De Mello 2: Albums and Awareness

This return to past scenes where you felt love and joy is one of the best exercises I know for strengthening your mental health.—Anthony de Mello in Sadhana: A Way to God (Image Books 1978), pp. 72-73.

I must admit I decided to read Anthony de Mello’s book, Sadhana: A Way to God, while studying spiritual direction because it isn’t long, seems like easy reading, and I knew I had a lot coming up in the next few weeks of study! Well, it’s only 140 pages, but it’s the kind of material where you should practice one exercise each day for 140 days or, even better, one exercise each week. There was only one exercise I found too hard to do, and that was Exercise 29, where we imagine ourselves as a corpse decomposing! I have otherwise found each of them so helpful in many ways to connect to God.

Each exercise was something I wanted to practice. I relate most to the fantasy exercises, especially Exercise 18, the joyful mysteries of your life. Here, we immerse ourselves in joyful moments, recalling details, staying in the present, and feeling joy and love. De Mello then suggests creating an album of these peak experiences to revisit during difficult times—to remind ourselves of the joy in life and the presence of God in those past moments when God may not seem present.

De Mello explains that when we have memorable experiences, we often do not fully appreciate or absorb the joy of being completely aware of what is happening. He encourages us to revisit the event repeatedly, to replay it mentally, and to feel the love it gave us, allowing ourselves to be nourished again by that experience. He warns us not to be mere observers, but to immerse ourselves completely back into the moment. De Mello believes that recalling these experiences enhances our ability to experience joy and, in turn, opens our lives to more fully receive God’s love.

Joanna joannaseibert.com