Meditation Spirituality
We all need regular, quiet, and tranquil space/time. We all need a sacred spot where we can escape the busyness and clamor of our daily toil, even if only for a moment or two. We all need to make time for deep meditation and inward centering. We need a sacred moment in a sacred space. Most of us have already discovered and laid claim to such a realm and we visit it often. Some of us rarely – if ever – visit this place. The cordoning off of sacred space and time is not a terribly difficult act, but the act of simply doing so — the simple act of starting — can be a huge challenge for a number of reasons. The good news is that there is spatial potential everywhere! It’s all around us! One need only look for it, and be creative. Finding your sacred space is the easy part; knowing what to do once you settle into it is another story.
The Hardest Part: Getting Started!
Moments of meditation or self-centering can be the most stressful and uncomfortable experiences for those who are brand new to the spiritual discipline. Stress and discomfort are not the goals meditation or self-centering. In fact, the point of the discipline is to relieve such things, not increase them! Many individuals, however, do not know what to do when they suddenly experience a restlessness or frustration that distracts them from the potential spiritual benefit available to them in their sacred space/time experiences. So, they quit, before they ever really get started. Many, many people who try meditation or self-centering succumb to the frustrations of starting and they fail before they actually really begin to experience the benefits of spiritual discipline. How can this be avoided? The simple answer: “Use a template!”
A Template for Times of Meditation
First, settle into your sacred space. Start by concentrating on a personal prayer, thought, mantra or ideal. Personally, I use this moment to think upon my understanding of the fullness of God (e.g., righteousness, justice, love, sacrifice, neighbor, peace, compassion, etc.). I open myself up to such spiritual virtues and the very personal challenge each one of them carries towards me and carries me towards. It is in the collision of personality and virtue that spiritual growth occurs.
Next, after you finish your prayer, read a bit of sacred literature. Presently, my personal choice for meditative readings is a collection of the synoptic sayings of Jesus of Nazareth. “The Essential Jesus: Original Sayings and Earliest Images” by John Dominic Crossan is a great source for these early sayings. Open your text, whatever it may be, and read it aloud, to yourself. Read it aloud! Read it slowly. Think deeply about the message being expressed. Listen. Simply, listen.
Third, put your reading away and prepare yourself for a few more moments of deep contemplation. Yes, listen for God’s word for you today. Remember, you began your time with a prayer that was meant to center you and open you up to the possibilities of spiritual growth. You have also just finished reading a portion of sacred literature. Is there an ancient and universal call being expressed to you in the fusion of the two? Are you being challenged with higher spiritual virtues? Are you being deeply inspired to simply rest in who your are and celebrate who God has created you to be? Look closely for your personal revelation. Watch for your revealed potential. See it! Own it. Rest in it.
Fourth, take some time for reflection. Think about your time spent in prayer. Reflect on your reading of sacred literature. Think about how doing both – praying and reading – challenged and inspired you today. Sit for as long as you need to and reflect upon your entire experience. What did it accomplish? Was it edifying? How will it change your day or evening? What will you do when you rise from your sacred/time space and enter into the rest of your day? Why will you do it tomorrow?
Finally, grab a journal – or better yet, a blog – and record whatever reflections and/or answers you collect during the fourth step! This is a very, very important step. Recording our personal reflections is important because it helps us process our experiences, it nurtures self-discovery, and it gives us the ability to look back at ourselves from a different place in life, at a later time. Sometimes we can only become aware of how much we have grown by looking back at where we’ve been in the past. If we can’t look back, then we have lost something special. So, start journaling! It’s an important aspect of a healthy spiritual life.
A Vibrant, Living Faith Needs Nurturing and Sustaining Care
Daily meditative practice is one way to care for your living faith. An individual beginning the discipline should not be discouraged by the discomfort of not knowing exactly what to do. The above is only a suggestion – a template – to get you started. There are many others that you can find. Use whatever you feel comfortable with, but remember that the point is to help you to begin caring for your living faith. We all have to start somewhere. So, start!
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Very very interesting article – I love it. Thanks for providing with such an interesting resource.
I love osho meditations