Spiritual Practices from Spirituality & Health website

pax,
jb

Thanks again jb! That website has some really cool stuff! I've bookmarked it for future reference.

Anne

Here folks, more homework , using an oldy but not moldy notion of tripartitie being [see below]- which of those spiritual practices [from Spirituality & Health website] are prescriptions moreso for the spirit? the soul? or the body? any practices left out or ignored? any holistically intertwined?

pax,
jb

because there is a prosperity myth, which has infected American spirituality, which is nothing but the reformulation of the capitalistic secular model that suggests that hard work and right living breeds material and emotional success and that the right self-help algorithms can fix any impoverishment --- (difficulties, however, WILL remain)
when, in fact, classical spirituality never said any such thing but rather that life is a many-colored mystery --- joyful, sorrowful and only then yields it true glory, which is ortho-doxology
and so, what gets in your way IS the way, and life's interruptions ARE your ministry
and it is an excess of spirit, which seeks to explain it all away, chasing after every new model, theory and rubric
and it is an excess of soul, which swims around in the psyche doing depth therapy, interminably, clinging in sentimentality to an imagined innocent past and longing pollyannishly for an idealized escapist future,
and it is an excess of body, which seeks to numb it all in various fixes, shutting down the senses and clouding our perceptions so we don't have to face life's difficulties
but, if in the core of our being, in what has always been called the heart, we listen to our body and soul and spirit and allow them ALL to teach us and to reveal to us the lessons of this Cosmic Boot Camp [another Scott Peckism], where we are learning how to love, then we shall be transformed and He shall walk the earth, in you and me, again
for we must not merely read the Logos, feeding our spirits the Word in veritas
and must not only eat of the Bread and taste of the Cup, feeding our souls the Contemplative in via
but must Go out, then, and heal others, that we, ourselves, may be made whole, our bodies becoming Corpus Christi in vita ...
that's what I know in my heart, now, and I hope it is Sacred
jb

Extraordinary. Truly extraordinary. Every word. Excess of spirit. Excess of soul. Excess of body. No [expetive deleted]. I feel personally undressed by JB's statements. I wonder how many others feel this way? And all this while he's on vacation. I picture him sitting down, feet propped up on an old log, casting his line into the water, with one free hand typing out such amazing thoughts. Okay...enough nice words or I'll feel guilty when I inevitably dress him down again.

Yes, very good indeed, JB. I echo Brad's sentiments.

It seems you are having a most fruitful vacation!

Now, after considering this:

That it is an excess of spirit, which seeks to explain it all away, chasing after every new model, theory and rubric

and it is an excess of soul, which swims around in the psyche doing depth therapy, interminably, clinging in sentimentality to an imagined (or lost) innocent past and longing pollyannishly for an idealized escapist future,

and it is an excess of body, which seeks to numb it all in various fixes, shutting down the senses and clouding our perceptions so we don't have to face life's difficulties,

we might take up the larger picture, which is not quite that simple. If you felt undressed before, then you�ll be nude on the Big Screen now!

There are many such triads, more or less, overlapping with this one, such as that of the cognitive, affective and instinctual or of thinking, feeling and gut, of understanding and memory and will (given over to faith, hope and love), of the purgative, illuminative and unitive and of superego, ego and id.

There are the dyads of extroversion and introversion, of perceiving (taking in info to mull over) and of judging (coming to closure on things), of sensing (gathering insight through the senses) and of intuiting (gaining insight through intuition), of thinking and of feeling, and let�s not omit feminine and masculine, anima and animus.

There is the tetrad of storge� (instinctual mother love), of philia (mutual reciprocity of friendship), of eros (what�s in it for me love) and agape� (what�s in it for others love) and there is the tetrad of Bernardian love: love of self for sake of self, love of God for sake of self, love of God for sake of God, love of self for sake of God.

