CapeConversation

The summer rain falling on Sunday morning created the perfect atmosphere for a quiet meditative session led by Angie.

The aim for the morning was to learn, experiment and experience five methods of meditation. So after tea, coffee and taize, we entered into the stillness, quietness and peacefulness of meditation.  Angie guided us through each of the methods as we opened ourselves to experience the Spirit in a new and fresh way.

The first method we encountered was the Hebraic method. This is a method where a section of Biblical text is read and memorised and then repeated out loud repeatedly during the day. We all read Psalm 5 as we walked around the studio and then individually focused on a small portion of the Psalm as we muttered the words over and over.

At the end of this section we each wrote down on paper the small portion of the Psalm that related and resonated personally in each of us.

We then moved on to the second method, the Benedictine method(lectio devina). In this method one meditates of the Word.  So, we could meditate on the portion of the Psalm that we had written down.                                                                                                                                                                                                    The third method was only mentioned briefly as it entails much analyzing, study and diagnostic research into a passage of  the bible.  This method is called the Thomist method.

The fourth method allowed us to travel in our minds and place ourselves in the context of a bible story.  This method was developed by the Jesuits founder, Ignatius Loyola, and hence called the Ignation Spirituality method.  As said by C.S. Lewis,   “ God uses our Baptised Imaginations”  and here we read from Mark 8, the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand  by Jesus, and were led into a time of meditation.  Using this method, we used our imaginations to place ourselves in the scene with Christ, the disciples and the four thousand followers.  We each (while meditating) took on a role in the unfolding story and allowed the spirit to work in us based on our imaginary experience of our role in the story.  We were encouraged to use our senses to enhance the imagined narrative.

At the end of this sacred time we shared our experiences and perspectives by working through the story through the senses of the different characters. This resulted in each of us coming away with a fresh view of a well know portion of the New Testament.

The fifth and final method is the Franciscan method.  In this method, creative expression is emphasised. This includes writing poetry, creative writing, drawing…. basically being creative. Bringing elements of God’s creation into the meditation is also encouraged.

To experience this method we each collected a picture that related to a portion of biblical text that was also mentioned on the page.  We meditated on this story first using the earlier method of Ignation and then we either wrote a poem, creative prose or drew a picture/sketch that was an expression of our meditative experience. We then placed our works in the middle of the studio where there was a cross, some beads and a few candles burning,  creating a focal point.

We then shared on how we had individually been blessed by both process and the content of the meditations.  

We finished the morning‘s session with spontaneous playing of music, more tea and coffee, and chocolate mousse cake. Happy birthday Nic!!