Lectio Divina as a Life Practice
I am honoured to have Christine Paintner as a guest poster on our contemplative ways blog. I almost met Christine in person at a workshop she was giving entitled, Awakening Creativity in Soul Care. That was rescheduled but I will still have that privilege at the end of January. When I emailed Christine to let her know what I was doing with the blog, she was immediately gracious in her acceptance and so we have a wonderful Contemplative Ways Posting by Christine. I love her book, “Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction” and I would recommend it to those who are spiritual directors and have not read it so far. And of course, along with this posting, you will find her book, “Levtio Devina – the Sacred Art…” to be a great resource as you continue this practice. You can purchase these books and others through her website as well as partake of some great educational experiences. Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE, is the online Abbess at Abbey of the Arts, an online monastery offering classes, books, and other resources to support contemplative practice and creative expression. She is the author of five books including: The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom, Lectio Divina—The Sacred Art: Transforming Words and Images into Heart-Centered Prayer, and Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction. Her next book will be on the desert mothers and fathers (being published by SkyLight Paths in summer 2012). She earned her PhD in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and her professional status as a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Educator through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association. Christine lives as a monk in the world and an artist of everyday life in the heart of Seattle with her husband John and her dog Winter.
Lectio Divina as a Life Practice
By: Christine Paintner
When I first was introduced to the practice of lectio divina many years ago I felt an opening inside of me, as if I was being met right where I was. I discovered in this ancient way of praying a mirror of my own inner movements and longing for contemplative depth. I felt supported in a way of savoring life and listening deeply for the voice of Spirit moving through sacred texts and the world.
Lectio divina has four movements or stages to it which invite us into a place of savoring life and our experience and to discover God’s invitation to us in the midst of that savoring.
Shimmering
The first movement is to read the sacred text and listen for a word that shimmers or catches my attention. I do this as I sit to pray each morning with my scripture reading, but also as I move through the day I find that there are moments that shimmer forth: a friend offers me an unexpected insight, I gaze upon my sweetly sleeping dog, I go for a long walk and find the gathering of crows cawing stirs something in my heart, my husband reaches for my hand and in that moment I feel so deeply loved. We all have these shimmering moments calling to us each day if we pay attention. Through lectio I cultivate the capacity to notice these and honor them as important, as sacred.
Savoring
The second movement is reflection which involves taking what shimmers into my heart and allowing it to unfold in my imagination. I savor the images, feelings, and memories which arise. Our lives are so rushed, that savoring can become a counter-cultural practice. In my morning prayer I make space to just notice what experience is rising up in me, and in my daily life I become attentive to those experiences which stir strong feelings or trigger an unexpected memory. Perhaps I am driving in my car and a song comes on the radio which carries me back in time to a moment from my past and I am filled with emotion. Lectio cultivates my ability to make space to allow the fullness of my experience. Rather than holding back my tears and judging them, I let them flow and in the process discover a moment of healing and grace.
Summoning
The third movement is about responding to our prayer and listening for God’s invitation in this moment. In my morning practice I sit and wait as the word that shimmers and the images, feelings, and memories which have unfolded in my prayer begin to yield a sense of God’s longing for my life. In my daily life I notice when my heart is touched by an encounter and I sense that God is summoning me into something new through this very moment. I can’t know what that new thing is just yet, it is often more of an intuition. Sometimes it happens after I teach a class and I have expressed something in a new way and I surprise myself by my own words or a student asks a probing question which breaks open the subject in ways I hadn’t considered. These are moments of divine invitation and lectio helps me to respond.
Stilling
The fourth movement is about going more deeply into a space of rest and stillness. In my morning prayer I simply sit in silence for several minutes, basking in the experience of being rather than doing and feeling full of gratitude for this gift. As I move through my day I am touched by the moments of stillness I find in the midst of life’s busyness. I go for a walk and come upon a radiant dahlia blooming and I am stopped in my tracks, breathing in for just a moment the beauty of dahlias. I am sitting with someone who is sharing her deepest struggles and both of our eyes become wet with tears and we simply pause for a few moments to rest into the silence which holds us both.
