The Meaning of Contemplation: A Fortress of Strength for Life's Challenges
Recently I’ve been thinking about how to define contemplation more fully because it has become such an important source of peace in my life. I always wanted to be a nun, which is odd because I'm not Catholic. I didn't know any nuns, and the only one I ever saw was Sally Field playing The Flying Nun on TV. It took many years to realize that I wanted to be a nun because that represented someone with a rich inner life reflected in a confident no-nonsense exterior, much like my sixth-grade teacher, Audrey Cutts. I didn't know her well enough to know about her inner life, but I could tell she was assertive and strong on the inside. I wanted to have that confidence and whatever it took to support it. Even though I often looked calm on the exterior, I grew up with a hurricane inside that often felt out of control. To find that calm became an important quest in my life which often looked like it was only taking place from one end of my couch to the other. It was inner work, but I somehow knew the challenge and adventure of finding and creating a contemplative life would be worth it.
Contemplation is something that can be developed over time through deliberate practices. The meaning of contemplation is being reflective to the point of having a direct experience with all that is "divine" inside you. It's an ancient and divine practice that is about the wholeness found in being "with yourself" and building up your capacity to get in touch with and appreciate the essence of who you really are. As such, it means using practices that allow that to happen regularly and increase the amount of silence and solitude to make space for that. They can be as simple as having frequent "phone off" times, going for quiet walks or seeking out silent retreats by learning to meditate through the use of guided meditations and/or centering prayer. Using your body through yoga or even mindful stretching can help you be more still and present. Walking meditations can bring the body and mind together to be swept off to a more mindful place. Meditative movement of any kind, and the beauty and balance that comes with it, can bring an overall sense of connectedness and well-being. Most importantly it means giving yourself the gift of time to carve out a place for contemplation in your life.
I, like so many of you, am on a journey to improve my consistency in practicing these kinds of exercises. Historically I have meditated or prayed with one eye open and have had to be carried out of yoga class for rushing a stretch and pulling a ligament. I have been one who was always hurrying up to reflect and not taking even a breath before I talked. However, that made me one who has needed this in my life most of all, if for no other reason than to protect myself against myself and calm down that hurricane. That still small voice inside always knew and has pointed me in this direction. Thank goodness all of these practices have helped keep my ego in check and my addictions, which we all have, from assuming a greater place of prominence in my life (more on that another day). I can testify that these practices have helped restore balance, perspective, and personal satisfaction with what "is", not how I wish things would be. In whatever form it takes, contemplative life can lead to that feeling of wholeness, which is defined as being in harmony, unity, and balance. If it can lead me there, I think it can lead anyone to that place we all seek and deserve, no matter what challenges may stand in our way. We can make it so by making space in our lives and by simply returning to that space, again and again. Let us make it so collectively, in the name of contemplation and the strength and wisdom that it brings.
Dena Parker Duke
Check out the poems Audrey and All the Time, found in Tiny Lights: Small Poems for Big Moments.
