Wellspring: inspiration and guidance for a spiritual journey

Notes about my Dad, by Tina Simson

My dad is at the end of his life. He struggles with the burden of everyday living. There are many times when I merely sit next to him and hold his hand.

No words pass between us.

Really now, how often can I ask about his meals at the nursing home or if they cleaned his teeth? The man in the bed next to him has the TV much too loud, but my Dad can’t hear anyway.

However today he looked at me and asked, “Do you know the story about how God created the world?’

“Well, yes” I said, “but tell me again”

He continued, “ When God first made the world he noticed that it was dark. So he took the light from inside Himself and lit the world.”

He was thoughtful for a bit, and then he said.

“So wherever I am, I am surrounded by God.”

 “Yes” I said, “I believe that’s true”

And then he let go of my hand.

Online retreat with Sylvia Boorstein

We spent our Wellspring session last week talking about Buddhism. We talked about it’s basic tenets and how, as Unitarian Universalists, we are drawn to it. Reading the Stephen Batchelor’s Buddhism Without Beliefs and Sylvia Boorstein's It’s Easier than You Think, we all agreed that our one session was just not enough time. 

So I wanted to let you know about an online retreat on Lovingkindness with Sylvia Boorstein from our friends at Spirituality and Practice.

Now you may wonder if the words, retreat and online, actually go together, but the folks at Spirituality and Practice do a wonderful job of bringing spiritual practice into the 21^st century. They have engaged some of the leaders in spiritual thought to facilitate the retreats and the dedication of Mary Ann and Frederic Brussat is evident in the abundance of offerings on their website.  Here is the description from this course.

    “The retreat, delivered by email, then leads us through a series of lessons and meditation practices that show us how to have an abiding good will toward friends, family members, colleagues, people we see on the street and in stores, and even those whom Sylvia calls "difficult people" — people who have hurt us or simply rub us the wrong way.”

     “This Lovingkindness Online Retreat will help you live with ease and less confusion. Offered during Easter and Passover, it is a perfect way to integrate the wisdom of a profound Buddhist practice into these holy days in the Christian and Jewish traditions, offering you a well-rounded and expansive view of a universal human desire to love and to love well.”

So if you’re looking for a way to engage this topic, or to enliven your spiritual practice, I encourage you to try this retreat. It will bring the presence of mindfulness and awareness right to your inbox! 

Cultivating a Winter Mind, by Tina Simson

Last month the UU World electronic newsletter sent this link to an essay by Philip Simmons author of Learning to Fall.  I read it last night and it is so worth the time. It helps me look out  my window this morning with different eyes.

It begins with a poem by Wallace Stevens:

Emptiness, like silence, like love, is indeed a gift.
by Phillip Simmons 

January/February 2001 1.1.01

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind

From "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens, in The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens, copyright 1954 by Wallace Stevens

Lectio Divina a spiritual practice for Unitarian Universalists, by Tina Simson

Since I’ve begun this New Year celebrating the glorious piles of books I have in my life, I wondered if the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina could be useful for Unitarian Universalists.

According to Wikipedia, Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, or "holy reading," and represents a traditional Christian practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God’s Word. 

It is a way of praying with scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, perhaps sing and rejoice in the words of the divine. It can generate a profound understanding deep within the soul. 

Although we have a diverse relationship to divinity in our communities, I think the practice can be easily adapted for UUs.  If we assume that ‘divine word’ is present in the holy texts from all world religions and in poetry and essays, and if we believe that the words of others, divine or mortal, have deep value to us, then this practice can be truly enriching. 

So here’s how it goes 

Choose the writing you wish to pray.  Short sections from the Bible the Vedas or portions of the Psalms the Tao te Ching or poems are easiest. Choose something new or a piece that you have loved for a long time; a new meaning may come to you.

• Set aside a time and place in which you will not be disturbed
• Settle into a posture in which you comfortable but alert and attentive
• Take a few moments to follow your breath … it should be natural, deep, unhurried

The four phases of this practice should flow naturally as you engage with the reading.

