Paths to Contemplation - Post 13

"Seeds" for active contemplation in the Way of Light 


The Way of Light, you may recall, uses "light" as a metaphor for God. God may dwell in unimaginable, inexpressible light, but God is still thought of as dwelling in light rather than darkness. The Way of Light and the Way of Darkness(more about the latter in the next chapter) are distinguished in part by the means they use to inspire active contemplation. As the names imply, the Way of Light allows the use of the senses -- most notably, but not exclusively, sight – while the Way of Darkness applies techniques that bypass the senses. In the Way of Light, we attempt to focus our senses and our minds on an image, sound, smell, etc., that might direct the mind toward God. In the Way of Darkness, we attempt to quiet the senses and "empty" our minds.

The use of images and sensory impressions may lead one to believe that contemplation is essentially the same as meditation. This is not the case, although the literature sometimes uses the two concepts interchangeably. It may be helpful, therefore, to digress a moment to discuss the difference between meditative prayer and contemplative prayer.

A key aspect of contemplation is that it is a quiet resting. Meditation, however, involves the intentional use of one or more mental faculties. There are various forms of meditation of which an extended discussion would take us far from the intended scope of this book. In meditation I might use my imagination to make myself present in some biblical event, or I might engage in an intellectual reflection on an important life issue in order to clarify God’s will. I might gaze at a picture of Christ and listen with my heart for any words of wisdom the Lord might provide for me. The initial inspiration for meditation might even be the same as the initial inspiration for active contemplation, but, in meditation, the purpose of the initial inspiration is to help my mind reflect on some aspect of my faith, not to enter a quiet resting in God. It is certainly true that meditation may lead to contemplation, but it is not true that meditation is, in fact, contemplation. The states of mind in meditation and contemplation are different. In meditation, the mind is active; in contemplation, it is at rest.

What then are some of those things that can help lead into a state of active contemplation?