The Cloud of Unknowing & Contemplative Prayer

[christofirst]

I don’t. I find it very natural simply to be mindful of the presence of God in all things (not that God is all things, I am not a pantheist). However, I grew up (ages 5-18) in a Carmelite cloister (my aunt was the Mother Superior), so I learned contemplation at a very early age, and I am contemplative by nature. I am focused on God probably 90% of my waking hours, or at least some part of me is. It’s partly my nature, but I also realize how blessed I am to be able to focus on Christ this way. It is a gift from God or else I couldn’t do it.

When I was in school, people were asked if they were “Marys” or “Marthas.” I was the only Mary in the class, so I think distraction is a pretty common problem.

God rarely - very rarely - speaks to anyone in words any more, so we have to learn to listen with an open heart. The answers do come, but that heartfelt listening is, I think, necessary. I think the time before Mass is a good time to settle the mind and soul. I know a lot of people in my parish use that time to socialize, but we have fellowship after Mass. The people really should be preparing themselves for the reception of Christ in the Eucharist, but it’s not my job to tell them that, so I keep quiet and focus.

Thank you for your response. What a blessing for you! I suppose I am like many who want what they do not have, so when I read your post I am a little envious. I come from the Martha school, so to speak. My upbringing encouraged me to stay busy and productive all of the time, and to fill nonproductive periods with some kind of entertainment or diversion. This is good, being active and productive, but there must be more. Nothing I have ever done, after all, will last. It all passes away sooner or later. Perhaps I am drawn to the idea of quiet or contemplative prayer as a reaction against all of the busyness and passing things which currently occupy my mind and the limited time I’ve been given.

Yes, I sometimes find the socializers at Mass to be a distraction and annoyance too, but their need for companionship and social interaction must be very great, so I do not get upset by it.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

How many here have tried to silence the inner monologue? The thinking that is almost like our exterior voice but only interior. Sometimes it seems only a few seconds at a time before a word or image arises out of nowhere. But that seems to me to be the best way to listen, to be attentive.

Yes, in cognitive psychology they called this our “phonological loop” which is a component of a popular model of “working memory.” That voice has a number of functions but it’s there and sometimes you just want it to shut up.

I have made a great deal of progress at “silencing” that voice because it would get out of hand and I became psychotic and manic because the voice was seeing stupidity everywhere, and hypocrisy. Over time, with much love and support and many sources of information, it is finally silent.

But I put “silencing” in quotes because it gives me the impression I’m going to control those thoughts by putting some kind of silencer on it. It’s more like in contemplative prayer, or other thought formats I’ve derived for myself, I let those thoughts go and run free, but do not judge or become interested in them.

Part of the problem is we are essentially taught that “more thinking” or “better thinking” is our solution to any problem. That isn’t the case, or the Lord would have been very mean to have destroyed the Tower of Babel.

If I’m in a restaurant I can usually ignore most conversations around me, until I hear a word or comment that catches my interest, and then for the next several seconds or so I may find it hard not to listen to them for a bit longer. That’s like that inner dialog. It goes on and on, but the problem is that all the people at all the tables, are talking about things that are interesting to me, and just so happen to be “on my mind” so that’s even a bigger challenge. How do you “think about nothing,” on purpose?

That’s the trick. It’s letting go of interest in the thoughts, and eventually their power is reduced and gives a chance for the spirit to enter between words.

So right now I experience a type of silence that always has thoughts going, but almost never has me so caught up in them that I’m not “living in the moment.” Accelerated by some pretty good helpers, in 14 years I have gone from severely psychotic to the kingdom of serenity and fruit of the spirit.

So it isn’t about “silencing” the voice so much, as to let it go without becoming interested in its content. The voice is no longer driving me, distracting me, scaring and annoying me, tempting or really much of anything. It gets better every day. It’s weird because I think, “oh wow I’ve never felt this ‘sane’ and ‘relaxed’ but also ‘agile’ before today so today must be the Best Day Ever.” And then tomorrow it happens against and I think, “wow yesterday I thought I was doing well but really I didn’t know anything and NOW is the greatest day.” And it happens, sometimes more than once a day but never less often, at least in the past few weeks especially.

I may have linked this book earlier in the thread. It was written by a Jesuit, and is being used in some seminaries as a text for introductory prayer classes. It does a great job of covering distractions.

Armchair Mystic: Easing Into Contemplative Prayer Paperback – April 1, 2001
by Mark E. Thibodeaux S.J. (Author)

 

[Michael_Mayo]

So dis-investing in the voice, observing without getting enmeshed in the voice, the “phonological loop”…unknowing the voice.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Thank you for your response. What a blessing for you! I suppose I am like many who want what they do not have, so when I read your post I am a little envious. I come from the Martha school, so to speak. My upbringing encouraged me to stay busy and productive all of the time, and to fill nonproductive periods with some kind of entertainment or diversion. This is good, being active and productive, but there must be more. Nothing I have ever done, after all, will last. It all passes away sooner or later. Perhaps I am drawn to the idea of quiet or contemplative prayer as a reaction against all of the busyness and passing things which currently occupy my mind and the limited time I’ve been given.

Yes, I sometimes find the socializers at Mass to be a distraction and annoyance too, but their need for companionship and social interaction must be very great, so I do not get upset by it.

Yes, it is a blessing because on my own, without Christ, I could do nothing good.

Since you are attracted to contemplative prayer, I think you should really be diligent with it. Perhaps God is presenting it to you because he wants you to make great strides in it. I think he calls us to the kind of prayer in which he he wishes to converse. (Sorry for the awkward construction of that sentence.)

If I were more of a Martha, I would get a lot more done!