There is the additional dynamism of developmental stages which all of these faculties may go through, as well as that of integration and disintegration, which can occur for manifold reasons. There are the virtues and there are the vices, habits that we get into through endless repetition, the capital sins of pride, anger, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony, lust (and the enneagram adds deceit and fear) and the virtues, which they sin against: humility, kindness, generosity, zeal, temperance and self control.

Finally, all of these are involved in developmental psychological processes of individuation and integration and in the formative spiritual process of transformation.

When we deconstruct the enneagram or take a depth psychological approach, we will notice that it is not just an excess of body, soul and spirit which can afflict us. There are other approaches we can identify in ourselves. For instance, with respect to our feelings, we can be in touch with them and do one of two things, overexpress them or underexpress (even repress ) them, or we can be totally out of touch with them. We can also successfully integrate them, with increasing maturity, into our personality.

So, it is not so simple as identifying in ourselves (or in a particular group or even society), an exess of body or soul or spirit, it is quite often that we find ourselves (or a particular group or society) repressing the body, soul or spirit, and it is all too common that we are totally out of touch with one or another aspects of our personhood.

All of this is also reminiscent of the tetradic JoHari Window : the things we know about ourselves that others don�t know (the hidden area ), the things others know about us that we are unaware of (our blind spot ), things both we and others know about us (our public area) and things neither we nor others know about ourselves (the unknown area). Part of the journey involves getting feedback from other people, in order to decrease our blind area. Another part involves self-disclosure and a decrease of our hidden area. Reflections such as this one and unconscious processes can gift us with unexpected insights which reduce our unknown area. The enlargement of the public area is a true gift that best unfold in a discerning and loving community.

One of the lessons taught in the study of formative spirituality is that, although intimately related, spiritual direction and psychological counseling differ. In fact, there are a number of different ministries that have distinctly different modalities and goals, even as they share strong affinities:

quote:

"Over the years our spiritual direction has come to be focused more and more on helping people develop their relationship with God. . . . As we have come to understand it, spiritual direction differs from moral guidance, psychological counseling, and the practice of confessional, preaching, or healing ministries (though having affinities with them) in that it directly assists individuals in developing and cultivating their personal relationship with God."

(William A. Barry & William J. Connolly. The Practice of Spiritual Direction, Seabury Press, 1982. Preface, p ix.)

In making the distinction between spiritual direction, psychological counseling, sacramental reconciliation, moral guidance and various healing ministries (for instance Reiki, laying on of hands, inner healing, bereavement companioning and hospice care), we can draw some valuable lessons for the journey . Importantly, we can be reminded that we are tripartite beings and that we need to continually nourish each aspect of ourselves, body, soul and spirit. It is not enough, therefore, to identify those aspects of our being that we�ve given over to excess. We must also get in touch with those aspects with which we have been totally out of touch, as well as those we may have repressed for one reason or another.

Another lesson is that only a silly and unreflective fundamentalism would dismiss something like the enneagram as a New Age approach or as an occult exercise over against the Christian processes of redemption or the Church�s sacramental economy . It can be left to the psychological profession to judge its approach as effective or not. Conversely, one should not confuse the particular goals of depth psychology, of personality typing, of psychotherapy, of Jungian individuation and such with those of spiritual formation, reformation and transformation . Rather, in the Catholic view, everything can be sacred and everyone can belong. We are so fearfully and wondrously made, so incredibly depthful and complex, and the life processes touched upon above are so very holistically intertwined , that we need to view our journey to wholeness as an incredible partnership of the Body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12) and we need to open ourselves to the marriages of faith and medicine, of direction and counseling, of sacrament and the healing arts, of theology and psychology .

If we don�t do this, on one hand we may altogether lose the concept and reality of sin , of our radical culpability before God and one another. We may lose that self-awareness that informs us that we truly do consciously, through deliberate choice, and unconsciously, through habit, fail to cooperate with Grace . On the other hand, without an awareness of depth psychology, for instance, we may lose our awareness of the possibility of others� radical exculpability and of Jesus� injunctive admonition not to judge . If there is one clarion call in all of this, it is to moderation, to balance, to the Middle Path, to the Tao, to the via et veritas et vita of a Life in Christ .

