Silent Retreat: Part Three -- Pictures for You

Dear Friend,

Enclosed are some pictures I took of my walk around the Spiritual Center while on my silent retreat. Hope you are well. 

Love,

Adriana

P.S. Do you remember what it was like to open the mailbox and find a letter with a dear friend's handwriting on the envelope? I would open these treasures ever-so-carefully with a letter opener. Sometimes as I unfolded the stationery, several photographs would spill unto my lap. Sheer delight! This was my attempt to simulate that experience for you. ♥ ~A

Silent Retreat: Part Two -- How to Use a Labyrinth as a Prayer Tool

Dear Friend,
If you missed my last post, go here. I'm writing about my first experience at a silent spiritual retreat. I left off at the point were I had just settled into a quiet spot by the river and I was checking out the labyrinth handout that our director had given us before the retreat began.

The labyrinth is described here as "a defined path, a physical journey inward to a sacred space." I've re-written the rest of the instructions to show you how it works step-by-step:

The goal: To discover your deepest, truest self while encountering peace and rest in the company of your ever-present God.

1. Pause. Breathe slowly. Begin when you are ready. Trace your finger along the path.

2. As you enter, leave distractions behind.

3. As you move forward, embrace what God brings to you. Pay attention to any words, thoughts, or feelings that come to you.

4. When you reach the center, linger there with God. Meditate on "Christ in you, the Hope of glory." as He reveals Himself to you.

5. The way out is the same as the way in -- just follow the path. The return journey offers space for reflection as you move back toward the exterior world, transformed at the core of your being. Carry with you the peace of Christ, which is with you always. 

"Meditation is not so much concerned with thinking as with being. And in contemplative prayer we seek to become the person we are called to be, not by thinking about God, but by being with Him." ~John Main

After tracing the pathway on the handout with my finger and entering into a moment of pure stillness in center of the labyrinth, I felt an urge to pick up my pencil. I recalled our director's prompting: Ask God for one thing.

I wrote that one thing down.

Mercy.

Because I feel overwhelmed

And hopelessly flawed.

I can't live up to my own ideals;

I'm weary of trying to get it all just right.

I ask for mercy

Because I've let others eclipse Your Light. 

When I look to them for approval,

Your Light appears dim

And I wither.

But here, Lord, Your mercy is washing over me,

Making me feel brave.

I am Your little child, drawing scribbles on this pretty paper -- do You like them?

I kiss Your hands and touch Your face.

Here in Your presence, 

I'm safe and free! 

During the next hour by the river I read various Scriptures and devotional materials. Each time I was struck by a passage, I wrote it down on my labyrinth. My copy-work curved all the way out of the labyrinth and into the white space beyond. This helped me to reflect on the experience and carry the peace of God with me into the exterior world. 

"The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace." ~Mother Teresa 

I hope you will make some time for meditation today. Perhaps the labyrinth will help you go deeper in prayer than ever before. In my next post, I'll wrap up this series with some photos from my prayer-walk around the Spiritual Center property.

Peace & Joy,
Adriana

Silent Retreat: Part One -- Learning the Ropes and Getting Settled

Dear Friend,

I promised I would tell you all about my silent retreat! I have more pictures and thoughts than I can comfortably fit into one post, so I believe I'll made this a "Silent Retreat Series."

Lane to the Spiritual Center

Last Saturday I arrived at the Spiritual Center for breakfast. I was glad to meet up with a couple of my friends -- including my prayer partner, Beth, who had invited me to attend this event. We enjoyed an hour or so of "community time" during which our director, Linda, gave us some helpful tips on how to make the most of the silent hours we were preparing to enter.

"You are all busy people; you have a lot to do. There are ministry leaders here, some of you are missionaries, some are teachers, etc. You have a long list of things you'd like to accomplish today. But I want to encourage you to set your list aside. Allow yourself to become still and listen to God. Think of one thing you'd like to ask God for during this time of silent prayer."

 

Linda gave us a labyrinth handout. She explained how to use it as a prayer tool. This was new to me. I thought a labyrinth was an elaborate hedge maze in which a person could get hopelessly lost! But it turns out -- there is only one path in a prayer labyrinth; if you use it correctly, you will only get lost in God.

