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LOTUS OF THE HEART
Brian K. Wilcox, a vowed Contemplative in the Christian tradition, and Associate of Greenbough House of Prayer, offers an interspiritual work focusing on cultivating the Heart of Compassion. His book of mystical Love poetry is An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love. Brian integrates wisdom from the major spiritual Paths. May you always know that you are blessed!
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The presentations at this site cover a long time period. Each one represents part of an on-going Pilgrimage, and the writer's ideas, practices, and experience have changed over time. This change is the quality of any living Journey. Please read with this in mind, allowing the inner Teacher to speak to you as you need at this particular time in your own living Journey. Thanks!
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*Inner Peace, Anais Photograhy, Flickr
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But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
*Hebrew Bible. Psalm 131.2. ESV.
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The child not weaned is restless on the mother's breast. The breast speaks to him or her of food. The weaned child is content and relaxed, resting, not clamoring for milk. The breast, once the milk-giver, is now a Sanctuary of Peace, Contentment, and Calm. Here, the transformation of relationship of the child to the breast is key to the Psalmist's image. This speaks of the potential transformation of each of us from a life of unrest, grounded in distrust, to a restful life, based on trust.
The Prayerful Life entails nurturing contentment and calm within. The Prayerful person has discovered that such contentment cannot be found without. For many of us, failure to find contentment and peace outside led us to go Within. Truly, many of us live in cultures intent on creating unrest, with an economy largely based on creating dissatisfaction with what we have already, urging us to more and more. Likewise, modern technology has led to an assault on silence and contentment. We will do well to simply acknowledge these matters and choose a different way of living for ourselves and, to the extent we can, for those we love dearly.
The Psalmist mentions a potential hindrance to this calm and contentment. We turn to verse 1 (ESV):
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
This inner calm arises from a decision for humility and trust. Pride and intellectualization regarding spiritual matters can easily lead one away from the contentment we long to enjoy and is healthy for body, mind, and soul.
The Psalm ends with an interesting move from the Psalmist's confession of personal trust and contentment to encouragement for the Community, in verse 3 (ESV):
O Israel, hope in the LORD,
from this time forth and forevermore.
The transition from self to community shows the choice for humbleness and trust, leading to inner rest, is linked with compassion and commitment to others. Such is the Prayerful person, who chooses a way of being in the world with consciousness of his or her place in the community and the effect the choice has upon others. We choose this peace within that we might be conduits of peace in the communities in which we live.
A temptation to persons seeking inner peace is to turn the search into a private affair. This is likely normal and healthy, initially, as one is recoiling from seeking such among others. However, the temptation is to turn the Prayerful Life into a personal-only experience. Then, the Prayerful Life is no longer Prayerful, at all. Spiritual Prayer opens the Heart outward and sees in the inner Grace received a prayer and hope that others receive the same.
*Christ the Redeemer in Rio..., Carlos Eduardo, Flickr
* * * CLOSING BLESSING * * *
Grace and Peace to All
The Sacred in Me bows to the Sacred in You
*You are welcome to contact Brian at briankwilcox@yahoo.com .
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