The third of our small touches on important subjects is Contemplation, which is, of course, similar to prayer and meditation but in its way is less formal. It is a way to “let the mind go,” so to speak, but not in an unruly way. It is never healthy to let the mind go crazy with wild ideas or self-created monsters, but it is, however, creative to “let things come” to an open and receptive mind. The Infinite Mind is massive with ideas, some of which tend to fit into our natural interests and inclinations, and very often we are just too busy or engaged to let them come to us. Contemplation is a welcome form of disengagement; it is a mind at rest while at the same time a mind that is curious.
A beautiful sunset...
Think of what it can mean when we stand looking at a beautiful sunset, letting its minute changes touch us as its colors deepen before us. We are curious as to its progression but we do not hold onto it because we know that tomorrow there will be another one and always different. We are filled with the flow and beauty of what is taking place before us as we contemplate one of life’s activities.
"Gather in" the movements.....
Contemplation comes in all shapes and sizes. It can show up as a panoply of visual images that pass before us; it can emerge as a savory idea that unfolds within the mind. Contemplation can sometimes seem like wool gathering, but if we are aware of what is going on, it is not. In fact I think that many an idea or solution can rise up within us when the quiet mind is free to “gather in” the movements of the Infinite Mind within us. It is through contemplation that we make the journey from the isolated self to endless communion with the Divine. True contemplation, I think, will always be joyful as it enlarges our minds with newness, and what can be more wonderful than that?
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