Karl Rahner - Light The Candles

Light The Candles

 

And now God says to us what he has already said to the world as a whole through his grace-filled birth:

"I am there. I am with you. I am your life.
I am the gloom of your daily routine. Why will you not bear it? I weep your tears - pour out yours to me, my child.
I am your joy. Do not be afraid to be happy, for ever since I wept, joy is the standard of living that is really more suitable than the anxiety and grief of those who think they have no hope.
I am the blind alleys of all your paths, for when you no longer know how to go any farther, then you have reached me, foolish child, though you are not aware of it.
I am in your anxiety, for I have shared it by suffering it. And in doing so, I wasn't even heroic according to the wisdom of the world.
I am in the prison of your finiteness, for my love has made me your prisoner.
When the totals of your plans and of your life's experiences do not balance out evenly, I am the unsolved remainder. And I know that this remainder, which makes you so frantic, is in reality my love, that you do not understand.
I am present in your needs. I have suffered them and they are now transformed but not obliterated from my heart....
This reality - incomprehensible wonder of my almighty love - I have sheltered safely in the cold stable of your world. I am there. I no longer go away from this world, even if you do not see me now.... I am there.

It is Christmas. Light the candles. They have more right to exist than all the darkness. It is Christmas. Christmas that lasts forever."

Karl Rahner

 

 

"Wishing you a New Year filled with surprises. Poverty or riches, good health or sickness, joys and sorrows, let us receive all with faith, hope and love, mindfully aware it is all God's gift to us."

 

St. Mary's Cistercian Abbey, Glencairn.

 

Image courtesy of Christmasstockimages.com

Polarity - Centredness and Collywobbles

Contemplation recommended for severe cases.



I have been having a mild to moderate dose of the Collywobbles over the past week or so! This is a combination of many factors including Christmas joy, overindulging, social gatherings, lack of routine, little or no precious quiet time, and the ongoing internal noise which flares up from time to time and becomes a little louder. I am looking forward to a reprieve over the next few hopefully uneventful, unplanned days. Guilty at times of swinging from being slightly slothful to overactive, the longing to return to a sense of balance and centredness is very strong.

So what gives us the collywobbles? Loneliness or too much company, feeling under or over-confident, misunderstanding others or being misunderstood, hunger or overindulging, planning ahead expectantly or with dread, being too busy or being a sloth, being too externalised or too self-absorbed, being a fun-addict or being too serious. All these polarities swing from one extreme to the other, and we usually experience both ends at some stage. Collywobbles also come about by worrying about the future, difficulties in relationships, financial strains, starting a new job or a new project, going on a trip, hosting and entertaining, stepping out to perform on-stage, doing an exam, weddings and funerals, birthdays and anniversaries, having a holiday, and basically anything that brings you out of your normal routine. Collywobbles also arise unexpectedly, and perhaps cause a deeper feeling of crisis, when life itself initiates uninvited change through job losses, relationship break-ups, bereavements, illnesses, accidents, or other significant life events.

It happens to all of us. We can become nervous, anxious, angry, resentful, demanding, controlling, silent, defeatist, clingy, despairing, or just have a million thoughts buzzing around in our heads. We can even get headaches, bodyaches, and an urge to withdraw or crawl under the covers for a few hours. How do we return to a state of balance in spite of being collywobbled?

It's really important to know where or what helps you to become centred. For me, I seem to find quiet time alone, writing, reading inspiring material, and being in nature to be natural antidotes to the Collywobbles, and where my Spirit finds rest. I also practice Meditation, T'ai Chi and Qi Gong, though I am guilty at times of foregoing these reliable practices when life speeds up or becomes very challenging and demanding. Isn't it amazing how we can neglect the very practices which are especially beneficial at such demanding times, favouring instead to revert to the old habitual patterns of worry, anxiety, mentally figuring it all out, or whatever our preferred brand of "fixing the situation" involves.

Meditation (e.g. Mindfulness, Loving Kindness, and Centering Prayer taught by Fr. Thomas Keating) and meditative movement such as Qi Gong, T'ai Chi, Yoga, Aikido and Dance, really help to ground us, to lift and change our energy. We get out of our heads. For some, going for a long walk, sitting by the sea, engaging in a favourite hobby or activity, playing/listening to music, sharing your heart with a good friend or family member, or enjoying a lovely meal with people you feel comfortable with, all act as centering activities. Everyone feels natural in some environment.

Having the Collywobbles brings with it an insatiable need to understand what caused them and above all, to fix them and return to being centred at all costs. This urgency can make us prematurely judge others as being to blame for our discomfort. We replay conversations in our heads, we imagine outcomes hoped for in the future, we think back over past errors and difficulties. We are not here.

