A Meditation Flow Chart

I had the privilege last Friday of leading a meditation class and guided meditation via Zoom for about 50 employees at UBS, where a friend of mine has been organizing activities for AAPI month. I’m sharing this meditation flow chart I put together for anyone who is interested in how I sequenced a meditation class for a secular setting. This was a roughly 12 minute meditation, backed by the music “Dream 2” by David Buchs, which I played on a loop. (The slide template is from myfreeslides.)

For a Christian audience and with a time frame of 15-20 minutes, I might start with these same steps and proceed to some kind of contemplative prayer – a Lectio Divina, a reflection on Scripture, a breath prayer, an Examen, or simply a conversation with God. I would also frame the time of prayer by asking God to guide our time, and then thanking him for his presence.

During the discussion time after the guided meditation, most of the questions and comments I received came from people who had been struggling to meditate on their own and found it so much easier to be gently guided into a contemplative space. If that’s your experience, I encourage you to listen to this guided meditation on Romans 8 at The Stillness Collective and to subscribe to the website for information on upcoming releases.

An Invitation to Rest (New Guided Reflection On Isaiah 43)

It’s been a while since I updated, but my partners and I at Soul Space have continued to release at least a recording a month. If you haven’t checked our site lately, this is good news for you! You’ll find a Daily Examen as well as a guided imaginative meditation on Matthew 11:28-29 that invites you to bring your burdens to Jesus and exchange them for his rest. This month, our new reflection takes you through Isaiah 43:1-4, a beautiful and mysterious passage in which God promises his people that neither fire nor flood will harm them nor separate them from his love and promises. (I could be wrong, but I think I remember one of the characters in one of my favorite childhood books, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeline L’Engle, quoting this verse to someone he loves.)

As always, I hope our meditations will help you experience the peace and presence of the Holy Spirit within you, calming your fears, building your faith and trust, and growing you in inner freedom and joy.

Find me on Instagram at @ravishedbylight and @soulspacecenter

A Meditation for Advent

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 
Isaiah 9:2     

This year, these words from Isaiah seem more resonant than ever. 2020 has been – and continues to be – in some ways darker than imaginable. With the first vaccines being administered, a glimmer of light is beginning to make its way through, but we almost certainly still have long months of fear, loss, and isolation to go.

At Christmas, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus, the Light of the World, the one who brings us hope and salvation, but we also acknowledge the loss and the brokenness he came to redeem. What has your experience of the darkness been this year? Where has God been present to you in suffering and mourning, and who has he been to you?

I invite you to listen to this meditation from the spiritual directors at Soul Space on Isaiah 9:2-7.  Let Scripture, music, and the Holy Spirit move you to reflect on the character of God and what it means to hope in God in the midst of a season of darkness and waiting.  

May you have a blessed Advent season and may the light of Christ fill your heart and sustain you with life, peace, and love.

Visit the Soul Space website here: soulspace.center.

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight and on @soulspacecenter

A Meditation for Thanksgiving (plus a bonus!)

This meditation, written and narrated by Janine Rohrer and with music by David Buchs, my partners at Soul Space, might be just what you need for the holidays. It invites you to reflect on God’s faithfulness even in times of struggle, sorrow, and loss and to offer praise – not out of ignorance or forced cheerfulness, but out of a deep encounter with God’s care and love. I hope it will help you find strength and peace as you celebrate Thanksgiving this year.

There’s also another new meditation up on soulspace.center! (Scroll down to see it.) This one is a guided Daily Examen. This prayer practice developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola creates a rhythm of looking back at each day with God, to find where he was present, where we were present to him, and where we might have lost sight of him and his desires for us. Practiced regularly, the Examen builds awareness of God’s continual abiding with us no matter what our external circumstances and grows us in love, joy, patience, and all the fruits of the Spirit. I encourage you to commit to praying the Examen at least a few times a week – the perspective and immersion in God’s presence it offers is a much-needed gift in these uncertain days. (For those with little people, here’s an earlier post I wrote on doing the Examen with kids, along with a review of a book that can help.)

May your Thanksgiving be blessed with love, health, the warmth of friends and family (even if it’s through a Zoom screen!), and, above all, the grace and fellowship of the Lord.

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight and @soulspace.center.

Listen to a New Guided Meditation at soulspace.center

I’m so excited to announce my friends and fellow spiritual directors Janine Rohrer and David Buchs have launched our new website, Soul Space. At Soul Space, we create room for your soul to breathe. Our vision is to make space for busy people to find rest, nourishment, and inspiration for their souls. We offer guided meditations, spiritual direction, and retreats.

To go with the new website, we’ve posted a new guided meditation, set to David’s ambient music. Based on Psalm 25, it leads the listener to prayerfully reflect on trust, hope, and repentance and on God’s guidance, compassion, and love.

