On Practices
Much that is distinctive about the monastic spirit is that it is a life based on the practices of the spiritual life—prayer, meditation, contemplation, mindfulness, study . . . amongst others. Traditionally, at least in the enclosed communities and for solitaries, the monastic withdrew from “the world” into a life of quiet, reflection and sacred space to learn the disciplines.
Yet most of us engaged in the Way we are calling the “new monasticism” do not have that facility of withdrawal (not for any length of time) and our monastic practice is what we might call a “secular monasticism.” We are seeking to practice the monastic disciplines in the context of everyday life, work and family commitments.
There is a great challenge. The practices do take . . . well, practice! There is no easy road, no instant maturity, no “microwave” fix.
I have been a guitar player for over 30 years. I now have some facility. The movement of hands, the position of notes on the fret board, the “instinctive” sense of rhythm, harmony, melody . . . to know which mixolydian mode to play over a song in major key. All of this is somewhat “second nature.”
The secret has been practice—to develop the skills, to train the hands and ears. And yet, to be truthful, there are times when I feel I have only just begun to learn the instrument.
It amazes me that in the things of the Spirit there is often an impatience to reach the goal. There is often an unspoken understanding that all of us awakened to the Spirit of God ought to be mature, to be adepts at the spiritual life.
I think our forbears in the monastic spirit knew otherwise. To be monastic is to be one who engages in the practices of the monastic. More than words, it is about being.
+ Ab. Andrew
Much that is distinctive about the monastic spirit is that it is a life based on the practices of the spiritual life—prayer, meditation, contemplation, mindfulness, study . . . amongst others. Traditionally, at least in the enclosed communities and for solitaries, the monastic withdrew from “the world” into a life of quiet, reflection and sacred space to learn the disciplines.
Yet most of us engaged in the Way we are calling the “new monasticism” do not have that facility of withdrawal (not for any length of time) and our monastic practice is what we might call a “secular monasticism.” We are seeking to practice the monastic disciplines in the context of everyday life, work and family commitments.
There is a great challenge. The practices do take . . . well, practice! There is no easy road, no instant maturity, no “microwave” fix.
I have been a guitar player for over 30 years. I now have some facility. The movement of hands, the position of notes on the fret board, the “instinctive” sense of rhythm, harmony, melody . . . to know which mixolydian mode to play over a song in major key. All of this is somewhat “second nature.”
The secret has been practice—to develop the skills, to train the hands and ears. And yet, to be truthful, there are times when I feel I have only just begun to learn the instrument.
It amazes me that in the things of the Spirit there is often an impatience to reach the goal. There is often an unspoken understanding that all of us awakened to the Spirit of God ought to be mature, to be adepts at the spiritual life.
I think our forbears in the monastic spirit knew otherwise. To be monastic is to be one who engages in the practices of the monastic. More than words, it is about being.
+ Ab. Andrew