Contemplation tells us that all of this activity is related to our external self, as Thomas Merton called it. It reminds us of the wisdom that this activity does not impact our inner Self. It reminds us also that whatever is presenting to us is ultimately desiring freedom, rest and balance. Contemplation pulls us back into the realisation that there is divine Presence in all and every circumstance, and our lives are divinely led.

Do not rush yourself out of the Collywobbles. They too carry untold wisdom. In them, we find our limits and our weak points in our external self, and in the external world. They humble us to know we are very little. Their intensity arises a prayer within us seeking to relax back into our true and inner Self. They open the door to inner surrender. They make us stop. The very nature of the external world is restlessness and change, and if unexamined, can busy us compulsively.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world.  

John 16:33.

Each new dose of Collywobbles reminds me that I have become over-engaged with the external world to the detriment of my real Self. I need to turn inwards to Contemplation. For me, Contemplative practice is like an anchor - the anchor of home, right here in this moment. In terms of the Collywobbles, this anchor might simply be to Allow them. Anchoring might look like this:



Pause
Notice you have a dose of the Collywobbles/Anxiety/Anger/Grief/External focus.
Realise you are in a bit of a mental spin. Let this awareness really sink in. Investigate it. Interview it.
Come into a place of somehow allowing the Collywobbles.
Come into your body. Follow your breath and connect physically or energetically with your belly.
This is what is present, for now. This is allowing the reality of now.
Let Presence also be present.




Allowing the Collywobbles, opens more space around them, calms your mental energy, and strengthens the objective Observer capacity within you. This is one of the main trainings in Mindfulness. Once you practice taking a step back from the intensity of the content of the Collywobbles, you can see them more like mental or energetic knots. The act of allowing them, or even very reluctantly admitting their presence, begins to unravel the knots and allows the containment to free up. We do not even need to know what it's all about, only that we feel knotted up, and we are admitting to that. Allowing the reality of the current moment to be as it is, turns our focus from the external to the internal, and we become receptive to Presence, and pave the way for any wisdom or insights. This contemplative practice of anchoring, allowing, and becoming aware of Presence becomes an ongoing meditation practice. It brings us back to our centre.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” 

Lao Tzu

Apart from the Collywobbles causing at times some very intense mental and emotional discomfort, in the contemplative tradition, contradictions and situations in flux are natural. They present opportunities which challenge us to surrender to divinity even deeper places within us which distract us, or keep our focus away from our true nature. It is the dying off of the old parts of us, of our external habits and of the places we go in crisis. More and more, we may find ourselves in situations which are as yet incomplete, in progress, or unresolved. Contemplative experiences cultivate tolerance for these in-between times and spaces, encouraging us to persevere and be patient until a situation becomes resolved, or we finally know what is the next action required of us. Somehow, this too is allowed. Polarities are never who you really are. They arise. They pass. The true inner Self is centred. Contemplation pulls us inward to recognise the constancy of God's gentle unravelling of us into our true nature.

My Kingdom is not of this world.

John 18.36

Image courtesy of historicromance.wordpress.com 

A Christmas Wish

Rest
Let a quietude come upon you.
Take a breath and come into the present moment.
Put aside your cares, worries, frustrations and distractions.
Allow your current state to be as it is.
Have one long unhurried moment.
Forgive your failings. They're part of being human.
Be present to the Presence.
Let Silence nourish you.


This Christmas
Get out into nature. Walk. Run. Swim. Sit. Laugh. Play.
Share a moment of complete beauty with someone you love, and with someone new.
Let something impact you. Let someone inspire you. Let your Heart fill to overflowing.
Look for the Absolute in everyone. Recognise the Absolute in you.
Notice one magical happening. They’re all around you.
Silently help someone who may not even know they need it.
Forgive someone.

In the silent, still night, may the blessing of Jesus’ birth embrace you. 

And may Presence cause a thorough contentment in your Heart.



Image copyright Lucy Learns Ltd.

Letter to St. Nicholas

Dear Saint Nicholas,

I know not what I want and know not what I need this Christmas.
A clear mind would be a great start - do you have any of those to spare?
I would dearly love a new box of Intuition this Christmas - my old one is running low.
And a packet of Courage.
I could always do with more Generosity please.
A hearing aid for my inner ears, so I can not only listen, but hear.
New glasses to see clearly with fresh eyes.
New teeth to take in life's nourishment and enzymes to help digest it.
New shoes to walk in.
And maybe a pinch of mischief to make me laugh!


That's a tall order and probably much too much to ask on your busiest night of the year, so if I could ask for just one thing, it would be...
A restful contemplative Heart that can hold everything else and forgive all my other inadequacies.


