Contemplative spirituality embraces a process of sacred reading called Lectio Divina. This “sacred reading” is a way of sitting with scripture or other sacred texts as an anchor for communion with the Divine. Its dimensions entail: Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio… Reading, meditation, prayer, contemplation. We begin with the words, we move into pondering the text, we grasp words and phrases as seeds of prayer, we watch for longings and prayers that bubble to the surface. And then, we sink into to cool stream of silence that immerses us in the Divine. Silence. Beyond words, but not without them.

Of course, process-oriented Westerners might believe that each of these is a step that must be followed in sequence. I have never found this all that helpful. A text can start with longing in its first words, and slip into silence before we move back into the rich symbols of the text. I have integrated this practice into my life, sometimes more fruitful with poetry than the Bible, but nonetheless I appreciate how the different aspects invite me into relationship with the Divine.

Reading for a living, most of the time I would rather pray on foot, in my neighborhood park or the rainforest parks that I am lucky enough to have close by. I have begun to translate Lectio Divina as a form of prayer onto the land as Lectio Terra, reading the land. I often start my walks praying a version of the Rosary or Jesus Prayer. Then my soul moves through at least four modes: First I draw attention to how I perceive the land with my senses. I scan and open my senses to the place as I walk (Lectio, or Perceiving/Sensing). I zoom in and zoom out to small details. I crouch down and sit with the particular and let my awareness drift to the wider happening all around me. I identify plants, trees, mushrooms with apps and listen for bird song (Meditatio, or Interpreting/Naming). Third, I watch and wait for the prayers of gratitude and praise that come to my lips. My longings, sorrows, joys. My hopes and petitions. I offer up my wounds to the soil, the mosses, the ravens, the trees, the forest, and to the Divine presence that suffuses this land like a mist (Oratio, or Praying/Praising). Lastly, as my muscles warm and my mind begins to quiet, I often find myself passing into the awe and wonder of embodied silence (Contemplatio, Resting/Holding). This is a place for silence, beyond words, beyond naming and just being with this place at this time. Then I meander back through each of these as they arise.

Try it yourself sometime and see if this approach to experiencing the world bears fruit.

• Perceiving/Sensing (Lectio)
• Interpreting/Naming (Meditatio)
• Praying/Praising (Oratio)
• Resting/Holding (Contemplatio)