a full 24 hours of Sabbath is something I would recommend, the practice of blessings ties Sabbath to attention, gratitude and mindfulness in a powerful abbreviated form that can create a spacious and relaxing time in a much shorter amount of time all through the week. Bless you, and the blessings that you share.
Spaciousness/Sabbath keeping
(This is an excerpt from a longer reflection on spaciousness, found here.)
While many practices emphasize a special or sacred place, spaciousness or Sabbath keeping is about making time special or holy. While it would certainly be wonderful if you could make 24 hours each week special and spacious, it is possible to create a sense of spaciousness and Sabbath in less time.
Especially in the caring professions, we must make an intentional choice, an attentive choice to create space. Spaciousness is something we are called to in our lives and practices. "From the biblical Hebrew, the letters yodh and shin combine to form a root that connotes 'space and the freedom and security which is gained by the removal of constriction.'" (Gerald May, "Entering the Emptiness" in Simpler Living, Compassionate Life, Denver, CO: Living the Good News, 1999, p. 43)
There are three primary ways of having spaciousness in one's life: form (uncluttered and open, physical), time (pauses from demands) and soul (inner emptiness, openness and possibility). (May, p. 42-49) We are reminded of the fourth commandment, to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. "Sabbath was meant to be a day of spaciousness in form, time and soul. It was to be an uncluttered day, a day not filled up, a day of rest and appreciation, a day of freedom just to be." (May, p. 44)
He also talks about the way that we fill our spaces or dull our awareness with television, phone calls, or a drink, to name a few. He challenges us to "realign our attitudes toward spaciousness. We must begin to see it as presence rather than absence, friend instead of enemy." Even our practices of prayer, meditation or reflection have become filled with spiritual activity, allowing no real space.
At the time, when I read that, I realized that what I most wanted and needed at that moment was some spaciousness. So after I'd put my daughter to bed, put in a load of laundry, and finished that thirty pages of reading, I looked for a spacious moment. I lit two beeswax tapers and turned out the light. I stretched, working the kinks out of my body from sitting all day. I chose several pieces of recorded music that have been spiritually connecting to me, and I sat down and stared into the candle flame, and just let myself be.
It may not have been much more than 15-20 minutes, but what a gift it was.
Then in another essay from Aurora Levins Morales, from her book Medicine Stories, she talks still more powerfully about spaciousness. She talks about leaving victimhood behind. "So what comes to mind is the high price we pay when we settle for being wronged. Victimhood absolves us from having to decide to have good lives. It allows us to stay small and wounded instead of spacious, powerful and whole. We don't have to face up to our own responsibility for taking charge of things, for changing the world and ourselves." Being spacious is freeing.
Find a motif for spaciousness in your everyday life. I am a tea drinker, and my favorite tea is Earl Grey, which is flavored with oil of bergamot. I usually buy loose tea and brew a pot each morning. I ran out a week and a half ago, but had a box of Earl Grey tea bags that carried me over for the week of class. The box of 25 bags cost $1.69. It takes two bags to make a strong enough pot of tea for my tastes. I was going to meet a friend Friday night and on my way I could pass the tea store in Harvard Square, so I went in early to get my tea. They sell their tea in grams, not pounds, so I always have to stop and think about the conversion, but last night I was too tired to ask for it in grams, but I thought I remembered how much I had paid the last time. So I asked the person at the counter for $25.00 worth of bin 212 (which is the Harvard Square Earl Grey) because I said I couldn't remember how many grams. He did a quick price check and said, "That's 250 grams. That's a lot of tea." I was struck by how odd it seemed to me that he would think that. He's selling tea, after all. I said, "I have a tin that size that it fits in, and that way I don't have to worry about running out and having to get it so often."
I realized that the whole thing around loose tea and this particular flavored tea has layers of meaning for me. I calculated that if I bought boxes of bagged tea, instead of loose, that I could get 6 months of tea for the same $25 that currently lasts me two months. So, I started to do that as I was looking for ways to save money as I started back to school. But then it seemed like I had to buy tea every time I went to the store, and I don't really have room in my cupboard to store two months worth of boxed tea. So I went back to buying loose tea. In reflection now, I realize that I like the ritual of putting the loose tea in the tea ball in the morning. I like being a "real" tea drinker with a teapot--it feels like part of a heritage of tea and civility, and soothing, and a tea bag doesn't quite meet those ritual requirements. Making tea is also a part of my morning quiet/meditation time, so it is a part of that ritual, so the ritual elements of the making are important somehow. I like having an abundant supply of tea in the cupboard so that I don't feel like I'm operating from scarcity. I like going into the tea store and asking for my favorite blend. I like that personal interaction around this symbol of civility and spaciousness, rather than throwing the box on the conveyor at the grocery store.
