Perennial Meditations (Saturday Review)
Notes, Takeaways, and Saturday Meditations (14 - 20 May)
Greetings Readers!
Welcome to another edition of our Perennial Meditations (Saturday Review) with a short contemplation and links to this week’s meditations.
Here is your Saturday Review with a short meditation & contemplation!
The Call to Contemplation
This week’s Saturday meditation comes from Thomas Merton’s book The Seven Story Mountain. Merton is a previous figure discussed on Reading & the Good Life (our Friday meetups) and the topic of a recent conversation I had on The Deep Dive Spirituality Conversations Podcast with Dr. Brian Russell (a previous guest on In Search of Wisdom).
According to Merton, the call to contemplation is universal. Merton wrote,
Whether you teach or live in the cloister or nurse the sick, whether you are in religion or out of it, married or single, no matter who you are or what you are, you are called to the summit of perfection: you are called to a deep interior life perhaps even to mystical prayer, and to pass the fruits of your contemplation on to others.
Similarly, the mystic Meister Eckhart observed that what we plant in the soil of contemplation, we reap in the harvest of action.
Contemplation Questions (Pick one or create your own!):
What is contemplation?
How might contemplation influence your actions in daily life?
Want to learn more about stillness practices? The next virtual meetup is on The Art (and Wisdom) of Contemplative Practices (Wednesday, May 24th at 7:00 pm EST). I’ll be joined by Dr. Brian Russell (author of Centering Prayer) to discuss the wisdom of integrating stillness practices into daily life.
This Week’s Meditations…
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Thank you for reading this week; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
P.S. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or make suggestions!