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awaken:seeing (contemplative way)

June 8, 2009

Posted in: spiritual practices

OUR CONTEMPLATIVE WAY

In a very real sense, the awakening we speak of is directly linked to the contemplative life.  to be prayerful - is to have our eyes opened to God, SEEING others, ourselves, the marginalized, all of creation with God-eyes.

Fusion has immersed itself in the {IMAGINATIVE thread} of the contemplative life over the years.  Lectio Divina (’divine reading’ - reading the Scriptures prayerfully, expectantly, being open to SEE God’s words for us/community), Imaginative Meditation (placing ourselves in the narrative scene—to interact with the surroundings to SEE what we might miss by our potential numbness/distance to the story), Ignatian Examen (reviewing our day–rewinding and pausing throughout our experience that we might SEE as God sees our day). The Jesus Prayer (repeating the desperate prayer for mercy as we breath in/out, SEEING our dependance upon God).

We are now introducing the {SURRENDERING thread} of contemplative prayer.  While the Imaginative Prayer thread creates a vital theology of imagination in us—knowing our mind wanders–but these practices train our mind to ‘wander’ in and through the experience of Scripture and our own life to be AWAKE to God.  Surrendering Prayer engages the other side of life—the one we often never heed, the silence.  One, we probably rarely allow for silence–and Two, our moments of silence may often not be silent at all–filling the moments with words/prayers/and again, mind wandering.  True silence is empty of thoughts, empty of words, but not empty of meaning.  Throughout church history, what we are calling Surrendering Prayer, is known as Centering Prayer.  Many ways of practicing/exercising Centering Prayer exist - and we will continue to introduce these practices.

To find a few of these practices, both from the Imaginative Thread and the Surrendering Thread of the Contemplative Way, you can open the Awaken Booklet PDF.