The hymn that came to mind as I was thinking about this and about the reading from Gerald May that talked about spaciousness again was what I used as my morning prayer:
While many practices emphasize a special or sacred place, spaciousness or Sabbath keeping is about making time special or holy. While it would certainly be wonderful if you could make 24 hours each week special and spacious, it is possible to create a sense of spaciousness and Sabbath in less time.
Especially in the caring professions, we must make an intentional choice, an attentive choice to create space. Spaciousness is something we are called to in our lives and practices. "From the biblical Hebrew, the letters yodh and shin combine to form a root that connotes 'space and the freedom and security which is gained by the removal of constriction.'" (Gerald May, "Entering the Emptiness" in Simpler Living, Compassionate Life, Denver, CO: Living the Good News, 1999, p. 43)
There are three primary ways of having spaciousness in one's life: form (uncluttered and open, physical), time (pauses from demands) and soul (inner emptiness, openness and possibility). (May, p. 42-49) We are reminded of the fourth commandment, to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. "Sabbath was meant to be a day of spaciousness in form, time and soul. It was to be an uncluttered day, a day not filled up, a day of rest and appreciation, a day of freedom just to be." (May, p. 44)
He also talks about the way that we fill our spaces or dull our awareness with television, phone calls, or a drink, to name a few. He challenges us to "realign our attitudes toward spaciousness. We must begin to see it as presence rather than absence, friend instead of enemy." Even our practices of prayer, meditation or reflection have become filled with spiritual activity, allowing no real space.
At the time, when I read that, I realized that what I most wanted and needed at that moment was some spaciousness. So after I'd put my daughter to bed, put in a load of laundry, and finished that thirty pages of reading, I looked for a spacious moment. I lit two beeswax tapers and turned out the light. I stretched, working the kinks out of my body from sitting all day. I chose several pieces of recorded music that have been spiritually connecting to me, and I sat down and stared into the candle flame, and just let myself be.
It may not have been much more than 15-20 minutes, but what a gift it was.
Then in another essay from Aurora Levins Morales, from her book Medicine Stories, she talks still more powerfully about spaciousness. She talks about leaving victimhood behind. "So what comes to mind is the high price we pay when we settle for being wronged. Victimhood absolves us from having to decide to have good lives. It allows us to stay small and wounded instead of spacious, powerful and whole. We don't have to face up to our own responsibility for taking charge of things, for changing the world and ourselves." Being spacious is freeing.
Find a motif for spaciousness in your everyday life. I am a tea drinker, and my favorite tea is Earl Grey, which is flavored with oil of bergamot. I usually buy loose tea and brew a pot each morning. I ran out a week and a half ago, but had a box of Earl Grey tea bags that carried me over for the week of class. The box of 25 bags cost $1.69. It takes two bags to make a strong enough pot of tea for my tastes. I was going to meet a friend Friday night and on my way I could pass the tea store in Harvard Square, so I went in early to get my tea. They sell their tea in grams, not pounds, so I always have to stop and think about the conversion, but last night I was too tired to ask for it in grams, but I thought I remembered how much I had paid the last time. So I asked the person at the counter for $25.00 worth of bin 212 (which is the Harvard Square Earl Grey) because I said I couldn't remember how many grams. He did a quick price check and said, "That's 250 grams. That's a lot of tea." I was struck by how odd it seemed to me that he would think that. He's selling tea, after all. I said, "I have a tin that size that it fits in, and that way I don't have to worry about running out and having to get it so often."
I realized that the whole thing around loose tea and this particular flavored tea has layers of meaning for me. I calculated that if I bought boxes of bagged tea, instead of loose, that I could get 6 months of tea for the same $25 that currently lasts me two months. So, I started to do that as I was looking for ways to save money as I started back to school. But then it seemed like I had to buy tea every time I went to the store, and I don't really have room in my cupboard to store two months worth of boxed tea. So I went back to buying loose tea. In reflection now, I realize that I like the ritual of putting the loose tea in the tea ball in the morning. I like being a "real" tea drinker with a teapot--it feels like part of a heritage of tea and civility, and soothing, and a tea bag doesn't quite meet those ritual requirements. Making tea is also a part of my morning quiet/meditation time, so it is a part of that ritual, so the ritual elements of the making are important somehow. I like having an abundant supply of tea in the cupboard so that I don't feel like I'm operating from scarcity. I like going into the tea store and asking for my favorite blend. I like that personal interaction around this symbol of civility and spaciousness, rather than throwing the box on the conveyor at the grocery store.
