Friends and fellow travelers,

Blessings to you on the first Sunday of our Journey into the heart of Christmas. And a warm welcome to the many travelers who have joined our quiet pilgrimage on the last day or two. So what shall we do on this first Sunday of Christmas, dear fellow traveler?

Have you noticed that Sunday has slipped away, quietly? Before the pandemic it might have been more of a social gathering for many: church service, coffee hour, shared lunch with friends. Now as we lose track of the rhythm of the week and the short days start to diffuse into each other, we are adrift. And Sunday becomes for many simply another day at home, with work, chores, uncertain mealtimes, and the occasional glance at things of the spirit.

What is missing in both is the sacred pause Sunday is supposed to offer us.

The opportunity to focus and to see our lives in the place of larger movements of the spirit.

So as we wondered about what to offer at this step of the journey to offer you a sacred pause we soon arrived at Mary. Mary, the soulful mother of all. Mary, who after the shepherd’s visit at the manger, ”treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart”. Mary who said YES to Divine incarnation in her own very life. Mary who proclaimed what we now call the Magnificat: how the mighty will be tossed from their thrones and the lowly raised up.

So on this first Sunday in the 12 Days of Christmas 2020/21 we invite you to ponder (with) Mary. And to make this a theme of your ponderings throughout the day.

Many of you are probably familiar with Visio Divina, a form of the monastic Lectio Divina, where we ponder a visual piece instead of a text. Se we invite you to meditate in Visio Divina another ceramic piece by the German artist Christel Koch, whose work you have already seen on Christmas Eve. And though it might be interesting to know who the artist is and what her intentions have been, e.g. the symbolism of the animals sitting with Mary, all of this is not at the heart of Visio Divina. Visio Divina is instead based on you-in-conversation with the artwork and the Spirit who speaks through it to you. It is your perception of the piece and what arrives in your heart when you ponder it.

At our seminars, Chuck usually leads these sessions, so here is Chuck, leading you into

Visio Divina: A Sacred Pause

Friends,

Visio Divina has a long history in the church going back to the Desert Elders in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. And it shares meditation methods found in many traditions. Our task today is to join this tradition and open our hearts to a message in Christel Koch’s Madonna and Child that we might ponder in our hearts. To look with the eye of your heart, not to get lost in intellectual speculation, but to allow your inner gaze and conversation, your heart, to dwell on some message you might hear: what is its focus? how do you feel in response to it? what motivation to action comes with it? how do you accept its call?

Find a place where you can spend some time, at least 5 minutes, in quiet contemplation. Get some tea, light a candle, close the door or turn your chair. The movement of the meditation is to first spend some time looking, really looking, at the image. Then feeling your way into the image and into your response to it. Then to be open to what that looking means for you. And finally to ask what your response is or how the art is looking back at you.

So we begin:

1. Start with gentle centered breathing to clear your mind and heart.

2. Visio (vision): Look at the image slowly, paying gentle attention and welcoming it. See its larger composition and frame, and its smaller details. Notice the texture and color of the material, the expressions of people, and the arrangement of other figures. What do you find yourself drawn to? What do you like and not like? What are your initial thoughts? What feelings are evoked? Notice these responses without judgment. Return to seeing.

3. Meditatio (meditation): As you have reactions or thoughts, welcome them, even if they are negative.  What do they have to say to you? As you meditate, new thoughts, meanings, and feelings may arise; initial impressions may expand and deepen.  You may feel pulled into the scene in active imagination: You might want to sit beside Mary. You might see her as a women in a nearby park, or as a refugee in a camp, or as Mary in the stable of distant relatives in Bethlehem. You might visit her and feel the cold breeze of the camp or the heat of the desert wind on your face, or the damp smell of the animals. You might even speak with her, or ask to watch the baby for a while so she can take a nap.

4. Oratio (prayer): Open yourself to what the image and your response might reveal to you. No matter what your response is to the image -- delight, disgust, indifference, confusion -- ponder prayerfully the reason for your various responses and what these responses might mean for you. What does the image and the Spirit want to express to you as you attend to it in quiet meditation? How do the feelings, thoughts, desires, and meanings evoked by the image directly connected to your life?

5. Contemplatio (contemplation): Now that the image/text has spoken to you, prayerfully consider your response.  What desires and longings are evoked in your seeing? How do you find yourself wanting to respond to what you are experiencing? Respond to God in ways commensurate with your experience: gratitude, supplication, wonder, lament, confession, praise.

6. Finally, return to your breath for a few short moments of transition.

7. You might want to note down the message which has spoken to you this day through pondering Mary.
   
   

And may the Mary of the stable and of the Magnificat live in your heart this Christmas Sunday,

Almut & Chuck

This post is part of our 12 Days of Christmas Series 2020/21: Cradling Hope, a Contemplative Journey towards the heart of Christmas. You can still enroll and follow along. To enter our virtual gathering space click here. To share your thoughts with us, write us here. To offer your gift, click here. If you are looking for personal consultation, visit our PathFinder.

Peace and Blessings, Almut & Chuck