Silent
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Illuminated Silence
Silent • September 9, 2024
Contemplative Reflections through Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, meaning "Divine Reading," is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation, and prayer.
Traditionally it was intended to promote communion with the Christian God and to increase the knowledge of the divine word.
It is a systematic approach to spiritual reading and contemplation practiced by many faiths seeking a deeper, more personal connection with the divine.
These divine readings are my Pagan take on the contemplation of topics important to all people.
Lectio Divina is a transformative practice that invites you to engage with thoughtful readings profoundly and intimately. By listening to your inner wisdom, you open yourself to spiritual growth, allowing the words to speak directly into your life.
Lectio Divina offers a pathway to a more profound, more personal relationship with the universe, whether practiced daily or periodically.
Four Steps of Lectio Divina
Lectio (Reading):
Begin by selecting a topic and a passage. Each reading is at most two pages.
Read the passage slowly and attentively, allowing the words to sink in. Listen to the text as though it were being spoken directly to you, noticing any words or phrases that stand out. You can read them anywhere and at any time.
The words will resonate with you differently at different times in your life. Ground and center yourself before reading. Establish a practice of tuning out the world and creating a bubble around you.
It's helpful to read the passage multiple times, letting its meaning become more profound with each reading.
Meditatio (Meditation):
Reflect on the words or phrases that stood out during the reading. Consider what they mean to you, how they speak to your life, and what the divine might communicate through them.
Meditation in this context is not about emptying the mind but filling it with the message from the divine. Allow your thoughts to dwell on the spiritual significance of the text.
This time for deep reflection allows the text to resonate in your heart and mind.
Oratio (Prayer):
Respond to the passage with prayer. This can be a conversation with your Patron, an ancestor, a tree, the universe, or other spiritual forces about what you have read and meditated upon, expressing gratitude, seeking guidance, asking questions, or simply resting in Stillness.
Prayer during Lectio Divina is personal and spontaneous. It is a dialogue where you bring your reflections and feelings.
Contemplatio (Contemplation):
Enter into a time of quiet contemplation, resting in the Stillness. This step moves beyond words, thoughts, and images into a silent, loving focus on the divine.
Contemplation is about being with spirit, simply enjoying the divine presence without the need for active thinking or verbal prayer.
It’s a time of peace and stillness, where you allow the universe to work within you.
How to read each Lectio Divina
Each reading has text for contemplation. Following each are meditation, contemplation, reflection, and silent sitting suggestions. They are suggestions; use them as you are moving or develop your own.
You will find a rhythm that works for you as you develop your practice.
Illuminated Silence is my third book. It bears the inscription.
𒍣𒋛 𒈬𒊭𒉌𒋛
"Zee-shoo moo-shah-nee-shoom"
(May it nourish your soul)
In the Stillness
In the depths of night, when all is silent,
I drift into the space between breath and thought,
Where the world falls away, and I am alone
Yet surrounded by the eternal presence.
Here, in the Stillness, where shadows hold no fear, I find the pulse of the universe,
A rhythm older than time, more constant than the stars,
Beating in the void, a heartbeat within my own.
This is the place where all paths converge,
A plane beyond planes, where dark matter swirls
Not as chaos, but as the very fabric of existence,
The unseen, the unfelt, holding us all in its embrace.
I listen, not with ears but with the soul,
And in that deep, sacred silence,
The mysteries whisper truths older than creation,
Echoes of a time before time, carried on the still wind.
The Stillness is both my journey and my destination,
A place where the self dissolves into the All,
Where the boundaries of flesh and bone fade,
And I become the void, the space between spaces.
In this contemplative dance, I am both seeker and found,
Wandering through the infinite, anchored in the unseen.
The Stillness breathes with me, through me,
A communion of spirit and shadow, light and dark.
I return to the world, not as I was,
But marked by the Stillness,
A part of me forever dwelling there,
In that quiet, holy place where all things are possible.
Meditation:
Find a place where the world cannot reach you. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, entering the space between breaths. Allow the boundaries of your mind to dissolve, leaving only the Stillness. Feel the universe's rhythm within you, a heartbeat that has always been there, waiting to be heard. As you breathe, let the Stillness expand, filling every corner of your being.
Reflection:
What does it mean to find the universe's pulse within the Stillness?
How do the shadows transform when seen through the lens of the soul?
What do you discover about your journey in the convergence of all paths?
When the self dissolves into the All, who remains?
Reflect on the paradox of seeking and finding within the same breath and space.
Prayer:
Eternal presence guides me into the depths of Stillness.
May I hear the ancient whispers that speak of truths beyond time.
Let my being dissolve into the All, finding peace in the void.
May the Stillness be my anchor and my guide,
As I journey through the spaces within spaces,
Forever marked by the quiet of the sacred.
Contemplation:
Sit with the Stillness as both journey and destination. What does it mean to be both seeker and found, to wander the infinite while being anchored in the unseen?
Contemplate the merging of spirit and shadow, light and dark, and how this communion shapes your understanding of existence. Consider how the Stillness transforms you, marking you forever as you return to the world.
Silent Sitting:
Close the book. Close your eyes. Let the words fall away, leaving only the Stillness. Sit in the quiet, allowing the boundaries of flesh and bone to fade. Breathe with the Stillness, through the Stillness, and let it breathe through you. In this silence, let the mysteries unfold without expectation. Simply be.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Endings
A Vision for Sharing Diverse Views
Personal Growth and Transformation for the Malewitch