The hymn that came to mind as I was thinking about this and about the reading from Gerald May that talked about spaciousness again was what I used as my morning prayer:
O grant us, God, a little space from daily tasks set free.
We meet within this holy place and find security.
Around us rolls the ceaseless tide of business, toil, and care.
And scarcely can we turn aside for one brief hour of prayer.
Yet this is not the only place your presence may be found;
On daily work you shed your grace, and blessings all around.
Yours are the workplace, home and mart, the wealth of sea and land;
The worlds of science and of art are fashioned by your hand.
Work shall be prayer, if all be wrought as you would have it done;
And prayer, by you inspired and taught, shall then with work be one.
(New Century Hymnal, #516, text by John Ellerton, adapted)
May each of us find some places and moments and ways to be spacious. May you clear space, pause, and open yourself to the power that you have when you let the Divine and Holy be in your heart and life. And the next time you have a cup of tea, I hope that you take some space too.
p.s. How do we make Sabbath happen for ourselves as ministers or caregivers while we create it for others? See "Unhurried Worship" for some ideas. Alternatively, reflect on this story by Barbara Brown Taylor, and what it says to you about taking time for yourself.
We meet within this holy place and find security.
Around us rolls the ceaseless tide of business, toil, and care.
And scarcely can we turn aside for one brief hour of prayer.
Yet this is not the only place your presence may be found;
On daily work you shed your grace, and blessings all around.
Yours are the workplace, home and mart, the wealth of sea and land;
The worlds of science and of art are fashioned by your hand.
Work shall be prayer, if all be wrought as you would have it done;
And prayer, by you inspired and taught, shall then with work be one.
(New Century Hymnal, #516, text by John Ellerton, adapted)
May each of us find some places and moments and ways to be spacious. May you clear space, pause, and open yourself to the power that you have when you let the Divine and Holy be in your heart and life. And the next time you have a cup of tea, I hope that you take some space too.
p.s. How do we make Sabbath happen for ourselves as ministers or caregivers while we create it for others? See "Unhurried Worship" for some ideas. Alternatively, reflect on this story by Barbara Brown Taylor, and what it says to you about taking time for yourself.
Story telling: Testimony: Witness
This is a group of community practices that link to other practices
Community Story telling: In your group, tell a story about a concern or issue that is going on for your group. One person will start with "Once upon a time" and then each person in the circle will continue with either "and then …" or "but before that …" or "meanwhile, back at the ranch." One member of the group should be a recorder. Go around the circle several times, depending on the number of people. People can choose to pass if they don't have anything to add at that moment. Each turn is just a sentence, although it can be a complex sentence.
This is a safe way to get the issues out on the table, and to have all voices heard. It is a creative process to cover the history and to build vision together. (from Charles Olsen's essay in The Hidden Spirit: Discovering the Spirituality of Institutions)
Testimony: Reflect on your own story, and then with a partner or two or three, for four uninterrupted minutes tell the story of a turning point in your life, or. Your partner group will ask clarifying questions for a minute. Sit together in silence for a few minutes, as the group absorbs your story. If you want, tell your story again, and feel and hear how it changes from the attention and reflection.
This is clearly a practice of reflection and also of attention, but of getting attention. But testimony is a spiritual practice that goes by other names, and each of our stories connects us to the greater whole. National Public Radio is collecting people's stories in a wonderful format in their Story Corps.
It can also be turned into a practice of discernment if the group were to become a modified clearness committee. (See the description of a full Clearness committee here.)
Witness: Think about someone you know (personally or through reading) who has challenges or obstacles or injustices in their life. Think about either what they have done to overcome those challenges that you find inspiring, or the ways they are hurt or stuck or put down, and tell a story of what they did and how you or we could respond, i.e., bear witness on their behalf.
Read aloud the poem "Ring-Worm Boy" by W. Dow Edgerton (Volume 45, Issue 2, July 1988 issue of Theology Today. (Browse to find the volume and poem). Reflect on this poem as spiritual reading and what you might do in such a case, and discuss what witness you can bear today and how.