Listen to it now and let your soul find rest from a busy day! We’ll be releasing a new recording next week, too!

You can also find archived reflections on our Soul Space page at Soundcloud.

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight.

Contemplative Prayer on 1 Corinthians 1:18, 24-28

Start by finding a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take deep, slow, even breaths. Use your breaths to ground yourself in the present moment. Take this opportunity to be kind to yourself. Wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a hug. This is something you can do when you feel stressed or anxious – it actually releases chemicals in your brain that will help you feel more relaxed and cared for. As you hug yourself – make sure it’s a good squeeze! – imagine God smiling down on you with compassion and love.

In our prayer time, you will have an opportunity to consider your weaknesses – your character flaws, the places where you lack power, strength, wealth, or the ability to succeed as you might wish – in the light of God’s love and grace.  You will have the chance to ask how God sees your weaknesses . . . and how he might be using them for his Kingdom. 

1 Corinthians 1: 18, 24-28 says that:

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! 

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[f] Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy[g] when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world,[h] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul calls our attention to the difference between what God considers valuable and what the world considers valuable. Paul invites us to reflect on God’s foolishness in choosing Jesus as the instrument of our salvation. Jesus came in a frail, human body that was easily broken and killed, yet God transformed that weakness into a resurrection power that changed the world. This passage also invites us to reflect on our own weaknesses and how God might use those more powerfully than our strengths.

Jesus, I pray you will send your Holy Spirit to guide this time. As we reflect prayerfully on our weaknesses, I ask that you would keep away any shame or discouragement. Help us to look with compassion on ourselves, trusting that you work in and through all things, even those things we may struggle with in ourselves.

I will read the passage again. As you listen, ask the Lord to guide your thoughts and emotions. 

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! 

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[f] Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy[g] when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world,[h] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

Ask God to bring to your mind something about yourself that you consider a weakness. It might be related to your body, mind, emotions. Or perhaps it has to do with a relationship or a desire or personality trait that seems to get in your way. If more than one weakness or flaw comes to mind, ask the Lord to help you focus on only what he would like to talk to you about today.

When you’ve settled on a particular weakness, sit with it for a moment. What effect has this particular weakness has had on your life or the life of those around you? What memories and emotions come to your mind regarding this weakness?

How do you believe it has held you back? How do you believe things might be different if you didn’t have this weakness? 

Now, begin to look at your weakness in the light of God’s love for you as his child. Psalm 139 says that God knew you before you were born, that he knit you together in your mother’s womb. 

Imagine that you are there, with God, watching yourself being formed. Imagine your heart beginning to beat, your organs beginning to form, your fingers and toes beginning to move. Picture God bending down to breathe life into your lungs.

What does God see and know about you, as he is there with you before your birth? What do you see and know about yourself, as you bear witness with God to your creation? 

Enter into conversation with God. What does he say about who you are now? What does he say about your weakness? What would you like to say back to God? Are there any questions you would like to ask him? How does he answer you?

As you look back on your life, can you see any ways that God has your weakness or used it for good?  For example, a person with a quick temper may turn their anger and passion towards working for justice. Or a person too shy to pray out loud may turn out to be a powerful intercessor in the privacy of their own home. In your life, how has God what seems like a flaw into a strength?

How might your weakness reveal more about the work God has designed you to do? How might God be inviting you to act on his behalf in the world? Imagine yourself giving your weakness to God and asking him to use it as he sees fit. How does it feel to do this? How does God respond?

Turn your attention to the week ahead. Are there any specific ways God is inviting you to let him use your weakness to bring a positive change in someone’s life? If you feel led to do so, commit to taking those actions. 

This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Jesus, thank you that in you, we can see the weakness and foolishness of God in all its beauty and power. Thank you that in you, no part of us is despised or wasted, but can all be used for your glory and for the healing of the world.

As you go from this time of prayer, may you be blessed knowing that God has created and chosen you for a purpose. May Jesus go with you and the Holy Spirit empower you as you live out that purpose in the week ahead. Amen.

Photo credit: Photo by Frank Cone from Pexels

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight.

Lectio Divina on Psalm 20: “In Times of Trouble, May the Lord Answer Your Cry.”

Psalm 20

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.

    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.

May he send you help from his sanctuary

    and strengthen you from Jerusalem.

May he remember all your gifts

    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. 

May he grant your heart’s desires

    and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory

    and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.

May the Lord answer all your prayers.

Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.

    He will answer him from his holy heaven

    and rescue him by his great power.

Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,

    but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.

Those nations will fall down and collapse,

    but we will rise up and stand firm.

Give victory to our king, O Lord!

    Answer our cry for help.

Today, our contemplative prayer will be a Lectio Divina, or a “Divine Reading.” It’s an ancient practice for meditating on a passage of Scripture by reading it several times, each time with a slightly different focus. It has five steps: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation, and Action. 

