Relying on Our Uncertainty Life can feel like we are sailing a small raft on a vast ocean of uncertainty. Uncertainty stretches before us as far as we can see in every direction, from horizon to horizon. We search for one unambiguous, sure thing we can hold onto which will hold us firm rather than relying on our uncertainty. Uncertainty can make us feel uncomfortable and afraid. It is easy for us to feel we need to find a safe... Read more
Paying Attention Like a Monk Focus is one of my strengths. Concentrating is not generally difficult for me. Some people describe me as having “attention surplus disorder.” But am I paying attention like a monk? The ability to focus and concentrate can give people significant benefits. I may not be particularly detail oriented, though paying attention helped me do well in school and practice law. My skill in concentrating was important in remembering facts and dealing with witnesses. We tend... Read more
Preparing for Autumn In my memories preparing for autumn is filled with sacred significance. Now I live in a place where autumn is more of an idea than an experience. The temperature does not drop, even though the hours of daylight grow shorter and the shadows grow longer. Most of the trees remain green. The seasonal transition from summer to autumn to winter happens in tiny increments. Our seasons have more to do with featured flavors than with changes in... Read more
What Can We Hear When We Are Listening? We can hear remarkable things when we are listening. Many of us seldom spend the time or effort it takes to listen well. When we do, we hear things which take us by surprise. It is not necessarily while we are listening that we hear everything. Part of the practice of listening to sacred stillness is helping us to hear and reflect on what we hear. One of the disciplines I practice... Read more
What Makes Contemplation Spiritual? Many of us have serious questions about contemplation and spiritual life. They vary from person to person, but most of them are really questions about what makes contemplation spiritual. Some of us are intimidated by all the rules and expectations. We want to make sure we are doing things the right way. Sometimes we confuse spiritual life with religion. We get lost in the ways people talk to us about spiritual life. It can feel like... Read more
The Turmoil of Spiritual Life A lot of us like to think spiritual life is supposed to make us feel more secure and relieve our turmoil. We may think of spiritual life as a security blanket, a comforter when we need help. I know people who see spiritual life as a fire extinguisher or an escape hatch. When life becomes too much for us we think we can retreat into spiritual life. Some people remember spiritual life as a distant... Read more
September For as long as I can remember, September has been one of my favorite months. September is filled with good things; many more than the average month. It begins in the United States with a holiday, Labor Day, which is essentially a day to prepare for all the other good things spread throughout the month. September is traditionally the month of going back to school, and the month in which our football really begins. It is the month of... Read more
Aidan of Lindisfarne Today is the feast day of Aidan of Lindisfarne, a Celtic missionary monk who journeyed from the island monastery of Iona to establish an island monastery in Northumbria. It is also the day I chose to be received as a lay oblate at a Benedictine hermitage near Big Sur, California. The road which led me to the hermitage was part of a wider highway which showed me contemplative life. A friend who saw how drawn I was... Read more
Transcending Everyday Life We may think people drawn to monastic life are trying to escape from the real world. People assume living in a monastic community is like going on a particularly long retreat. They believe becoming a monk requires cutting ourselves off from the rest of the world, transcending everyday life. In many ways it is the rest of us, with our distractions and entertainment, who try to escape everyday life. Spending time at a monastery can feel so... Read more
Centering Prayer Last year a friend of mine, another spiritual director, and I began an online centering prayer group which meets each week. We create space in the midst of all the confusion and noise online where we can find some stillness. Centering prayer is both a form of prayer and a way to practice becoming more open to the presence of the sacred. It is based in understanding God, the sacred, is always with us. When we seem to... Read more
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