Community Story telling: In your group, tell a story about a concern or issue that is going on for your group. One person will start with "Once upon a time" and then each person in the circle will continue with either "and then …" or "but before that …" or "meanwhile, back at the ranch." One member of the group should be a recorder. Go around the circle several times, depending on the number of people. People can choose to pass if they don't have anything to add at that moment. Each turn is just a sentence, although it can be a complex sentence.
This is a safe way to get the issues out on the table, and to have all voices heard. It is a creative process to cover the history and to build vision together. (from Charles Olsen's essay in The Hidden Spirit: Discovering the Spirituality of Institutions)
Testimony: Reflect on your own story, and then with a partner or two or three, for four uninterrupted minutes tell the story of a turning point in your life, or. Your partner group will ask clarifying questions for a minute. Sit together in silence for a few minutes, as the group absorbs your story. If you want, tell your story again, and feel and hear how it changes from the attention and reflection.
This is clearly a practice of reflection and also of attention, but of getting attention. But testimony is a spiritual practice that goes by other names, and each of our stories connects us to the greater whole. National Public Radio is collecting people's stories in a wonderful format in their Story Corps.
It can also be turned into a practice of discernment if the group were to become a modified clearness committee. (See the description of a full Clearness committee here.)
Witness: Think about someone you know (personally or through reading) who has challenges or obstacles or injustices in their life. Think about either what they have done to overcome those challenges that you find inspiring, or the ways they are hurt or stuck or put down, and tell a story of what they did and how you or we could respond, i.e., bear witness on their behalf.
Read aloud the poem "Ring-Worm Boy" by W. Dow Edgerton (Volume 45, Issue 2, July 1988 issue of Theology Today. (Browse to find the volume and poem). Reflect on this poem as spiritual reading and what you might do in such a case, and discuss what witness you can bear today and how.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Breathing and chanting
Thanks to my classmate, Morgan, who brought in this breathing meditation chant. When a small group sings it, several people can take turns sitting out while the other people sing. Take a long breath in on the first phrase and blow a long breath out on the second phrase.
You could also just sing this silently in your head, as phrases to focus your meditation.
It's also very meditative just to sing this repeatedly with a group of people.
You could also just sing this silently in your head, as phrases to focus your meditation.
It's also very meditative just to sing this repeatedly with a group of people.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Reflection and attention for activists
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi
From an essay by Carla Goldstein entitled "Spiritual Activism: Building The Empathy Superhighway"
Exercise for bringing more balanced attention to the means and the ends in our activism
"Recognizing that all of our actions have impact, we work to bring alignment between our dreams for peace and our actions for peace, our dreams for equality and our actions for equality, our dreams for compassion and our actions for compassion.
At the end of each day spend a few minutes reflecting (keeping a journal helps) on whether your means and ends have been in alignment on this day. Ask yourself the following questions, “Today, has my activism led me to be unkind, violent, dishonest, manipulative, unfair, or disempowering? Today, how could I have brought greater alignment between values of peace, justice, compassion, and love and my actions for peace, justice, compassion, and love? Did I do anything today that felt effective or satisfying because I brought more balance between the means and ends of my activism?
Over time, this practice of bringing awareness to the relationship between your means and ends should help you bring more compassion and love into your activism, thus bringing more compassion and love into the world."
Reflecting on grief
While our child knows how to play and create, our earliest self knows grief and sorrow too, and knows how to express it. Using the non-dominant hand bypasses a lot of our social rules processing, and lets us tap directly into that child-like core of ourself. Sometimes, it doesn't feel okay to express our grief, or we don't have a safe way to get started.
Using the technique of drawing and writing with your non-dominant hand, to get to a place of your feelings, let the dominant hand ask the question "Why are you sad, what is your loss?"
With your non-dominant hand and crayons, write or draw your answer.
Then, the dominant hand can ask the question, "what would comfort you or make you feel better?"
With your non-dominant hand and crayons, write or draw your answer.
Using the technique of drawing and writing with your non-dominant hand, to get to a place of your feelings, let the dominant hand ask the question "Why are you sad, what is your loss?"
With your non-dominant hand and crayons, write or draw your answer.
Then, the dominant hand can ask the question, "what would comfort you or make you feel better?"
With your non-dominant hand and crayons, write or draw your answer.
Attention: exploring its science
I have been fascinated as I have prepared this blog to discover a number of scientific studies on 2,500 year old faith practices.
So, I invite you to take the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale and see what results you come up with. Honest self-appraisal is the goal here.
