Contemplative Life

I ran across a blog this week that I think is worth mentioning.  It is called Axios Blog, Fully Human, Deeply Christlike and Fully Alive.

Rob Lord, Rector of  All Saints Episcopal Church, Winter Park, Florida.  On his blog, he has a tab marked Photography where there are beautiful photos that could be used for contemplative prayer.  As I am reading Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice: Eyes of the Heart by Christine Valters Paintner, it seems like everywhere I look I see the deep, rich connection of photography and contemplative practices.

As Christine has suggested, I am only reading one chapter a week from this book which is an interesting way of moving through a book.  The majority of the time, I just plow through a book because I want to see how it ends or I’m enjoying it so that I pick up the speed.  Not too often do I remember savoring each page because I know this is all I can read in one week.  It also causes me to reread and reread the same messages over which allows different perspectives on the same words based on where you are at on any particular day.

The message that I sat with this week was the idea that Thomas Merton explains, “Contemplative life is a journey from opaqueness to transparency, from the place where things are dark, thick, impenetrable, and closed to the place where these same things are translucent, open, an offer a vision far beyond themselves.”  Christine explains this best, “We move from looking at the world to see what we can gain to gazing on the world to see what gifts we might receive. These are all essential aspects of the contemplative path and are cultivated by our shift in vision.”

A strong message to think about as we begin to “see” life a bit differently.

Have a great week.

The title of this post comes from a Georgia O’Keeffe quote.  For many years, I taught fourth grade in Wisconsin and we always had a unit on famous people from Wisconsin.  Georgia O’Keeffe was born in Sun Prairie that is not too far from the capital Madison. I’ve often marveled at her pieces of art, the simplicity of an object found in nature. So when Christine Valters Paintner used this quote, naturally it caught my attention.

“Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small.  We haven’t time, and to see takes time-like to have a friend takes time.”  This week after reading more of Christine’s book, Seeing with Eyes of the Heart, it was time to take out my camera. I’ve always loved taking pictures, not with any expertise but just enjoyed it. I’m the one who after coming home from a vacation or hike has hundreds of photos of random objects everything from rocks to people. So this past week, I walked around my yard looking for a “random” object.  Living in the southwest, my eyes immediately spotted a golden barrel cactus that has a number of “babies.” Perfect!  Setting out to be reflective, slow, deliberate, aware and simply be, I was ready. As you can see there is a nice sitting rock right behind the cactus, this was my spot where I could slow down my breathing, and close my eyes.  As I opened them, I looked at my surroundings, initially seeing this cactus as a whole object with the yellow thorns and numerous “babies.” Then I started taking some pictures; I noticed the variation of colors and shape of the thorns.  Once thought of as something to stay clear of, now suddenly became an object of beauty. The babies seemed to have even more of an abundance of thorns – I saw that as a symbol of protection.  How all the small cacti were so close to the main plant – well I couldn’t help think of a mother protecting her children.

As Christine suggests, when I completed a set of photos, it was time to sit silently again, close my eyes and just be in the presence of God. I found myself being grateful for so much more than this cactus, all the beauty found in nature, people in my life and even our new rescue dog. Connecting photography and nature to a place of reflection, prayer, meditation and being more contemplative has a comfortable place in my heart.

In Praise of the Earth by John O’Donohue

Let us bless

The imagination of the EArth

That knew early the patience

To harness the mind of time,

Waited for the seas to warm

Ready to welcome the emergence

Of things dreaming of voyaging

Among the stillness of the land.

And how light knew to nurse

The growth until the face of the Earth

Brightened beneath a vision of color.

When the ages of ice came

And sealed the Earth inside

An endless coma of cold,

The heart of the Earth held hope,

Storing fragments of memory,

Ready for the return of the sun.

Let us thank the Earth

That offers ground for home

And holds our feet firm

To walk in space open

To infinite galaxies.

Let us salute the silence

And certainty of mountains:

Their sublime stillness,

Their dream-filled hearts.

The wonder of a garden

Trusting the first warmth of spring

Until its black infinity of cells

Become charged with dream;

Then the silent, slow nuture

Of the seed’s self, coaxing it

To trust the act of death.

The humility of Earth

That transfigures all

That has fallen

Of outlived growth.

The kindness of the Earth,

Opening to receive

Our worn forms

Into the final stillness.

Let us ask forgiveness of the EArth

For all our sings against her:

For our violence and poisonings

Of her beauty.

Let us remember within us

The ancient clay,

Holding the memory of seasons,

The passion of the wind,

The fluence of water,

The warmth of fire,

The quiver-touch of the sun

And shadowed sureness of the moon.

That we may awaken,

To live to a full

The dream of the Earth

Who chose us to emerge

And incarnate its hidden night

In mind, spirit and light.

I’m sure that all of use have our own unique stories as to why we came to the understanding that meditation is imperative to our daily lives.  Looking back, I came to this place in a rather unusual way.  Raising 4 children, working full-time and even with a supportive husband, having 2 of the children labeled special needs often stretched our patience level to where we felt like we were ready to break.  The stress was catching up with me, I was having stomach problems, I looked and felt stressed all the time.  About that same time, a friend asked if I would consider joining her in a 5K run that was supporting women who had breast cancer.  Yep, that’s all I needed was to add running to my schedule.  It really was exactly what I needed!  Not being even anything close to athletic, I purchased a pair of running shoes and tried it.  One foot in front of the other. Okay I made it only a couple of blocks but that’s how we all start – right?  What does this have to do with meditation?  I’m getting there – so once I make up my mind to do something, it gets done (just slightly stubborn).  As I made running a routine (after my kids would go to bed), I started chanting to myself, “let it go, let it go,” to the beat that my feet were making as they hit the cement.  That was my way of releasing all the tensions brought on my daily activities.  I was now feeling like a real “runner” so I subscribed to Runners World magazine and one month they had an article on how running is actually meditation for many people!  Hey! I was meditating and didn’t even know it.  All I knew is that my head was clear and I was ready to take on the world after I had completed a good run!

From that point on, I started to put a bit more effort into the idea of meditation and as I continue to meditate as I exercise, it is also a part of my day when my legs are perfectly still. What’s your story?