Writing as a Spiritual Practice again

Writing as a Spiritual Practice again

Writing as spiritual practice of prayer

“We give thanks for writing as a spiritual practice.  You have taught us: To write about what is painful is to begin the work of healing. To write the red of a tomato before it is mixed into beans for chili is a form of praise. To write an image of a child caught in war is confession or petition or requiem. To write grief onto a page of lined paper until tears blur the ink is often the surest access to giving or receiving forgiveness. To write a comic scene is grace and beatitude. To write irony is to seek justice. To write admission of failure is humility. To be in an attitude of praise or thanksgiving, to rage against you, God, or to open our inner self and listen, is prayer. To write tragedy and allow comedy to arise between the lines is miracle and revelation. Let us know your presence with us on this new or old spiritual journey and hold us as you always do in the palm of your writing hand.”

Pat Schneider founder Amherst Writers and Artists, “Writing as a Spiritual practice”, Huffington Post, Posted: 04/29/2013 5:33 pm EDT

  In Reaching Out, The Three Movements of the Spiritual Journey, Henri Nouwen describes writing about the spiritual journey like making prints from negatives. This is exactly what both Nouwen and Buechner do. By example they help us focus our life’s camera lens and observe how seeing God at work in the world, our lives, the lives of others can then be better understood when we use writing as a developing solution to look at and re-image in reverse, sometimes using color to see better what is happening.

Writing has become my best form of prayer. As my fingers touch the key board, words come out that I never planned to use. When I write, my body moves my relationship with God from my head to my heart.  Writing, like dream work, study, meditation, the labyrinth is certainly just one of so many spiritual practices, but it is the place where I most often and most consistently meet God.

A great way to begin writing as a spiritual practice is making a commitment, a date, to write every day using Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. You start with morning pages where you write down whatever comes into your head, a stream of consciousness, the first thing in the morning in long hand for three pages. The writing may make no sense, but it is a great way to let the words flow and getting used to writing without a constant censor or critic. Personally, this has been a fun way to take out all the extra sometimes unknown, often critical material living rent free in my head. I see morning pages as a way to “take out the garbage” living in my head. Putting these thoughts down on paper often takes away their power. Working through and discussing Cameron’s book in a group also can make it a richer experience.

Many people also do spiritual writing by journaling their thoughts, especially after practicing Lectio Divina.

Joanna            joannaseibert.com

Burton, Brown: Shame and Redemption

Burton, Brown: Shame and Redemption

Guest Writer: Larry Burton

“Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed and rare.” Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

While spiritual direction is different from psychological counseling, I find that sometimes theology and psychology become entwined.  Years ago I heard a colleague say that “when we change, God changes, and when God changes, we change.”  That colleague was referring to her work as a pastoral counselor, but I think it applies to spiritual formation and spiritual direction, as well.

Developmentally, shame is older than guilt, but many of us use the word “guilt” when the deeper feeling is one of shame.  Shame is the sense of “I am bad and it is my fault.”  The image of God that many of us grew up with, is one of a critical parent who is constantly watching and waiting for us children to mess up.  This is a “god” who then becomes angry and threatens us in order to bring us back into line.  But we find that nothing we can do is good enough.  If this were truly about guilt, we could truly repent and make repair.  If one has stolen or lied or something similar, confession and restitution can change things.  But if nothing we do is ever good enough, despair may be the result.

In formation or spiritual direction, grace is the dominant voice, for it is divine acceptance that is the antidote to shame.  Brene Brown, a university researcher has some thoughts about that.  She writes about the fear of vulnerability and the shame that so many of us carry.  Brown’s response to shame is grounded in her spirituality and her understanding of the redemptive power of human community.  “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

As we who do spiritual direction and formation help folks to be vulnerable to the God who is love, as our relationships point toward vulnerability, acceptance and redemption, old and destructive images of God become new and more importantly, they become alive.

Larry Burton

Joanna   joannaseibert.com

Rule of Benedict again

“Listen carefully, my child to my instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.”  Prologue to Rule of Benedict

Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century tried to follow a spiritual path by himself and realized he had to do this in community. From his awareness, we now have the Rule of Benedict, a way to find and follow God in community, balancing work, study, sleep, worship and prayers, and recreation. This rule has now been used for centuries in Benedictine monasteries.  Today people are developing ways to follow a rule as they live in the secular world, still connecting in community with spiritual friends and with spiritual directors.  

This prologue to the rule is my favorite part of the rule. “Listen with the ear of your heart.” This is the call to the spiritual life, a way to live in the world still connected to God. First, we are to listen, pay attention. We are to use the ear of our heart. We are to connect to something outside of ourselves, hearing and loving. We hear and listen and learn about love most evidently in community, outside of ourselves.  

There are many outstanding books about the Rule of Benedict. I will share three favorites but would like to hear from others about the books that have been most helpful as you try to find your rule of life. The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21th Century by Joan Chittister is used by The International Community of Hope, a training for lay pastoral care givers that also immerses them in Benedictine spirituality. Joan Chittister writes a short meditation after each part of the rule and applies it to our everyday life.

 Always We Begin Again, The Benedictine Way of Living is a pocket sized small book that can be carried with you during the day written by Memphis lawyer, John McQuiston II, which is a modernization of Benedict’s Rule with a sample rule of life.

 St. Benedict’s Toolbox is exactly what the author, Jane Tomaine, calls it in her subtitle, The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living.

 All three books are especially good to read together in community, learning and supporting each other.

Joanna   joannaseibert.com