If you are fascinated by psychological research and statistics, you can compare your scores to the scale's average:
"A t test of the difference between MAAS scale scores of the Zen practitioner group (M 4.29, SD 0.66) and the comparison group (M 3.97, SD 0.64) was significant... These results indicate that the MAAS is sensitive to individual differences in mindfulness and suggest that the higher scores among those consciously practicing this skill are due to such training."
"Mindfulness captures a quality of consciousness that is characterized by clarity and vividness of current experience and functioning and thus stands in contrast to the mindless, less “awake” states of habitual or automatic functioning that may be chronic for many individuals."
After using a series of mind-body relaxation exercises with cancer patients: "The results of this clinical intervention study showed that higher levels of mindfulness were related to lower levels of both mood disturbance and stress before and after the MBSR [mindfulness-based stress reduction] intervention. Increases in mindfulness over the course of the intervention predicted decreases in these two indicators of psychological disturbance. These relations between the MAAS and the outcomes were found after controlling for the influences of fatigue and pain. Such results suggest that the scale can be applied to the study of well-being issues in cancer populations."
Brown, K.W. and Ryan, R.M. (2003). The benefits of being present: The role of mindfulness in psychological well-being.
So, I invite you to take the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale and see what results you come up with. Honest self-appraisal is the goal here.
If you are fascinated by psychological research and statistics, you can compare your scores to the scale's average:
"A t test of the difference between MAAS scale scores of the Zen practitioner group (M 4.29, SD 0.66) and the comparison group (M 3.97, SD 0.64) was significant... These results indicate that the MAAS is sensitive to individual differences in mindfulness and suggest that the higher scores among those consciously practicing this skill are due to such training."
"Mindfulness captures a quality of consciousness that is characterized by clarity and vividness of current experience and functioning and thus stands in contrast to the mindless, less “awake” states of habitual or automatic functioning that may be chronic for many individuals."
After using a series of mind-body relaxation exercises with cancer patients: "The results of this clinical intervention study showed that higher levels of mindfulness were related to lower levels of both mood disturbance and stress before and after the MBSR [mindfulness-based stress reduction] intervention. Increases in mindfulness over the course of the intervention predicted decreases in these two indicators of psychological disturbance. These relations between the MAAS and the outcomes were found after controlling for the influences of fatigue and pain. Such results suggest that the scale can be applied to the study of well-being issues in cancer populations."
Brown, K.W. and Ryan, R.M. (2003). The benefits of being present: The role of mindfulness in psychological well-being.
Attention: present, not extorted or exhorted
Pay attention!
"For many of us, the phrase "pay attention" conjures up memories of parents, teachers, and maybe even bosses who would scold us for not being focused on what they felt we "should" be focused on." ~Curtis G. Schmitt
Being present is a gift, and cannot be extorted or exhorted, scolded or shamed into being. It only requires now, no past, no future, no money, no action.
"Try this exercise, right now. You might be in a passive reading mode and telling yourself you'll do it later, but please take this opportunity to do it now.
1. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and notice what you are experiencing. Don't judge it. Just for a moment, let go of the feeling of wanting a different experience, and pay attention to the Now.
2. Focus your attention inward and notice what you're feeling. What mood are you in? Resist the urge to judge your mood or change it. Is there a particular emotion you're feeling that you might not have been aware of a moment ago? Is there another emotion below that one, maybe subtler but still affecting how you feel?
3. Now focus your attention outward. What sounds and smells do you notice that you weren't aware of a moment ago? What sensations can you feel in your body that your mind has been filtering out until now? Focus on your big toe on your left foot or how it feels to sit in your chair. Now focus on the temperature of the air that you're breathing, the feeling in your chest as it expands and contracts, and the sound your breath makes.
Don't you feel more alive when you are present? Are you surprised by all of the things you noticed--inside and out--that you hadn't noticed before? These sensations were there all the time, only you weren't paying attention to them.
What you just did was a meditation. What I love most about this kind of meditation is that it can make the mundane feel magical. Try it the next time you brush your teeth."
~Curtis G. Schmitt
Welcome to now!
"For many of us, the phrase "pay attention" conjures up memories of parents, teachers, and maybe even bosses who would scold us for not being focused on what they felt we "should" be focused on." ~Curtis G. Schmitt
Being present is a gift, and cannot be extorted or exhorted, scolded or shamed into being. It only requires now, no past, no future, no money, no action.
"Try this exercise, right now. You might be in a passive reading mode and telling yourself you'll do it later, but please take this opportunity to do it now.
1. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and notice what you are experiencing. Don't judge it. Just for a moment, let go of the feeling of wanting a different experience, and pay attention to the Now.