Begin by finding a comfortable position and closing your eyes. Rest your hands on your lap, palms upward and open in a gesture of openness and receiving. Begin to take slow, deep breaths.  

“God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” Imagine yourself being caught in a shower of light, as though you are immersed in a sunbeam. Feel the light and warmth pouring over you, starting at the top of your head and moving downward, through your chest and arms, filling your hands, then moving downward over your legs and feet. Imagine God filling you with his light and his love.

Rest. Breathe. Feel God’s total acceptance and love.

Holy Spirit, come. I ask you to guide our time of prayer. I pray that your Living Word would speak to us and transform us into the likeness of Christ. I pray that each person here would experience the joy and peace of God’s presence.

Let’s begin the Lectio.

  1. The first step is Reading. With your eyes still closed, listen to the words of the Scripture. I will read from Psalm 20, a song of David. Listen prayerfully, allowing God to guide your thoughts and responses. (Read Psalm).
  1. Step two is Meditation: This time, as I read the Psalm, listen for the part of the Psalm that stands out to you, that seems to resonate with you most. Repeat it to yourself several times, letting it sink in. You may also read the Psalm on the screen if you wish. (Read Psalm) How are you responding to the Psalm? What emotions do you feel? What hopes and dreams, desires or memories come up in you? What is God saying to you about your life today? About the gifts you have been given or the person he has created you to be?

  1. Step three is Prayer. What do you want to say to the Lord in response to his Word? Do you want to offer praise? Make a request or a confession? Or simply let God know what’s on your mind and heart? Tell God whatever you feel led to say. What is God saying back to you?
  1. The fourth step is Contemplation: Contemplation is an invitation to rest in God’s presence. Move to a time of silence. Simply be with God and allow God to do his transforming work in you. How does it feel to be in God’s presence? How do you sense God transforming you during this time? What part of your life is he making new?  
  1. The final step in Lectio Divina is Action: Now that you have received God’s love and grace, how are you being invited to respond? What words or deeds is God leading you into? How will you serve others on his behalf in this coming week? 

God, thank you for guiding this time of prayer. I pray that you would continue the transforming work you have begun within us and through us. Continue growing us in love for your Word, openness to the Holy Spirit, and in the likeness of your Son, Jesus.

As you go from here, may you love as Jesus loved, without reservation, prejudice, or fear. May you be free to live the life God has placed in you.

Amen.

The steps for Lectio Divina are adapted from: https://www.thereligionteacher.com/lectio-divina-steps/

The Steps of Lectio Divina – Conception Abbeyhttps://www.conceptionabbey.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/lectio-divina-card.pdf

Photo Credit: Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight.

Contemplative Reflection for Pentecost

My friends and I at Soul Space have a new guided contemplation up just in time for Pentecost Sunday!

May you have a life-giving encounter with Jesus and the Holy Spirit as you listen to the Scripture (Acts 2:1-21) and use your imagination to enter into a time of reflection and prayer.

Created by Soul Space: Janine Rohrer (writing), Carrie Myers (narration), David Buchs (Original music and sound mixing)

P.S. I’ve been creating guided contemplative prayers every week for our virtual Sunday services at Vineyard One NYC. For those of you who are spiritual directors or prayer leaders, I’m going to start posting those scripts weekly, so stay tuned!

(If I can figure out how, I’ll post the recordings, too, but so far Audacity and I are not friends. Recording the Pentecost script required me to sit in my living room very late at night so noises were at a minimum, doors and windows closed, fan off, with my microphone in a box stuffed with pillows and there was still background noise that I do not personally know how to edit out.)

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight.

Find David Buchs at www.sleepwithmusic.com.

Hope On Easter: A Guided Meditation on John 20:1-18

Many of us are in mourning this Easter — for our old way of life or for those who have left it, all swept away in the pandemic. In these troubled times, may you find comfort and purpose in remembering that, in Jesus, the darkness truly does precede the dawn, that dying is a prelude to resurrection. What could seem like a crass and empty cliché becomes exactly the opposite in light Jesus’ defeat on the cross of the power of sin and darkness. As we wait expectantly for the “already but not yet” of the new creation, what new life will emerge from the ashes of the coronavirus?

As you experience this Easter meditation, our prayer is that the story of the risen Christ will bring you peace and hope during a time of stress and anxiety. Don’t fear, there is Good News ahead of us!

– Written by Janine Rohrer and Carrie Myers. Voiceover and music by David Buchs.

____________

Find me (Carrie Myers) on instagram @ravishedbylight

Find more music by David Buchs and more meditations by Janine Rohrer and David Buchs at sleepwithmusic.com.

And keep an eye out for new guided meditations and prayers at our new website, soulspace.center, coming soon!