Lectio and Life
After almost twenty years of practicing lectio divina, I see the world differently. Each moment and thing has the potential to become a vehicle for revelation. Lectio divina has changed my life. Instead of being something I practice for twenty minutes each morning it has become a way I experience and move through the world. Instead of feeling bound to a particular structure and sequence of steps, I discover that each movement of lectio has its own gift and rhythm and I open my heart to when it will be revealed in my day. The practice of a spiritual discipline is about more than the minutes we spend doing it, but how it overflows into the whole of life.
We might ask ourselves, is my vision changed because of this practice? If not, how might I let its gift be unleashed into each moment.
Praying With Food
I met Pearl as part of my spiritual direction training. I found her to be creative, intuitive and a wonderful listener. She has such a warm way of drawing you in to her. Using this creativity and warmth, we are fortunate that Pearl will be sharing a unique way of being contemplative with us. Pearl Nieuwenhuis is the sister of 8 siblings, is a wife of 25 years, the mother of 2 university students, has a history as a teacher in both public and private schools, as a home schooler and as a home education consultant. She is currently working as a spiritual director both at the University of Calgary Faith and Spirituality centre as well as in her home. She loves reading, having meaningful conversations, experimenting with food and playing squash. She reports that at this time in her life, she is paying special attention to God’s loving invitations in her life – to trust, to be open and receptive, to being fully alive to new ideas and people, to accept difficult things and much more! I know you will enjoy this posting (I loved it!) and can immediately taste of this contemplative way!
Praying with Food – A Contemplative Way of Being
By: Pearl Nieuwenhuis
A few years ago someone told me that she felt a great closeness to God when she donned her hockey equipment and played a game of hockey. It was what she experienced as a body prayer. That telling opened up a world of possibilities as I wondered what a prayer using my body might look like for me. As I reflected about my days and some of the things that awakened my bodily senses, awareness of myself and openness to God’s presence, I noticed how I kept thinking about cooking. I love food. I love the colors, textures, smells, and tastes of so many foods. And, I notice how my heart sings a song of delight and gratitude when I have time to enjoy them. I wondered if cooking could be a time when I feel a great closeness to God and experience it as a body prayer. I decided to experiment and over the past year I’ve selected an intentional time to commune with God as I cook and call it praying with food. In a gently held routine, I allow a time where I can make something yummy and allow my heart to open up to what God might have to offer me during this time. Even though I love food and enjoy cooking, what comes to me as I contemplate isn’t always delight and gratitude. Sometimes I have a strong sense that God is asking me to pay attention to something uncomfortable. Paying attention. Yes, that is really what this practice is about; slowing down and in the paying attention allowing something of God to move me. What I’ve written below is from my journal after a time of “praying with food”.
“I’ve just made 33 bean and beef burritos for my praying with food day. The onions were crisp and crunchy – easy to chop, sharp to the eyes but smelled so yummy while frying in real butter – turning a translucent something before I added a mixture of legumes. Legumes. They’re so earthy. So filling. Versatile and nutritious. They’ve been uninteresting until now. And, admittedly, even ‘beneath me’ until now. A poor man’s food. I looked closely at one probably for the first time in my life. It was beautiful and perfect. I was surprised at how moved I was by noticing this seed and a small yet perceptible shift took place in me as I recognized God’s creative care for people; for me. Garbanzo and black, white and red beans along with some onion powder, chilli powder, cumin and garlic. 5 pounds of fried ground beef and several teaspoons of salt added to the bean/onion mixture and several cups of shredded cheese – what a hearty and tasty filling for the whole-wheat flour tortillas. I tried not to just get it done but be grateful for those who had toiled so I could enjoy. Hmmmm, I wondered who tended and gathered the chilli peppers and cumin seeds? I wanted to appreciate them….would they ever know that some stranger appreciates them? I felt grateful for the farmers who raised cows and milked them, and for those who added the rennet to make the cheddar cheese. I didn’t actually think about the cows – hmmmm– I think I try not to because I don’t like the idea of killing cows and also because how I felt about cows growing up on a farm. They were big and smelly, a nuisance to feed and water. Scary. I never really thought about caring for them. God, do you care about cows? Should I care about cows? Would I eat differently if I did? What is it about animals and their muscle that we like to eat it so much? I certainly loved the burrito mixture – it was absolutely delectable but what about those cows? And, come to think of it, what about all the people in the world who cannot afford to buy meat and benefit from the protein it offers? Does my consumption affect the health of others? Does it harm others? These questions have been running through my mind in a newly awakening way. In the midst of mixing the burrito ingredients together I stopped and waited. It was like God said “Yes, I do care for cows.” And I knew it to be true. Of course God cares for cows. And legumes. And farmers. And me.”
