Posted on by Kurt Bodling

gifts of solitude

"One of the gifts of solitude, and one of the first to be discovered, is the gift of attentiveness. …

"Related to the gift of attentiveness is the gift of healing. … No one would deny that people play a crucial role in healing. But there is an aspect of spiritual and emotional healing that seems best accomplished alone, especially when tha healing relates to coming to terms with loss or with some significant change in one’s life. …

"Personal clarity, insight, and creativity are other gifts of solitude. …

“The greatest gift of solitude, however, is an awareness of the presence of God. God is often discovered in a very personal way during periods of solitude.”

Moore, Christopher Chamberlin. Solitude: A Neglected Path to God. Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2001, pp. 12-14.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

awareness and silence

“Awareness is the eye of silence. The riddle of the Second Doorway helps us deepen this silence by training the attention not to spin commentary on the thoughts and feelings that we become aware of. This was one of the principle aims of the contemplative training in the desert tradition, and Evagrius is the real master here. He was aware that the attempt to be silent involved one immediately in the struggle with thoughts.”

Laird, Martin. Into the Silent Land : a Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation. NY: Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 81.

In other words, pay attention; be watchful; notice.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

silence and awareness

“Silence is not simply about the absence of sound waves. It is concerned with attention and awareness. Silence and awareness are in fact one thing.”

Laird, Martin. A Sunlit Absence : Silence, Awareness, and Contemplation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 44.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

awareness of the presence

“Richard Rohr reminds us that ‘we cannot attain the presence of God. We’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.’ This is the core of the spiritual journey–knowing to discern the presence of God, to see what really is. But nothing is more dangerous than presuming that we already see when we do not.”

(Benner, David G. The Gift of Being Yourself. Expanded ed. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Books, 2015, p. 41)