The Spiritual Practice That Changed How I Write, Pray, And Live

I’ve been thinking about writing this article for the last few days. Ideas around saints that have become important to me, how mysticism can help deepen our faith.

I’ve had loads of ideas, and I set out to write this blog totally in my analytical mind. Straight to my ideas. Essentially straight to me (this is still so often my default mode.)

Then I paused.

I remembered.

There’s another way.

I shut my laptop, closed my eyes and placed my hand over my heart. I took a few intentional breaths and began to remember the presence of God mysteriously dwelling within me. I opened myself to the very real presence of God’s spirit. The direct access to God that I have, that we all have right here, right now…

I settled.

I softened.

I began to write with God.

This is what Christian mysticism is. It’s the experiential dimension of a relationship with God. It’s the movement from head knowledge to heart experience.

And it’s not as weird or ‘out there’ as you might have been led to believe. To some level we probably all have this element to our relationship with God — we have the knowledge that comes from our Bible and teaching we receive in our churches. Then there’s the personal relationship that we have with the Trinity.

Over the past decade I have chosen to develop this more interior, experiential dimension of my relationship with God, and it has been a rich, wonderful, and sometimes challenging experience.

I have learned to simply pay attention.

I say ‘simply’, but I’m aware it’s anything but simple in this busy, digitally-distracted culture we are living in. I’m also a business-owning mum of four kids, so my everyday life on the surface isn’t exactly primed for a contemplative, mystical existence!

I have integrated contemplative practices of silence, solitude and stillness into my life to help me to live into this reality of God. Practices like centring prayer, the examen and lectio divina have grounded and guided me along my way.

Learning about some of the saints and mystics from our Christian lineage has encouraged me deeply.

As I read about the life of Julian of Norwich, I was encouraged to sit with the things God has revealed to me. I learned that the ups and downs of a long walk with God are normal. I was encouraged to write down my experiences honestly and bravely, as she did, and that became my first book.

As I studied St Ignatius and went on pilgrimage to Spain, I learned endless richness from our Catholic brothers and sisters. I felt spurred on to study new things in my fourties like he did. I became more and more committed to deep honesty about my interior life and I trained as a spiritual director in his lineage.

Mother Teresa awakens me to justice.

St John of the Cross evokes courage within me to speak truth to power.

Teresa of Avila encourages me to explore my interior prayer landscape.

The desert mothers and fathers show me there’s always another way apart from the prevailing culture.

There is so much richness to be gained by learning from our past.

If this speaks to something within your heart and you would like a simple practice to deepen your experiential relationship with God, then I encourage you to try the practice I did when I began writing this article:

God is so close. God is so good. What a gift and a privilege it is to be able to connect directly with the Trinity. Anytime. Any place.

I hope this article encourages you to dive deeper into the presence of God in your everyday life.

Cheering you on,

Emma

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