So, if you take a nuanced interpretation of the Ten Commandments and the above-listing of the capital sins, to see where you may have sinned against God and others and self, and if you use the dyads, triads and tetrads identified above to better identify areas and aspects of your life where you have given yourself over to excesses and/or repressions, or where you may even be totally out of touch, you�ll have a pretty good little self-examen process to sit down with each day. Perhaps you�ll be able to identify areas for potential growth and also areas of significant giftedness and substantial integration (to help you discern ministry) . You may be able to discern areas best addressed through self-help and those requiring the gifts that can only be had in community. You might also discern whether you have been over- or under-reliant on direction, counseling, therapy, support groups, medicine or various healing arts to the exclusion of one another.

And, in closing, as far as balance is concerned, you may take some solace, at least, in the sacraments of healing, the gifts of the Spirit, the cultivation of awareness, the practice of presence, the ladder of prayer, the liturgy of hours, the rhythms of Paschal Mystery --- all of which are initiated, first, by God --- and, know this, the Indwelling Trinity is prodigal, given over to reckless extravagance, is wasteful and wanton in Love, lavish in Her Beauty, luxuriant in His Goodness, profusely bestowing Their Truth --- and if you leave open a window or crack open a door, well, you can just forget moderation where God is concerned!

pax tibi,
jb

p.s. actually, certain plans were put off a couple of days

So, if you take a nuanced interpretation of the Ten Commandments and the above-listing of the capital sins, to see where you may have sinned against God and others and self, and if you use the dyads, triads and tetrads identified above to better identify areas and aspects of your life where you have given yourself over to excesses and/or repressions, or where you may even be totally out of touch, you�ll have a pretty good little self-examen process to sit down with each day. Perhaps you�ll be able to identify areas for potential growth and also areas of significant giftedness and substantial integration (to help you discern ministry) . You may be able to discern areas best addressed through self-help and those requiring the gifts that can only be had in community. You might also discern whether you have been over- or under-reliant on direction, counseling, therapy, support groups, medicine or various healing arts to the exclusion of one another.

Somehow I thought the explanation of the meaning of life would be much shorter. Nevertheless I think that's a great post, JB.

If you felt undressed before, then you�ll be nude on the Big Screen now!

Where's that draft coming from? [Sincerely...thanks for taking the time to offer such great wisdom.]

Another good reflection pulling things together from a wide array of sources, JB. You really have a knack for seeing these connections.

So, if you take a nuanced interpretation of the Ten Commandments and the above-listing of the capital sins, to see where you may have sinned against God and others and self, and if you use the dyads, triads and tetrads identified above to better identify areas and aspects of your life where you have given yourself over to excesses and/or repressions, or where you may even be totally out of touch, you�ll have a pretty good little self-examen process to sit down with each day.

Pretty good indeed! How much time do you figure one ought to allot to doing so?

re: How much time do you figure one ought to allot to doing so?

Truthfully? Doesn't take long, really, running ChristOS. 10 minutes

Don't try it with an Apple though, for that is a forbidden fruit, they say.

pax,
jb

p.s. change of plans - Father-in-law didn't come home from rehab but rather back to ICU

Truthfully? Doesn't take long, really, running ChristOS. 10 minutes

And the slogan for this OS? The Computer for the Blessed of Us? Hey � watch where you�re throwing those tomatoes.

---
My best to your family, JB.

quote:

Subject: What does OS mean and what's the analaogy?

Napthali wrote: this might sound like a really dumb question, but i'm still not clear on what the OS refers to. is it the soul? creation? and when you say that Christ OS is an upgrade, what is it an upgrade to?

Philoman replied:

To me, Christ OS refers to an upgrade to our human nature. This would be what St. Paul meant by the New Man, which he contrasted with Adam, the Old Man (Human OS).

We are all individual souls, but we are members of the human race, all sharing in one human nature. That would be Human OS. If we accept that Christ has effected an ontological change in the nature of things, then this Human OS has been upgrades/incorporated into Christ OS, and all human souls born today participate in this new nature. Precisely how this happens is a discussion developing in other threads.