Thank You!
p.s. I still love that Guardian Angel you sent me when I was seven.

Image courtesy of stalsgalscarrig

Be Yourself



This sign jumped out at me recently as I saw it outside a shop window. Ah! The relief of being ourselves. The comfort and happiness within when we are sitting naturally in our own skin.

We all have natural affiliations, gifts and tendencies, as well as personalities. Some of us are sprinters, some are long-distance athletes. Some of us are leaders, some encourage from within the ranks. Some run companies, others help unnoticed. Some are parents, some aren't. Some others devote their time to life's work and experience, others travel. Some are rich, poor, or somewhere in between. Some yearn to discover constant newness, others enjoy routine.

Some of us are chronically ill, some are hungry, tired. Some of us are in tremendous pain, others don't know this. Some of us are struggling, others are having breakthroughs. Some are despairing, others are allowing help to penetrate them. Some are calm, others are anxious. Some people are living in a war zone, others are peacefully unaware.

Some of us can read maps. Some of us can actually park a car! Some can bake the greatest cake on earth without even looking at a recipe. Some of us play music, some of us can hear it. Some of us can cajole and encourage. Some bring rest. Some can understand we are carrying a load, and some can lighten our load. Some allow us to have bad days, some allow themselves to have bad days. Some can inspire, some can teach, some of us can receive. Some can welcome. Some can fight for justice, some can forgive. Some of us are motivated, some others lethargic.

Some of us startle easily, some of us are restless. Some of us want to hide, some want to be seen. Some of us are larger than life, some of us are invisible. Some of us have endless doubt, some find faith in spite of it. Some of us are light-hearted, some of us wish we were.

We all get lost from time to time. We are all of the above, some of the time. Contemplation reveals our external world is always on the verge of entering a new phase of change, or just coming out of one. Some of us catalyse change, some of us soothe the effects of change. Some challenge, some accept. We need both.

The seasons of life bring inevitable change, but our inner natural Way is constant, like the background behind the changing landscape. A tree is always a tree, in spite of witnessing 4 seasons every year. It is deeply rooted. It is aware of a natural order occurring around it throughout the year. It does not cling to one season over another, wishing to prolong the summer, or prematurely end the winter. The Flow of Life knows what it is doing. The tree yields and bends with this Flow.

Where is our natural habitat? Outdoors in nature or in the middle of the busy urban environment? Meeting with a group of friends or family or walking silently though a quiet forest or by the deafening sea? Are we happier reading or talking, moving or stationary? Are we gardeners or designers? Are we builders or supporters? Are we teachers or students? Are we visionaries or conservationists? Are we old or young? Are we different or are we the same? Are we fresher in the morning or at night? What is our rhythm? How well do we know our natural Way? What do we need to come home to ourselves? What balances us and brings true contentment? Can we relax into our natural Way?

Know Yourself, and Be That - it's not only impossible, but exhausting, trying to be other than this. Find your roots. You are planted deeper than the seasonal changes of life. The Contemplative Way seeks to anchor you there.

"Go deeper than love, for the soul has greater depths,
love is like the grass, but the heart is deep wild rock
molten, yet dense and permanent.
Go down to your deep old heart, and lose sight of yourself." 

From "Know Thyself, Know Thyself More Deeply"
D.H. Lawrence

Contemplation - A Definition



Nature as Contemplation

The word Contemplation holds a number of definitions in everyday usage:

• The action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time. Synonyms: regarding, examination, inspection, observation, scrutiny.
• Deep reflective thought. Synonyms: thought, meditation, consideration, pondering, reflection.
• Religious meditation.

From a spiritual perspective, here is a helpful definition for Contemplation:

• A state of mystical awareness of God’s being (Merriam - Webster). A form of prayer or meditation in which a person seeks to pass beyond mental images and concepts to a direct experience of the divine.

It is awakening, enlightenment and the amazing intuitive grasp by which love gains certitude of God's creative and dynamic intervention in our daily life....It is the experience of "I Am."

 From: New Seeds of Contemplation

Today is the anniversary of Thomas Merton who died accidentally in 1968. He remains one of the foremost modern writers on Contemplation, and is considered by many to have beautifully and accurately captured in his writings the nature of Contemplation and the Contemplative Spirit of the ancient saints and mystics. He was primarily experiential in his writing, and it proves timeless in its essence:


Contemplation is not and cannot be a function of the external self.

Contemplation is not prayerfulness.
It is not the contemplation of abstract ideas.
It is not something to which we can attain alone, by intellectual effort, by performing our natural powers. It is not the fruit of our own efforts.
It is not a kind of self-hypnosis, resulting from concentration on our own inner spiritual being.