2. Focus your attention inward and notice what you're feeling. What mood are you in? Resist the urge to judge your mood or change it. Is there a particular emotion you're feeling that you might not have been aware of a moment ago? Is there another emotion below that one, maybe subtler but still affecting how you feel?
3. Now focus your attention outward. What sounds and smells do you notice that you weren't aware of a moment ago? What sensations can you feel in your body that your mind has been filtering out until now? Focus on your big toe on your left foot or how it feels to sit in your chair. Now focus on the temperature of the air that you're breathing, the feeling in your chest as it expands and contracts, and the sound your breath makes.
Don't you feel more alive when you are present? Are you surprised by all of the things you noticed--inside and out--that you hadn't noticed before? These sensations were there all the time, only you weren't paying attention to them.
What you just did was a meditation. What I love most about this kind of meditation is that it can make the mundane feel magical. Try it the next time you brush your teeth."
~Curtis G. Schmitt
Welcome to now!
Attention: focused presence
While I think of mindfulness as openness and awareness to ourselves, to others, to the world around us, to the Divine, attention is a focusing practice, more directed than broad. Being present and focusing in the moment is powerful, both as giver and as receiver. We all love good attention.
Using the reflective practice of spiritual reading, let's start our exploration of attention with this reading by James Hillman, taken from Spiritual Literacy, ed. by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat.
"Not only persons call for service; their things do, too--the oil changed, the VCR cleaned, the dryer repaired, the message transmitted. Ceremonies of the repairman. Objects have their own personalities that ask for attention, just as the ads show the smiling bathtub that enjoys the new cleanser or the wood siding that likes the fresh stain which prevents it from decay. Treating things as if they had souls, carefully, with good manners--that's quality service ...
This idea of service demands surrender, a continuous attention to the Other. It feels like humiliation and servitude only when we identify with a ruling willful ego as mirror of a single dominating god. But what is a God is in each thing, the other world distributed within this world?
Theology calls this distribution of the divine within all things the theory of immanence, and sometimes, pantheism....
A theology of immanence means treating each thing, animate and inanimate (perhaps the distinction no longer clearly obtains), natural and man-made, as if it were alive, requiring what each living thing requires above all else: careful attention to its properties, their specific qualities. This plant needs little water; this wood won't bear great weight and burns with a smoky fire. Look at me carefully: I am an aspen, not an oak. Notice differences, pay attention, give respect (re-spect = look again). Notice what is right under your nose, at your fingertips, and attend to it as it asks, according to its needs."
If you need a reminder about the steps of spiritual reading, take a moment.
As you read and re-read this passage, what do you notice? What words or phrases draw you in? What catches your eye or ear? What speaks to your own sense of service, of attention, of care?
Then as you come out of the quiet of your meditation, and go about your day, attention is the practice of focusing on what it is you are doing. If you're getting up to make a meal, just make a meal. If you are having a conversation with your child or partner or friend, just be present for that conversation, not five other things. Thomas Keating reminds us, "This is where attentiveness to the content of the present moment is a way of putting order into the myriad occupations, thoughts, and events of daily life. Attention to this context simply means to do what we are doing. This was one of the principal recommendations of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the fourth century. The disciple would come for instruction and say, “I am interested in finding the true self and becoming a contemplative. What should I do?” The desert guides would reply in the most prosaic language, “Do what you’re doing,” which means, bring your attention to the present moment and its immediate context and keep it there. For instance, it is time for supper. Well, put the food on the table. This is true virtue. Turning on the television at that time or making a needless phone call might not be. Attending to the present moment means that our mind is on what we are doing as we go through the day. We are thus united to God in the present moment instead of wondering about what we are going to do next or tomorrow."
Full attention to another person is perhaps one of the best gifts you can give someone. Being fully present with one another in love is the best practice for relationship health that I have found. As Keating says, "we are thus united to God in the present moment," manifesting the divine in that moment of presence.
Using the reflective practice of spiritual reading, let's start our exploration of attention with this reading by James Hillman, taken from Spiritual Literacy, ed. by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat.
"Not only persons call for service; their things do, too--the oil changed, the VCR cleaned, the dryer repaired, the message transmitted. Ceremonies of the repairman. Objects have their own personalities that ask for attention, just as the ads show the smiling bathtub that enjoys the new cleanser or the wood siding that likes the fresh stain which prevents it from decay. Treating things as if they had souls, carefully, with good manners--that's quality service ...
