"If I have the will to remain in Solitude,
confusing ideas,
disturbing images,
wild fantasies jump about in my mind
like monkeys in a banana tree."
(Henri Nouwen)
<<>>
The grace of Contemplative Prayer induces a spiritual
sleep for our restless spiritual faculties,
Imagination and Reason.*
These
are securely bound and utterly emptied.
The spirit, then, is freed to sleep soundly and rest quietly
in loving contemplation of God, simply
as He is.
* See "The Four Silences" in Bus. Card format.
click:
www.contemplativerudder.com/FourSilences.pdf
<<>>
Recently, medical technology’s MRI has been used
to pinpoint which parts of the
brain are active
during specific activities.
One
conclusion is that the left half of the brain
is
responsible for logic and control. It constantly
jabbers away*, flitting
from one compulsive
thought to another. It won't
let us rest.
Conversely, the right half of the brain births
artistic
activities and thrives on calming activities.
* The American Society of Speech Pathology asserts that [left-brain]
"self-chatter" is generated at the
rate of some 1450 words per minute!
Repetition of the prayer
word will
open the portal to right half activity.
Initially
forced*, repetition becomes a
gentle rhythm. Inevitable intrusions by the left half
must be deflected
and allowed to slip away.
Conversely, excessive struggle stimulates the left half.
Eventually, the repetition itself
fades away and
leaves the mind completely open to God's graces*.
* “Greater and more perfect attention
advances continually
towards that which lies further within; it is here that it sees God.”
The message here: The Contemplative’s repetition of the
Prayer Word (e.g. Abba / Yahweh / Jesus) wears down
and, ultimately, can all but silence the Left Brain !
An interesting confirmation of this discovery is found
in
a Letter to the Editor of Fine Woodworking magazine.
The letter
came from a cabinet maker.
He described how he got the same
calming effects
as a Contemplative while doing the repetitive motions,
back and forth over and over again,
while he planed wood with a hand plane.
This Cabinetmaker had not appreciated this
[calming] cerebral phenomenon until
he
broke his arm and was deprived
of this comforting [repetetive] activity
for several months.
This use of forced repetition*
has been
around for thousands of years.
One example might be
the repetitive chants that
American Indians use in their ceremonies,
which [ceremonies] certainly have ancient roots.
* "forced repetion", applied
to contemplation's labor,
is arguably a variation of the word of Jesus ~~
"... the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12)
~~ the English use of the word “violence”, at
its’ Aramaic / Hebrew root,
has the original meaning of
“deliberate [forced] activity”.
For a definitive distinction between the
activities of left and right hemisphere's of the brain, click
www.contemplativerudder.com/RareFormofStroke.pdf