Then there were breathing exercises. Before our lesson, I thought of breathing exercises as a New Age/Eastern practice for attempting to reach a state of Nirvana! But I learned that Christians can (and should) breathe too. The difference is in the approach. 

Since I had just recently read Sacred Pathways, by Gary Thomas, I felt eager to try some of these methods for enriching my prayer life.Through this silent retreat at the Spiritual Center, I was able to experience at least seven of the nine pathways that Thomas defines:

Naturalist: Loving God out of Doors

Sensate: Loving God with the Senses
Traditionalist: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol
Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity
Enthusiast: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration
Contemplative: Loving God through Adoration
Intellectual: Loving God with the Mind

The theme for our retreat,"Landscapes of Prayer", was inspired by the book by Margaret Silf. Inside the pavilion there were prayer stations based on this theme. For example, a person could gaze at a large photograph of a desert scene while running her fingers through a tray of sand. She could chose to "walk" with Jesus into the wilderness by reading Matt 4:1-11. She might also meditate on other passages which carry the "desert" theme such as Acts 13:17-18 and Isaiah 35:1-2. Many of the people who chose to remain inside the pavilion did so because of physical limitations. These stations provided calming landscape scenes, complete with sensory experiences for those who could not venture outside.

After a Scripture reading, a prayer, and a hymn, our time of silence began. I sensed a general eagerness as each pilgrim sought out her own quiet place. I carried a folding chair and a couple of light bags to a shady spot near the river. Since I had been one of the last to emerge from the pavilion, I was one of the last to find my place. I was surprised then to come upon an empty bench with an exquisite view of the river through a patch of trees. I once read that a view of water through trees is considered to be the most favored landscape of humankind. Either the women at the retreat did not share this opinion, or they were all too generous to take one of the best spots! I turned around to take in the full scene: I saw a couple women far in the distance, but no one was around and everyone appeared to be settled, so I began to unpack.

In my next post, I'll tell you about my first experience with the prayer labyrinth and about the thing I asked God to give me.

Hope you are well.

Until next time then. :-)

Peace & Joy,

Adriana

My First E-Card

Dear Friend,

This made me smile.

Jeannie Prinsen made it for me. I've never received an e-card before! How fun!
Jeannie blogs at Little House on the Circle. She's witty, wise, and very kind. Hop on over to her place now. I've got a busy mommy day ahead.

(I'm determined to peek my head in here more often, even if it's just to say hello.)

Hope you have a great day!
Soon I'm going to tell you about the silent retreat I went on last Saturday. If you have never been on one before, I'll give you the full scoop.

Gotta run now!
Peace & Joy,

Adriana

Tea for Two: Oliver Twist on my Front Porch

                                                                                                                                         

Dear Friend,                                                                                                       

I have an extra rocking chair. Care to sit for a spell? 

Would you like a cup of tea? 

I'll put my kettle on now. :-)

What kind of tea do you like?

Do you take cream? Sugar? Honey?

What have you been reading lately? Anything good?

Name your favorite novel. Can't pick one? Well then, name some of your favorites. Or your favorite at the moment.

Wish you didn't have to go!

I enjoy spending time with you. Come back soon!

Love & Blessings,

Adriana

Finding Freedom Beneath the Unclouded Night Sky

Hello dear friends,

Have you ever taken a long stroll in the night?

One night last week I went for a walk at around 3AM. At first it was a little creepy, but after a while, it was wonderful. I meandered along. There was no moon. The stars were brilliant. 

I recognized a couple constellations: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Ursa Major is also known as the Big Dipper. Before the Civil War, runaway slaves referred to it as the Drinking Gourd. I live in a place where runaways likely passed through the night on foot in pursuit of freedom in the North. They looked to the Drinking Gourd as a guide. It is a symbol of freedom.

Crickets chirped. Owls hooted. Deer barked as I approached their beds. I captured this picture of two bucks butting heads. They didn't notice me for a long time. I stood still, hidden in the shadows. So much to see and experience in the night time!