This idea of service demands surrender, a continuous attention to the Other. It feels like humiliation and servitude only when we identify with a ruling willful ego as mirror of a single dominating god. But what is a God is in each thing, the other world distributed within this world?
Theology calls this distribution of the divine within all things the theory of immanence, and sometimes, pantheism....
A theology of immanence means treating each thing, animate and inanimate (perhaps the distinction no longer clearly obtains), natural and man-made, as if it were alive, requiring what each living thing requires above all else: careful attention to its properties, their specific qualities. This plant needs little water; this wood won't bear great weight and burns with a smoky fire. Look at me carefully: I am an aspen, not an oak. Notice differences, pay attention, give respect (re-spect = look again). Notice what is right under your nose, at your fingertips, and attend to it as it asks, according to its needs."
If you need a reminder about the steps of spiritual reading, take a moment.
As you read and re-read this passage, what do you notice? What words or phrases draw you in? What catches your eye or ear? What speaks to your own sense of service, of attention, of care?
Then as you come out of the quiet of your meditation, and go about your day, attention is the practice of focusing on what it is you are doing. If you're getting up to make a meal, just make a meal. If you are having a conversation with your child or partner or friend, just be present for that conversation, not five other things. Thomas Keating reminds us, "This is where attentiveness to the content of the present moment is a way of putting order into the myriad occupations, thoughts, and events of daily life. Attention to this context simply means to do what we are doing. This was one of the principal recommendations of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the fourth century. The disciple would come for instruction and say, “I am interested in finding the true self and becoming a contemplative. What should I do?” The desert guides would reply in the most prosaic language, “Do what you’re doing,” which means, bring your attention to the present moment and its immediate context and keep it there. For instance, it is time for supper. Well, put the food on the table. This is true virtue. Turning on the television at that time or making a needless phone call might not be. Attending to the present moment means that our mind is on what we are doing as we go through the day. We are thus united to God in the present moment instead of wondering about what we are going to do next or tomorrow."
Full attention to another person is perhaps one of the best gifts you can give someone. Being fully present with one another in love is the best practice for relationship health that I have found. As Keating says, "we are thus united to God in the present moment," manifesting the divine in that moment of presence.
Reflection: spiritual reading in a group
If you are fortunate enough to have or motivated to start a group, you can also do spiritual reading and reflection in a group. You can use any common texts: the Psalms, devotional materials, poetry, books.
from Weavings Magazine Guide to Spiritual Reading:
SPIRITUAL READING (lectio divina) is the ancient practice of savoring a text with patient playfulness. This way of reading is alert with expectation that a transforming word of life will make its way from the written narrative of the author to the lived narrative of the reader. Spiritual reading holds out the promise of fresh meaning, insight, or truth emerging between writer and reader that transcends time and space. Yet this experience assists the reader to enter more reflectively and faithfully into his or her own time and space. In this respect, spiritual reading embodies the pattern of the Incarnation, where Word becomes flesh for the life of the world. Peter of Celle, the great twelfth century Benedictine abbot, describes spiritual reading this way: “Reading is the soul’s food, light, lamp, refuge, consolation, and the spice of every spiritual savor. It feeds the hungry, it illuminates the person sitting in darkness; to refugees from shipwreck or war it comes with bread. It comforts the contrite heart; it contains the passions of the body with the hope of reward. When temptations attack, it counters them with the teaching and example of the saints.... In the bread box of sacred reading are breads baked in an oven, breads roasted on a grill, or cooked in a frying pan, breads made with the first fruits and sprinkled with oil, and barley cakes. So, when this table is approached by people from any walk of life, age, sex, status or ability, they will all be filled with the refreshment that suits them." Remember the invitation heard by Augustine in the garden on the threshold of his conversion: “Take and read."
from Weavings Magazine Guide to Spiritual Reading:
SPIRITUAL READING (lectio divina) is the ancient practice of savoring a text with patient playfulness. This way of reading is alert with expectation that a transforming word of life will make its way from the written narrative of the author to the lived narrative of the reader. Spiritual reading holds out the promise of fresh meaning, insight, or truth emerging between writer and reader that transcends time and space. Yet this experience assists the reader to enter more reflectively and faithfully into his or her own time and space. In this respect, spiritual reading embodies the pattern of the Incarnation, where Word becomes flesh for the life of the world. Peter of Celle, the great twelfth century Benedictine abbot, describes spiritual reading this way: “Reading is the soul’s food, light, lamp, refuge, consolation, and the spice of every spiritual savor. It feeds the hungry, it illuminates the person sitting in darkness; to refugees from shipwreck or war it comes with bread. It comforts the contrite heart; it contains the passions of the body with the hope of reward. When temptations attack, it counters them with the teaching and example of the saints.... In the bread box of sacred reading are breads baked in an oven, breads roasted on a grill, or cooked in a frying pan, breads made with the first fruits and sprinkled with oil, and barley cakes. So, when this table is approached by people from any walk of life, age, sex, status or ability, they will all be filled with the refreshment that suits them." Remember the invitation heard by Augustine in the garden on the threshold of his conversion: “Take and read."
