Brief announcements
With my gratitude
Dear Friends of Contemplative Chapel,
As I mentioned last evening (Oct 18) to the 50 or so people gathered for our practice of Lectio Divina and Silence (and now want to share with all), I am now posting the poetry, scripture, and reflections that we use in our Zoom sessions on the Contemplative Chapel website, without sending them to your inbox. In a time of information overload, I am sensitive about not wanting to contribute more. You can get to the website in a couple of ways:
www.contemplativechapel.org (here, you will see “click here to enter” and you’re in)
or
contemplativechapel.substack.com (this takes you directly to the site)
I will still send occasional reflections to your inbox, but the poetry and readings from the Zoom practice sessions will simply be posted for you to access on your own. Please enter a comment whenever you feel drawn to do so. Expressing our various experiences has a way of expanding and enriching us all.
Second: A few of you have asked whether you could invite friends to join us in our weekly practice sessions. The answer is yes, please do! Just send them to the Contemplative Chapel website, where they can click on the lead post pinned at the top: “Contemplative Practice Wednesdays via Zoom, All Welcome.” This will allow them to register for the Zoom link (it’s always the same link) and receive helpful information about the practices of Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer. Subscribing to the Contemplative Chapel substack is not necessary, but it’s free and might be a good way to keep up with announcements, as well as occasional posts.
Third: I have mentioned Thomas Moore’s little book, The Eloquence of Silence: Surprising Wisdom in Tales of Emptiness. I’ve found this book to be a wonderful companion and prelude to my practice recently, and I am interested to learn if it might be the same for you. Some of you light a candle and read a short passage of scripture before meditating. Others listen to a little music or work with your breath before practicing silence. The little stories in Moore’s latest book, along with his very brief reflections, might also appeal to several of you as a prelude to meditation.
Perhaps some of you would enjoy reflecting on The Eloquence of Silence with others. Getting together with a small group to listen deeply and contemplatively to each other, and to make your own contributions when you feel like it, can be a deepening and healing experience. We might consider forming such small group gatherings via Zoom on Contemplative Chapel at a later date (perhaps the period of “fullness” for many — Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas — would work; or maybe at the beginning of 2024?).
Finally: here is a link to a recap of our Zoom session on October 18, with the poetry and readings we used during our gathering. As a reminder, from now on, I will simply post these on Contemplative Chapel and not send them to your inbox. But since I’m already in your inbox right now, here you are, one last time.
It continues to be a blessing to enter a little more deeply into the life-giving and healing mystery of Silence with you. Thank you.
