In its broadest terms, we can think of Christian meditation as a way of calming our minds and hearts to offer the least resistance to the graced event of realising oneness with God is our very life, our very reality. Because this realisation is a grace, we can't reach it by our own efforts. But what we can do, in a sincere way, is become as vulnerable as possible to the grace event of this awakening. So, meditation can be understood as the process of assuming that interior s

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness . It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The labyrinth represents a journey to our own centre and back out again into the world, so in a sense it is a continuous model of our life and spiritual path. Labyrinths have long been used for meditation and prayer, and are intriguing tools for working with, and understanding, our psychological and spiritual journey that ca

As explored in my earlier article, Cultivating Compassion is seen as embodying a divine quality that brings us closer to our true selves in God. Wisdom - seeing others and all of life through the eyes of God - guides us into such compassion. And through cultivating wisdom and compassion we can become a conduit opening up the flow of divine compassion in the universe, embodying the mystical understanding of the interconnectedness of all being. The international Charter for

​Most spiritual paths teach that we come close to God when we 'walk in God's ways' - that is when we embody the divine quality of compassion. In the midrash below, from Jewish mysticism, the attributes of divine mercy revealed to Moses at Mount Sinai form the template for the practice of compassion: ''Walking in all His ways'': (Deut 11:22). What are the ways of the Holy One? ''A God compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to

Using imaginative prayer has been a treasured tradition in Christian prayer for centuries. It inspired Francis of Assisi in the 12th century to encourage people to create nativity scenes at Christmas to imagine the events and people. Aspects of its method can also be found in the 12th century writings of Anselm and Aelred Rievaulx, and it was a favoured method of prayer with Teresa of Avila. In the 16th century, Ignatius Loyola used imaginative prayer as the foundation of his

Hans Küng, the noted Swiss Catholic theologian, once said, 'Until there is peace between religions there can be no peace in the world.' In our current world, where religious tensions seem so fraught, I have sought, as a Christian, to reflect on what Christ's demand to 'love my neighbour ' means in this context. Certainly, for me, loving my neighbour must encompass understanding, respecting and seeking the good of the other. I would hope that others would seek to properly und

Art can be a wonderful way of communicating ( both listening and sharing ) with God beyond words. It is not about creating masterpieces, but about allowing patterns to emerge that can offer you new insights and be turned into prayer. Mary Daly (an American philosopher and theologian) understands that it is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God. And our creativity springs not from the intellect but from the play instinct: ' Perhaps the time ha

Lectio Divina is an ancient contemplative way to read short passages of sacred text and prayerfully let God speak through them into our lives. Its origins lie in the 5th century Benedictine and Cistercian monastic movements. It is very different to biblical study or praying with bible verses where the surface meaning of the text is to the fore. Literally meaning 'sacred reading', lectio divina is an active meditative kind of reading where we let God start the conversation.