Journey Inward, Journey Outward

The Desert Mothers and Fathers, Christian monastics of the fourth and fifth centuries, followed a custom of welcoming seekers who came to them asking for a word… of advice, of counsel, a word to take home and reflect on. 

Tradition tells us a brother came to Scetis to visit Abba Moses and asked him “Father, give me a word.” The old man said to him “Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” 

I have returned to this story often since March, when the global pandemic sent us all to our homes. For many, this time at home is teaching us everything about ourselves, our communities, and the institutions to which we belong. It is teaching us about our nation. We are learning who we are. We are learning our strengths and our vulnerabilities.

I wonder what counsel is coming to you during this time. 

The counsel Abba Moses offered his disciple was given in love, and meant to strengthen him for his journey. The interior work of going to his cell was to prepare him to return more whole and awake to the living of his life. Aware of what else might be actually running his life. When we go to our interior chapel and close the door to pray, it is to prepare us for the living out of our lives, not a refuge from it.

This is the gift of an inner journey. A modern day Abba, Thomas Keating, gives a similar word of counsel: 

Don't judge your meditation practice on the basis of how many thoughts come or how much peace you enjoy. The only way to judge this prayer is by its long-range fruits: whether in daily life you enjoy greater peace, humility and charity. Having come to deep interior silence, you begin to relate to others beyond the superficial aspects of social status, race, nationality, religion, and personal characteristics. 

But there is more. The outward journey of our life is the ground of our prayer.  My inward journey prepares me for my outward journey, and my outward journey prepares me for my inward journey.  My cell and the world teach me everything, each in service to the other. It is an eternal cycle.

How can we maintain this balance?  

Companionship. Companions keep me accountable and still in my spiritual practices. They help me to listen, and companions help me do the work that is mine to do in the world. 

Going it alone is the surest way to get lost and to lose heart. If you are looking for companions for your spiritual journey, I hope you will accept the invitation to join a spiritual community of seekers for companionship on the inward and outward journey this year. Where  you can explore contemplative ways of paying attention to your life, cultivate awareness of how you respond to “The More” beckoning you to grow in self-understanding, sample varied forms of prayer and reflection, and experiment with new ways to uncover and converse about spiritual experiences.

JOIN US.

The Spiritual Journey | Wisdom in Practice

Blessings for the Journey, 

Elizabeth+