From: New Seeds of Contemplation

Contemplation seems to involve a continual inner "consent" whereby we offer to yield internally to the call to be transformed, to allow and trust the process of life. This inner "Yes" does not happen easily, and often goes against our instinctual nature to do it ourselves, to put into action all that we wish to exist for ourselves, to initiate change, to try and find happiness.

Most people find they reach some form of spiritual crisis or opening when they experience deep pain, or indeed deep love. Life presents us with Illness, Grief, War, Poverty, Famine, Relationships, Stress, Depression, Fatigue, the Joy in the much longed-for birth of a child, a Wedding Day, the deep companionship of a friend/partner who accompanies you through a season of change. All of these experiences can trigger deep Contemplation. Somehow, it is possible to emerge from these sometimes overwhelming seasons, utterly changed within, knowing we have been shown kindness, love, understanding, patience. Love itself accompanied us during these seasons, and we consented, albeit reluctantly initially.

Contemplative experiences, to me, are not designed to support a superficial external world, but instead pull us inside, they insist on stripping us of our self-reliance and independence, our external self, and lead us into our deepest places of weakness and vulnerability. We can even realise that we didn't volunteer for this. Yes, we may have prayed for happiness and ease in our lives, for protection for ourselves and our loved ones, for good health, for meaningful relationships, for purpose and meaning, for fulfilment, but we never imagined these might come through defeat, through utter helplessness, through despair, and even through joy, or miraculous breakthroughs.


... the deep, inexpressible certitude of the contemplative experience awakens a tragic anguish and opens many questions in the depths of the heart like wounds that cannot stop bleeding...This torment is a kind of trial by fire in which we are compelled, by the very light of invisible truth which has reached us in the dark ray of contemplation, to examine, to doubt and finally to reject all the prejudices and conventions that we have hitherto accepted as if they were dogmas.

From: New Seeds of Contemplation

Intuition, and finally certainty of what is not true paves the way for the certainty of what is. In letting go, wisdom grows. The experience of the impact of divinity grows. Such contemplative experiences have confirmed to the degree of unshakeable certainty that Life, that Love, that God is present in them. These experiences build certainty that whatever comes our way each day is an external happening. We steadily become more planted inside.

For the contemplative and spiritual self, the dormant, mysterious, and hidden self that is always effaced by the activity of our exterior self does not seek fulfilment. It is content to be, and in its being it is fulfilled, because its being is rooted in God.

From: The Inner Experience

The inner self, humble and content, speaks an inner word-less language. We realise that the inner self is expanding outwards into our external experiences. It is not contrived. It is a becoming of our true nature. We realise also that those seasons are moulding and shaping us, and we know this is ultimately a good thing. What is inside, is now becoming reflected outside. Transparency and alignment build. It is not our doing. Our inner consent is a response to an inner call.

We become contemplatives when God discovers Himself in us.

From: New Seeds of Contemplation

Shooting Stars

Look up or you'll miss it

As I drove home around 10pm last night a shooting star crossed the night sky in front of me. I was on a rural country road and there was no-one else there on this frosty night. House lights glowed from inside warm houses with closed curtains. The sky was bright with an almost full-moon lighting up the road.

A movement of light suddenly pulled my attention upwards. I blinked and leaned forward in my seat. The star shot ahead of me into the distance before exploding in silence in a flash of gold and then disappearing. I found myself catching my breath, and feeling quite lucky to have witnessed such a feat. How tiny we are in the grand scheme of things!

NASA post an Astronomy Picture of the Day each day of the year should you need a little reminder of the magic of Space and the size of our Universe. Downloadable Apps are now also available which point to the night sky and name the different constellations across the sky-scape.

As for the driver of a car on her journey home, I'm left feeling quite blessed that all the necessary conditions were present for me to see this shooting star. If you ask NASA, they will tell you that a shooting star is not in fact a star at all, but a meteor, caused by dust and rock burning up on entering the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth orbits the Sun once every 365 and a quarter days. Each year it passes through dust and rock clouds left in the wake of orbiting comets, and last night, a little speck of that debris burned up on my way home. Perhaps the most important condition of all was that I noticed the shooting star, and better again, my heart received it. In our busy lives, how many daily miracles occur unnoticed by us? 

The contemplative life asks us to surrender to each moment, one after another, again and again, and to develop a practice of noticing sacredness everywhere. The external world may not look any different, but a gentleness of Spirit wells up inside, together with a sense of wellbeing. The cultivation of this practice in itself fosters wellbeing in our Spirit. When the practice of every-moment-noticing eludes you, just surrender it all, even the practice itself. The act of surrendering will bring you home.

A gentle reminder to us all to stay here, stay mindful, stay present and notice the shooting stars.

Image courtesy of seamepost.com