Napthali and Philoman
- Wednesday, January 31, 2001 at 11:32:46 (PST)

ChristOS Summary

I feel like I know these folks, Napthali and Philoman, just can't place them. They weren't tossing tomatoes though. In fact, a more nuanced reading later in that thread is that such an ontological upgrade also retro-fitted all of humanity for all of time. There aren't really interideological theories that compete directly with this because of the widely divergent ontological presuppositions held by various world religions and ideologies. There is no need to test these on different platforms, either, because, in principle, the theory itself suggests there is only one OS running anyway for everyone.

As for the AppleOS, it really was an inappropriate mixing of metaphors, unless it had something to do with original sin perhaps ...THAT'S IT!

Woody
sitting in for JB

jb,

I'm still enjoying the "Spirituality and Health" website that you recommended at the start of this thread. I especially enjoy the referrals to magazine articles on particular *practices.* The whole website is just packed with great stuff. Enough to last me years and years! Thanks again for recommending it.

Anne

I don't recall anything, but I may not have been paying attention I just remember being cautioned against getting so comfortable as to be lulled to sleep. Since I never fell asleep easily, poor me, my preferred prayer posture over the years, no kidding, has been lying down in bed, lucky me. This served the dual purpose of keeping folks from disturbing me, since I was "napping". In all seriousness, though, I'm interested in what others say about posture, especially in the context of energy flows (and blockages) and such. Good question, Sue!

pax,
jb

Sue, there hasn't been as much emphasis on posture and breathing in Christian mysticism as among some of the Eastern spiritual traditions.

One notable exception, however, would be the situation dealt with by St. Gregory Palamas (14th C.) in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was a hesychast (hermit living in silence) and basically minding his own business when he came upon the writings of a man named Barlaam, who was a staunch critic of the hesychasts, their ascetical practices and beliefs. Barlaam's writings were highly influential among Church authorities, and hesychasm was beginning to be considered as a somewhat heretical, or at least undesirable, Christian vocation. Palamas decided to break his silence and stand up to Barlaam, producing some of the most powerful theological treatises on the Christian mystical life and theosis (transformation into God) found in our religion. He is honored by the Orthodox Church as one of its greatest teachers.

See this page for more info on St. Gregory and the controversy with Barlaam.

This page also has some good information. Relative to your question, this resource notes:

"It is interesting to note that Gregory did indeed advocate the use of a �psycho-somatic technique� in the hesychast method of prayer; yet he did so not out of a conviction that this was an essential necessity (rather, he saw it principally as in aid for beginners)[10], but rather out of a conviction that refusing to admit the validity of a type of prayer involving the body would be to negate the reality of the intimate and foundational unity of the human person"

What the Athonite hesychasts whom Gregory was defending were actually doing was "a particular discupline of breathing and concentration. According to this method, the monks would keep their chin pressed against their chest and their eyes fixed downward while repeating inwardly the simple prayer 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.' By the continual practice of this prayer, the hesychasts were guided into the vision of the uncreated deifying grace of God. But a few simpleminded monks, not understanding correctly the meaning of the method, may have distorted it interpreting it as an automatic system for reaching the divine light. Thus, they gave cuase for the attacks of their opponents." ([i]Christian Spirituality: High Middle Ages and Reformation," by Jill Raitt, Ed.).

- incidentally, the term "navel gazers" comes from the critiques leveled at the Athonite hesychasts -

I am struck by the similarity between the posture of these monks and that used in zazen and other Eastern meditative disciplines. A good friend and author, William Johnston, S.J., has written that he believes bodily postures and breathing do play a vital role in helping the mind become clear and open to the perception of higher contemplative graces. In my own life, I have found that postures like this are very helpful, especially in helping to balance kundalini energy.

So, there's a rather long reply, but as the topic is hardly ever covered in Western Christianity, I thought it worth covering here.

Phil