In his book, The Contemplative Heart, Jim explores how to live a contemplative way of life. Here he explains the first of three pillars of this path, discovering a secret hidden deep within our hearts
The hidden thing I found in me today was acknowledging that my true self is feeling external pressure to settle for less than infinite love. That caught me so off guard. I don’t think I have ever realized how adamant my true self can be about Love! Thank you for this!
“God is the infinity of the silence…” This is profound. Experientially, I have noticed that when the Spirit of God is present, no words are needed to have an exchange of sorts. Thanks, Jim. I own the book you speak of and consider it a reference for contemplative principles and the opening of the heart to “see” God.
Oooo, the best teachers say this: "You'll notice I haven't defined or explained anything." I just jotted down phrases, as I watched, here in my own paraphrase. Much richness for me. Thank you. You give us license and encouragement to discover who we are and accept ourselves. .... Secrets hidden deep in our heart that are only secrets to our mind and its propensity to explain. How silence learns to love us as we fall in love with it. Silence as a way to learn to listen. (I love this apprenticeship. Such a tender teacher!) Silence is uncreated. (Yet it is being and the invitation to being). God is interested in what you say whenever you are sincere. Calibrating our heart to the subtly of the experience of silence. The quiet attentiveness of aloneness that includes everyone becasue we are all alone together. (And, this came to me.... together when we are alone. Not only with God or the Dao or the Universe or some metaphor for this transcendent connection, but with our fellow flesh and blood humans. Those we like. Those we dislike. Engaged in and joined by the kinship of silence.)..... Thank you, Jim. I pray that you lavish your open heart on your own buzzy-ness as well as your own silence. All is part of the whole. And you are such a gentle teacher of wholeness. God bless you.
Congratulations on the upcoming book, Jim, and thank you for your beautiful words as always. What a good reminder for me today, to consider, what is the most loving thing I can do in this moment? I forget that all too often.
And what a great book this is, The Contemplative Heart. When you signed my copy, in 2022 in Albuquerque, you told me it was your favorite of all the books you’d written. A very special book, indeed.
Always such a joy and delight to hear you sharing such intimate words of life and love to us. God IS In Love with YOU….may God gift us with a compassionate heart and His discerning Spirit, to share these most precious life altering words to whoever God puts in our path. Thank you Jim!
“All things considered, what is the most loving thing I can do right now, in this moment?”. Such a simple question, but I can see it revolutionizing an entire day! Thank you for these insightful chats, they are much appreciated.
Thank you. I really appreciate the reminder that God is in Love with us, and that God meets us where we are. This allows for a deeper settling within, and a deeper Trust. And I'm glad that you point out that it becomes unable to explain. Yep! Thanks Jim.
New subscriber here..I will be adding this to my list of things to listen to and sit with when my feelings are hurt (and what that evokes- anger, isolation, inner monologue I can’t turn off, shallow dreams where I am acting out the conflict in repetitive unhelpful ways— I wake with disgruntlement…)
We’ve done couples retreats with Linda and Charlie Bloom which have been breakthrough level helpful —and when I’m in the midst of the internal foul weather it takes so much self control not to take out the worksheets from those retreats and highlight in yellow where hubby is wrong (and fling it at him so he can study his failings).
Last night my husband said something in the volume and tone that he rarely can see in himself and it’s the tone which sends me to the hurting mindstate. i withdrew to a separate bedroom and listened 5 times to the 11/17/2015 episode of Insights at the Edge podcast where Jim talks about The Axial Moment of Healing.
Listening to that has proven to be one of the next right loving things for me and now with this latest substack sharing from Jim on The Contemplative Heart it is wonderful to have another to add to that tapestry.
Thank you Jim and daughters helping to produce this substack and to all the commenters too.
“All of us are alone together…communal belonging.” What you have said about silence and communal belonging describes my current practice of morning devotion. I used to recite Morning Prayer along with my intercessory prayers and then would meditate for 20 or 30 minutes. Now I combine the two and listen to Morning Prayer being chanted and it feels like an integration has happened. It feels as if Morning Prayer now happens through me.💖🙏🏼
I love the idea that in my aloneness and silence with God, I’m in a community of aloneness. What a relief that no words can explain. Thank you Jim 🐸
The hidden thing I found in me today was acknowledging that my true self is feeling external pressure to settle for less than infinite love. That caught me so off guard. I don’t think I have ever realized how adamant my true self can be about Love! Thank you for this!
