The desert is literally a place of deprivation, something left waste. Little grows in the desert. There is no civilization. The desert offers meager fare. Hence, the image of the desert has become a powerful metaphor for aspects of life when we find ourselves in a place of deprivation. There are times when the desert seeks us out . . . illness, life changes, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, and depression (the deprivation of meaning, of well-being) are all desert experiences.
The desert became a potent symbol in early Christianity. John the Baptizer chose the life of the desert.
Jesus sought the desert before beginning his ministry where he wrestled with his own inner demons. After around 250 CE there was a movement we now call the desert mothers and fathers. The desert mystics intentionally left society to find a physical desert to practice their spirituality. The early Irish monastics often sought out a barren island as their home, such as Skellig Michael where they lived in stone built huts.
When “desert experiences” are often so painful, why choose the image of desert as an image of spiritual life?
Human nature (as all animal nature) may be said to be a bundle of needs. Psychologist Abraham Maslow pointed this out in 1943, and his view is respected still. Those needs, when largely met, are not a problem to us. But needs are closely related to desires. Desires have often been termed “the passions.” A great deal of philosophy and spirituality over the centuries has tried to deal with the passions.” The passions left unruly dominate human life, and always bring suffering in their wake. The desert has been found to be a way to help deal with problematic passions.
There has been an unhealthy fear of the passions. Desires and passions have often been socially constructed as feminine, with rationality constructed as masculine. And everyone knows that reason is preferable to emotion. In patriarchal cultures this has been one more way of denigrated the feminine and women generally. I cannot conceive of an understanding of love without desire. In fact, desire is the beginning of love. To eradicate desire from human life would be to deny love. Not a happy solution! I am not convinced that all desires or all passions are a problem.
Yet, some are. The mystics entered the desert to conquer problematic desires.
Buddhism has a very useful insight. Suffering come from desire, desire can be conquered. The eightfold path is one way to do that. Here is the path:
Wisdom
1. Right view
2. Right intention
Ethical conduct
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
Mental discipline
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
This noble eightfold path is said to be the way to deal with the troublesome desires that cause suffering. These all have their equivalents in Christianity, though there is no reason why Christians cannot simply follow the eightfold path. There is no incompatibility.
Historically, in the mystical tradition of spirituality, there are times when we seek the desert. Of course, Lent is such a time. It is the desert experience that helps us come to terms effectively with need, desire, passion. That is what the “what are you giving up for Lent?” question is all about. In Lent we have a deliberate time when we can take stock, see whether the needs, desires and passions of life have mastery over us or whether we have mastery over desire. How often we choose to fast (to deny ourselves something for a specific period) only to find an immediate and desperate craving for that thing?
A regular retreat is also helpful. Retreats are desert places. It need not be a long retreat. A period each day of quietness and emptying is a retreat. These are the little deserts that we enter each day, to remind us that the demands of need and desire do not have the final say.
+Ab. Andy