growing a soul practice

“We do not always realize what a radical suggestion it is for us to read to be formed and transformed rather than to gather information. We are information seekers. We love to cover territory. It is not easy for us to stop reading when the heart is touched; we are a people who like to get finished. Lectio offers us a new way to read. Read with a vulnerable heart. Expect to be blessed in the reading. Read as one awake, one waiting for the beloved. Read with reverence.”

-Macrina Wiederkehr A Tree Full of Angels: Seeing the Holy in the Ordinary

Lectio Divina is for…

• One who loves the bible and wants to experience the text in new ways.

• One who used to love the bible has taken a “break” and is ready to return, but with new eyes.

• One who is looking for transformation and the experience of scripture rather than information.

The time commitment for this practice is…

• Lectio can be practiced daily or when something seems to be trying to get your attention. It’s a flexible practice that can take as little as 5 or 10 minutes or as long as 20 or 30.

“One of the unique qualities of this prayer is its nitty-gritty, on-the-spot, wash-and-wear, plug-and-play kind of spirit.  The Examen isn’t meant to be a deep and probing experience. It is designed to be a simple in-the-moment check-in that reminds me of God’s presences and reorients me towards [God].”

-Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ Reimaging the Ignatian Examen

The Examen is for….

• One longing for a daily, reflective pause.

• One who feels too busy to pause and reflect and at the same time knows it’s what they need most!

The time commitment for the examen is…

The Examen is a daily practice that takes 10 to 15 minutes.  St.Ignatious (who developed the practice) said it was better to do a shorter daily practice than skip it.

“Centering Prayer consists in learning to withdraw attention from our thoughts-those incessant creations of our busy minds-in order to rest in a gentle, open attentiveness to divine reality itself.  This gentle releasing of thoughts is known in Centering Prayer teaching as “consenting to the presence and action of God.”

-Cynthia Bourgeault The Heart of Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer is for…

• One who is longing for a daily prayer practice that doesn’t require words but brings centering and calmness.

• One who has a regular meditation practice or wants to start a daily, silent sitting practice.

The time commitment for centering prayer is…

• Traditional centering prayer is 20 minutes twice a day; that is the goal and takes a while to build up to.  So shorter sits, twice a day (for 5 or 10 minutes each session), is an excellent place to start.

“The collect has beautiful form, like a haiku of intention.  It has five folds.  The person speaks to God: the person names part of the story of God; the person names their desire-only one desire; and then the person praying gives a reason why this is the one desire they name.  This fourth fold echoes the first two: the name and the named story of God.  And then the person finishes their prayer-with an Amen, or with a small bird of praise.”

-Pádraig Ó Tuama Daily Prayer with the Corrymella Community

Collect writing is for…

• One who enjoys the liturgy or wants to learn more about liturgical prayers.

• One looking for a new, structured, focused way to pray and who loves words

The time commitment for collect writing is...

• Fifteen to twenty minutes each collect writing session.

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“St. Hesychios the Priest writes, “Let the name of Jesus adhere to your breath, and then you will know the blessings of stillness.”  I love this image of letting the prayer adhere to your breath.  Rather than forcing together of word and breath, imagine the words naturally being drawn to the breath lika a magnet to metal or like bees to flowers.  In this bring together, the “blessings of stillness” wash over you.”

- Christine Valter Paintner Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred

Breath Prayer is for…

• One who feels breathless, busy, and longing for a way to reconnect to themselves and Love in the daily-ness of life.

• One looking for a new experience of prayer.

• One looking for a centering practice that fits seamlessly into the day.

The time commitment for breath prayer is…

• Breath Prayer is a practice that can be woven seamlessly into your day and used whenever necessary.

“No matter what faith tradition we follow, we are pilgrims together on each day’s journey.  We all have to get up in the moring and move through the day with as much grace as was can gather.  Why not make this pilgrimage through the day with a heart for one another, pausing throughout the day weather this be for two, five or ten minutes?  If we do this, someone will be pausing at every single minute of the day. There will always be someon who is summoning the holy, practing silence, stand still for remembrance of God.”

-Macrina Wiederkehr Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day

Praying the Hours is for...

• One who enjoys liturgy and wants to learn more about this ancient prayer practice.

• One looking for a consistent way to start and end the day.

The time commitment for praying the hours is…

• Five to ten minutes morning and night; you can add additional times during the day if it works with your schedule.

“I began to realize the profound need we all have to connect to the Spirit that enlivens us.  We need that core feeling of connection to the Divine to give our lives meaning, to find the vision for the future. We need to awaken to a vision of a thriving, healthy planet that supports live among diverse communities….The labyrinth is an archetype of wholeness, a sacred place that helps us rediscover the depths of our souls.”

-Lauren Artress Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice

Labyrinth Prayer is for...

• One who is looking for an occasional embodied practice.

The time commitment for labyrinth prayer is...

• thirty minutes (or so) each time you walk a labyrinth.

“It would be infinitely lonely to live in a world without blessing.  The word blessing evokes a sense of warmth and protection: it suggests that no life is alone or unreachable.  Each life is clothed in raiment of spirit that secretly links it to everything else.  Through suffering and chaos befall us, they can never quench that inner light of providence.”

-John O’Donohue’s To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

Blessing writing is for...

• One who enjoys writing and is looking for new ways to express themselves.

• One who wishes to slow down and consider their own blessings.

The time commitment for blessing writing is...

• fifteen to twenty minutes daily for writing a blessing.

"What is so intriguidng about the haiku is how it can distill both expansive experience and profound feeling into few words...it is the fruit of contemplation, of keen observation, of plumbing mystery."

-Judith Valente (forward of)  Framing the Moment: Haiku Conversations

Haiku is for...

• One who loves words and is looking for a new way to express themselves.

• One who enjoys nature or poetry.

The time commitment for haiku is...

• Fifteen minutes daily (or so) to write a haiku.