Reflection: spiritual reading/lectio divina
The idea of reading holy texts, or of reading the contemplative writings of others, and reflecting upon them is among the oldest contemplative traditions. I am recommending a further, powerful step in writing down your reflections--in a journal, in a blog.
Unlike many of the exercises in this blog this is not a five minute practice, but it is possible to do five or ten minutes of reading and come back to that several times during a day. I often find that something that I read in the morning pops into my head during my commute and I can ruminate about it, but putting the reflection in written form takes some time, and I often come back to it again several times for editing and additions.
Reading poetry is a wonderful spiritual practice in itself, but spiritual reading of poetry can take you even deeper. I invite you to take a look at a process of spiritual reading of poetry :
I abbreviate it here.
1. Breathe deeply for a couple of minutes.
2. Read slowly, aloud if possible--linger over words & phrases. (If doing this as a group, take turns reading aloud, with different readers giving different voice and emphasis.)
3. Look and listen for nuance and detail.
4. Continue to read for the amount of time you've allotted.
5. Give thanks and sit in silence, waiting to hear what else might speak to you from this reading.
6. Record your reflections in your journal.
7. Pick one gleaning to carry with you for the day.
Reflect upon this poem by Sufi poet Rumi, translated by Daniel Ladinsky from the anthology, Love Poems from God.
Read the poem aloud, as well as silently. How does this poem speak to you? What phrases stay with you the first time? What new things do you notice the second time? Write your thoughts.
Vary the emphasis and inflection, particularly on the the word "Hey." Is it a tone of wonder, intrusion, friendliness, irritation, or something else? How does that change the meaning of the poem?
Check out the list of poetry links to the right for both daily written and audio poems.
Unlike many of the exercises in this blog this is not a five minute practice, but it is possible to do five or ten minutes of reading and come back to that several times during a day. I often find that something that I read in the morning pops into my head during my commute and I can ruminate about it, but putting the reflection in written form takes some time, and I often come back to it again several times for editing and additions.
Reading poetry is a wonderful spiritual practice in itself, but spiritual reading of poetry can take you even deeper. I invite you to take a look at a process of spiritual reading of poetry :
I abbreviate it here.
1. Breathe deeply for a couple of minutes.
2. Read slowly, aloud if possible--linger over words & phrases. (If doing this as a group, take turns reading aloud, with different readers giving different voice and emphasis.)
3. Look and listen for nuance and detail.
4. Continue to read for the amount of time you've allotted.
5. Give thanks and sit in silence, waiting to hear what else might speak to you from this reading.
6. Record your reflections in your journal.
7. Pick one gleaning to carry with you for the day.
Reflect upon this poem by Sufi poet Rumi, translated by Daniel Ladinsky from the anthology, Love Poems from God.
HEY
The grass beneath a tree is content
and silent.
A squirrel holds an acorn in its praying hands,
offering thanks, it looks like.
The nut tastes sweet; I bet the prayer spiced
it up somehow.
The broken shells fall on the grass,
and the grass looks up
and says,
"Hey."
And the squirrel looks down
and says,
"Hey."
I have been saying "Hey" lately too,
to God.
Formalities just weren't
working.
The grass beneath a tree is content
and silent.
A squirrel holds an acorn in its praying hands,
offering thanks, it looks like.
The nut tastes sweet; I bet the prayer spiced
it up somehow.
The broken shells fall on the grass,
and the grass looks up
and says,
"Hey."
And the squirrel looks down
and says,
"Hey."
I have been saying "Hey" lately too,
to God.
Formalities just weren't
working.
Read the poem aloud, as well as silently. How does this poem speak to you? What phrases stay with you the first time? What new things do you notice the second time? Write your thoughts.
Vary the emphasis and inflection, particularly on the the word "Hey." Is it a tone of wonder, intrusion, friendliness, irritation, or something else? How does that change the meaning of the poem?
Check out the list of poetry links to the right for both daily written and audio poems.
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