What kind of body prayer might fit for you? If you are interested in trying something other than folding your hands in devotion or lifting your hands in praise, consider when you quite naturally awaken to your senses, your body. Might you use these times to listen and pay attention to what God may be inviting you to?
The Labyrinth as a Contemplative Practice
I have had the privilege of doing some spiritual direction training with Brent Unrah on a number of week long intensives. I found Brent to have a wonderfully WELL developed sense of fun and is a great ‘outside of the box’ thinker. He is an art appreciater and creator and brought lots of unique wisdom to our training. I really appreciate and like who he is. I hope you get to know him somewhat from his postings for us on this Blog. Brent Unrah lives on Kingfisher Farm (a community living farm) in South Surrey with his wife (Denise) of 28 years, they have two grown children. He divides his time between his counselling practice with Coastal Counselling Services (Whalley/Surrey area, new website under development), his Pastiche Art company, and his involvement with Oasis Retreats as Birkman consultant and workshop facilitator. He will complete the Soulstream Art of Spiritual Direction course this Spring and has been deeply impacted by his contemplative journey and looks forward to how this will be integrated into his life. He has a passion to weave together the text of Gods word, his life story and the culture around him (books, poetry, plays and movies) and can often be found at Small Ritual Coffee Society drinking up a lively conversation.
The Labyrinth as a Contemplative Practice
by: Brent Unrah
You can find Labyrinths in your area by visiting
St. Hilda’s By The Sea or through the graciousness of Brent (see below).
For those who want to come to our Kingfisher Farm (512-172nd Street, Surrey) to walk the Labyrinth they simply need to Email me at:
or phone 604-531-0260 to arrange a time to visit. The concern for us at the farm is having random people on the property without any sense of connection to anyone. So as long as those who want to come contact me first to arrange an appointment, that would be great. I will just welcome you and give you a sense of where the labyrinth is and then leave you to enjoy the experience on your own.
My basic simple thought was to offer this as a hands on (feet on) way to worshipfully remember Gods gracious presence with us through the journey of this past year with all its surprises, turns and twists and to anticipate His presence with us as we begin the adventure of a new years journey. Enjoy the experience. I have included some labyrinth reading material below for your general understanding. I hope that you find it useful.
The labyrinth path has three stages – the ‘inward’ journey, the centre and the ‘outward’ journey. The theme of the ‘inward’ journey is letting go of things which hinder our wholeness and inner approach to God. The centre of the Labyrinth is a space of meditative prayer and peace. The theme of the ‘outward’ journey is relationship – with ourselves, with others and with the planet – seen in the light of our relationship with God.
Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.
A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.
A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.
At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.
Things to keep in mind before walking a labyrinth:
- Preparation: Becoming clear about the focus on the labyrinth prayer
- Invocation: Asking God’s help as one begins
- Going in: Moving on the path from the threshold (entrance) to the center
- Staying in the center: Resting for as long as one likes
- Returning to the world: Moving on the path from the center to the threshold (entrance)
- Thanksgiving: Giving thanks for what has been experienced
- Reflection: Taking time to understand the deeper meanings of the labyrinth prayer