You say the unsayable so beautifully, Jim. Thank you.
Thank you, Jim... this touched my heart, especially right now in this moment. Blessings
“God is the infinity of the silence…” This is profound. Experientially, I have noticed that when the Spirit of God is present, no words are needed to have an exchange of sorts. Thanks, Jim. I own the book you speak of and consider it a reference for contemplative principles and the opening of the heart to “see” God.
Oooo, the best teachers say this: "You'll notice I haven't defined or explained anything." I just jotted down phrases, as I watched, here in my own paraphrase. Much richness for me. Thank you. You give us license and encouragement to discover who we are and accept ourselves. .... Secrets hidden deep in our heart that are only secrets to our mind and its propensity to explain. How silence learns to love us as we fall in love with it. Silence as a way to learn to listen. (I love this apprenticeship. Such a tender teacher!) Silence is uncreated. (Yet it is being and the invitation to being). God is interested in what you say whenever you are sincere. Calibrating our heart to the subtly of the experience of silence. The quiet attentiveness of aloneness that includes everyone becasue we are all alone together. (And, this came to me.... together when we are alone. Not only with God or the Dao or the Universe or some metaphor for this transcendent connection, but with our fellow flesh and blood humans. Those we like. Those we dislike. Engaged in and joined by the kinship of silence.)..... Thank you, Jim. I pray that you lavish your open heart on your own buzzy-ness as well as your own silence. All is part of the whole. And you are such a gentle teacher of wholeness. God bless you.
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Congratulations on the upcoming book, Jim, and thank you for your beautiful words as always. What a good reminder for me today, to consider, what is the most loving thing I can do in this moment? I forget that all too often.
And what a great book this is, The Contemplative Heart. When you signed my copy, in 2022 in Albuquerque, you told me it was your favorite of all the books you’d written. A very special book, indeed.
Always such a joy and delight to hear you sharing such intimate words of life and love to us. God IS In Love with YOU….may God gift us with a compassionate heart and His discerning Spirit, to share these most precious life altering words to whoever God puts in our path. Thank you Jim!
“All things considered, what is the most loving thing I can do right now, in this moment?”. Such a simple question, but I can see it revolutionizing an entire day! Thank you for these insightful chats, they are much appreciated.
Thank you. I really appreciate the reminder that God is in Love with us, and that God meets us where we are. This allows for a deeper settling within, and a deeper Trust. And I'm glad that you point out that it becomes unable to explain. Yep! Thanks Jim.
Just ordered the book. Fortunately it is still available in Germany 🙏
“We are all alone together.”
This opened up my heart to an awareness of shared silence with all of creation, “communal belonging” to all life.
I reread your books because they always open my heart and invite me to silence. Thank you!
New subscriber here..I will be adding this to my list of things to listen to and sit with when my feelings are hurt (and what that evokes- anger, isolation, inner monologue I can’t turn off, shallow dreams where I am acting out the conflict in repetitive unhelpful ways— I wake with disgruntlement…)
We’ve done couples retreats with Linda and Charlie Bloom which have been breakthrough level helpful —and when I’m in the midst of the internal foul weather it takes so much self control not to take out the worksheets from those retreats and highlight in yellow where hubby is wrong (and fling it at him so he can study his failings).
Last night my husband said something in the volume and tone that he rarely can see in himself and it’s the tone which sends me to the hurting mindstate. i withdrew to a separate bedroom and listened 5 times to the 11/17/2015 episode of Insights at the Edge podcast where Jim talks about The Axial Moment of Healing.
Listening to that has proven to be one of the next right loving things for me and now with this latest substack sharing from Jim on The Contemplative Heart it is wonderful to have another to add to that tapestry.
Thank you Jim and daughters helping to produce this substack and to all the commenters too.
“All of us are alone together…communal belonging.” What you have said about silence and communal belonging describes my current practice of morning devotion. I used to recite Morning Prayer along with my intercessory prayers and then would meditate for 20 or 30 minutes. Now I combine the two and listen to Morning Prayer being chanted and it feels like an integration has happened. It feels as if Morning Prayer now happens through me.💖🙏🏼
Channeling Merton’s explanation of the True Self here. Thank you very much!