What if Meditation Doesn't Have to Look the Way You Think? (Lectio Divina)
- Rev Stanley Maszczak (he/they)
- May 14
- 4 min read
Have you ever had trouble trying to quiet your thoughts?
Have you ever heard someone say, "I can't meditate"?
Or maybe you've said that yourself...
Lots of people think of meditation as trying to keep the body (and mind) perfectly still and silent for long periods of time... but that's not the only way to meditate (or to meaningfully connect with the Divine, for that matter...).
Not all meditation is about sitting perfectly still and perfectly silent, or about visualizing elaborate landscapes, or focusing on your breathing. Silent meditation, visualization, mindfulness meditation, breathwork... can all be types or parts of a meditative practice.
But there are also some that are more contemplative in nature—like Lectio Divina, which is Latin for "Divine Reading." This form of meditation originated in the early Christian centuries as a contemplative, prayerful reading of scripture, heavily influenced by the Desert Fathers and mothers. Formally established in 6th-century Benedictine monasteries, it was structured into four steps—reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation—by the Carthusian monk Guigo II in the 12th century.
During the Chapel's regular Sunrise Meditation series, we regularly engage various styles of meditation, with a modified form of lectio divina being one of them.
In this process, we're invited to read a short passage (poems, quotes from metaphysical texts, etc.) multiple times, each time deepening into a word or phrase Spirit is drawing us into (individually) for further exploration, meaning-making, or as a way of delivering us a message. (And, as always—we have some journaling time built in, during and afterward, for those who wish to journal.)
I'll walk you through our modified process below. Feel free to read and check it out—and if you want, set aside 15-25 minutes with your journal and pen to walk through it on your own.
If you'd like a poem to start with... earlier this week, we engaged in Lectio Divina while collaborating with a poem by David Wagoner, called, "Lost." Here are the first few lines, and you can check out the full poem we read (and listen to someone else reading it on On Being, here:
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as a powerful stranger, Must ask permission to know it and be known...
Here's the loose path we follow:
Step 1. Silencio - Silent preparation. Breathe. Guided energy meditation.
If it feels supportive, take a few slow, easy, deep breaths.
Allow yourself to simply focus on your breathing, taking longer to exhale than you do to inhale.
Breath slowly for a couple of minutes, focusing on your breath, or perhaps on a single ambient sound in your space (your air conditioner, meditation music you might be playing, etc.).
After a few minutes of settling and quiet meditation, we move to step 2.
Step 2. Lectio - Reading.
Read the chosen passage slowly, noticing any word or phrase that captures your attention, even if you don't know why.
After you've read the full passage once, repeat the word or phrase to yourself for a few moments. No questions, nothing to figure out—just repeating that word or phrase to yourself to connect with its energy.
After a few moments of repeating it, we move to step 3.
Step 3. Meditatio - Exploring and Savoring
Read the full text again and allow the chosen word or phrase to spark your imagination. Let this unfold before you, no judgment, just allowing your intuition to follow the word or phrase down a path of exploration. Where will it lead? What journey or awareness might be unfolding?
After you've spent some time allowing yourself to follow the exploration, savoring the journey along the way, we move to step 4.
Step 4. Oratio - Conversation with the Divine, or Prayer.
Read the text again (yes, the whole thing, again!), this time listening for an invitation—
to commune with the Divine; to ask questions, or receive guidance;
to reflect on the connection between the word or phrase and your current journey;
to implement a change in your life;
to ponder a new awareness or action.
This step is usually a little longer during our meditation (7-10 mins), inviting us to be in conversation with the Divine in whatever way feels correct for you today. You might keep your eyes closed or open, and engage in an internal dialogue; you might grab your journal and pen and write, allowing your inner wisdom to flow through your pen; you might draw, paint, doodle, fold paper, or otherwise "create" .... this is your conversation with the Divine.
Once this phase is complete, we move to...
Step 5. Contemplatio - Slowing and Stilling.
Move into a time of simply resting in the presence of the Divine. Maybe take another nice, slow, easy, deep breath... allow your thoughts to slow are you sink back into stillness.
Allow yoursefl to rest and simply Be.
After a few moments of this rest, we move into...
Step 6. Closing.
Become even more aware of your body and the space you are in. Call all the parts of yourself back in; stand up, stretch, tap your forehead, rub your hands together, stretch, tap your heels on the floor—whatever feels most supportive for you to feel fully grounded and present in your space.
Then...
Step 7. Reflections from "observer" mode.
Take a few minutes to journal about your experience, reflecting on the process itself.
If you were to take a step back, into observer mode, and describe what you saw yourself experiencing, what would you say?
Here are some additional journaling questions if they're helpful:
What did you feel or experience throughout the process?
What parts of the process felt most supportive? Was there any friction?
Where? How come?
What surprised you?
What would you like to explore more at a later time?
What would you like to bring forward into the rest of your day or week?
What's one small action you can take right now to bring this with you?
What do you think? Will you give it a try? Have you done this type of meditation before? What was your experience like?
Feel free to comment below!
And... of course... join us at Sunrise Meditation, currently taking place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through the Summer Solstice.
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