I thought about Jane Eyre. Last I saw her, she was curled up on the heath in darkness:

Night was come, and her planets were risen: a safe, still night: too serene for the companionship of fear. We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when his works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence.

If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, unable to rest -- perhaps a night walk will help you sort things out. 

When I got back from my ramble, I slept like a baby til morning.

Peace & Joy,
Adriana

Sacred Pathways and Celebrity Diets

Dear Friends,

Last week over dinner my husband and I had a conversation about the barrage of celebrity diet advertisements on our Facebook news-feeds. Aren't they bizarre sometimes? "Baby-food Diet," "M-Plan Mushroom Diet," "Five Factor Diet" (in which you cook with only five ingredients), and of course don't forget to stock up on the "revoluntionary fat-buster" diet supplement --Garcinia Camogia!

My husband said he heard a radio talk show host say the only celebrity diet worth following is the "Marilyn Monroe Diet."

"The Marilyn Monroe Diet?!!" I had no idea there was such a thing.

I did a search online. It really exists! And you are absolutely guaranteed to look like the Blonde Bombshell if you follow it.

One journalist went on the "Marilyn Monroe Diet" for ten days. She ate two raw eggs whipped in warm milk for breakfast, no lunch, broiled liver, steak, or lamb with five carrots for dinner, and a hot-fudge sundae for dessert.

Here is part of her entry for the final day:

"I have stayed basically the same weight and have a huge cystic pimple on chin. But my breasts seem — slightly? — more firm, and I don’t have to drink raw eggs anymore. Raw eggs make everything seem tolerable in comparison."

Ayiyi. I think I'd rather eat bread, potatoes, and a Philly Cheesesteak on occasion. I think I'd rather eat a fresh Cobb salad, or homemade chicken noodle soup! Maybe instead of trying to be Marilyn . . . I'll just be me.

Now let's talk about diets for the soul --

Recently my pastor loaned me his copy of Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul's Path to God by Gary Thomas.

I gobbled it up like a hungry child.

"Instead of learning from others, Christians have often chosen to segregate themselves by starting a new church whenever worship preferences diverge. Unless you happen to be born into just the right tradition, you're brought up to feed on somebody else's diet."

With a heavy heart I think of the church of my childhood. It began as a church split because there was a disagreement over whether or not puppets depicting Bible characters should be used in children's church.

Puppets? They split the church over puppets?! 

I think, too, of some of my life-long spiritual frustrations --

Why does this little plastic communion cup and stale cracker make me sad? Why am I afraid to admit that lighting this candle helps me pray? Why does my heart positively ache with a yearning for beauty? Why am I afraid to lift my hands in church?

Ina Garten's maple glaze. Drizzle on muffins, scones, quick bread, and cake.
Mix  1  1/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup real maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

Thomas describes nine "sacred pathways" for those who feel like they are stuck in a one-size-fits-all spirituality. Each of these temperaments has unique traits, strengths, and potential pitfalls. Most individuals will find their spiritual temperament to be composite of multiple "pathways." 

Here is a list of the nine "Sacred Pathways":

Naturalist: Loving God out of Doors
Sensate: Loving God with the Senses
Traditionalist: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol
Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity
Activists: Loving God through Confrontation
Caregiver: Loving God by Loving Others
Enthusiast: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration
Contemplative: Loving God through Adoration
Intellectual: Loving God with the Mind

Sacred Pathways offers a short test at the end of each chapter to help you determine which pathways help you relate to God best. I scored highest as a "Sensate" and lowest as an "Activist."  This was helpful information. (For example, now I know why I hesitate to share the status updates of my activist friends.)

This is a 100 year old recipe for apple cake that my friend, Tim Fall, shared on his blog.

Let me clarify: I am not trying to implore you to leave your faith tradition! But I will encourage you to give grace to others who might need to exercise their faith in a way that is different from you. Let's celebrate the wondrous diversity of spiritual life, while at the same time being wary of the potential pitfalls that come with each "sacred pathway."

Do you sometimes feel pressured to practice your faith in a way that does not suit your spiritual temperament?

Peace & Joy,

Adriana

P.S. I'm eager to develop this further. Viewing some of the authors of the classics through this lens might help me answer the question, "Why did the author write this book?