Phase One - Lectio: reading-What does this passage say?

Read the text slowly, gently, out loud. Savor the reading, feel the words in your mouth, listening for the "still, small voice" of a particular word or phrase that says, "I am for you today."

Phase Two - Meditatio: meditation-What does this passage say to me?

Take the word or phrase into yourself. Slowly repeat it several times out loud, allowing it to interact with your inner world. Let your imagination engage the text.

• This is not an intellectual exercise, allow yourself to surrender to the words on the page let them penetrate deeply into our being until you become one with the text.
• Notice as a word or phrase takes hold of you. It will seem to speak directly to you and your present situation. Take in this gift by repeating just the word or phrase.
• This is not a mantra. This is not about quieting the mind, but rather about listening deeply and allowing the words to bring their genuine meaning to you.
• The words may bring joy, sadness, curiosity or any other sincere emotion. Experience the emotion.
• Continue to sit quietly letting the words wash over you. Repeat the words aloud. 

Phase Three - Oratio: prayer- What does the universe say to me, and what do I say to the universe through the text?

Speak to your inner self as the one who knows, loves and accepts you. Experience this divine word or phrase as a means to bless and transform the thoughts and images that are awakened in you. Express gratitude for what you have found in your heart. You may choose at this time to write your inner conversation in a journal.

Phase Four - Contemplatio: contemplation- I am still, resting in divine presence, and letting kindness work through my mind and heart.

Finally rest in the grace of this world. Let go of words and images. Rejoice that grace is with you in silence, spiritual rest, and inner receptivity.

Re-Engaging Daily Life-What possibilities does this open up for me? 

As you come out of contemplation and prepare to resume your normal activities, consider what difference this text will make in how you act in this world? 

What challenges does it pose? What are you called to do?

As with any Wellspring activity, we end with the question, “So what?” Spiritual exploration and practice is always fulfilled by action.  It informs the way we choose to live in this world. So if words have meaning for you, as they do for me, try this practice for a while and see how you are transformed. 

That pile of books on the floor, by Tina Simson

Perhaps it's a condition we UU's have in common, or perhaps it affects anyone who takes time to explore the spiritual side of life. I'm talking about the pile of books I have next to my favorite chair. They are books suggested by teachers, perused at the bookstore at church, or given to me as gifts by people who know me well. They are like wise friends.

At some point in my life, it occurred to me that I could read several books at once, and that I didn't have to read them end to end. That's been a great freedom. I can grab, dog ear, highlight and put down any book in my reach. I can even save some for later. I'm saving Ken Wilbur until I reach a level of consciousness where I can actually understand him, and I have a wonderful copy of The Grapes of Wrath I have yet to read. Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors and this is the only book I have not read. There is something about being "done with Steinbeck" that saddens me. 

I once went on a solitary retreat for four days alone in the woods with no heat or electricity in my cabin.  I met with a spiritual director each day. I was not challenged with the idea of being alone, or not having the usual comforts, until my spiritual director said, bring no books with you! 

I say all this as a preface, because I know you probably have similar piles of books. But my friends at the website Spirituality and Practice just came out with their list of the Best Spirituality Books of 2009 and it's a great list. It's diverse and thorough and engaging. And there is always Beacon Press.

I've found that our public library often has many of these titles and reserving them or having them sent to a library near me, feels like free gifts. But actually going to the stacks and browsing can offer true gifts.  Like the first edition book I found by Evelyn Underhill called Practical Mysticism from 1918. It was an amazing guide to mysticism, for people like me who can get caught in their head too often. It was written at a time when our country was at war and  had amazing relevance. 

So if you are thinking that a good New Year's resolution might be to clean up your pile of books, or to systematically read them, or sort them (all things I consider each year) don't. Give yourself the gift of books this year, of great lists from wise people, and of lazy Saturdays at the library with the sages of times past and present.