Contemplation

As Christianity rose to a position of power, rational thinking and individuals’ needs took priority over embodied, non dual consciousness and relationships

Richard Rohr

Sabbath is a desperately needed practice in our culture today.  We live in a constant production work until you drop society.  Telling people their worth does not come from what they produce is a radical thought and needs to be emphasized over and over. People are dying to know they are loved exactly as they are, but our society is so competitive it is hard to believe this when we are never silent and finding our worth in production.  There is no escape for many as too many churches are playing this game too.  Walter Brueggemann writes in “Sabbath as a Resistance” that Sabbath takes our minds from scarcity to abundance.

Contemplation came to me in a very dark night.  I had no idea what to do, and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to feel ok again.  I listened to a two minute meditation on a podcast, and I was hooked.  I signed up as a patreon to this podcast so I could get the longer versions and practice this method everyday.  The change in me was radical after about day 10.  All of the sudden, things that would trigger me were no longer triggering me.  I was calm now.  I no longer  just saw the world that was leaving me, but I saw the new world that was coming.  I was going to Sams and connecting to the employees on a very deep level. People I saw all the time were now some of the dearest people to me, and I could not wait for Mondays to see them. I was having deeply spiritual conversations with everyone around me, including my pest management serviceman.

There is something about going to the desert space to empty ourselves and experience spiritual renewal to return to our prophetic calling.  Action and contemplation go together.   One of my very favorite moments on the Jimmy Fallon show happened recently.  He had Deepak Chopra on the show and he lead the audience in a two minute meditation.  I participated and it was amazing, but two minutes isn’t long enough for me now.  I see a world that is to come.  Let us practice some kind of Sabbath to hang on to hope during this crazy 24 hour news cycle.