I am excited to share my reflections on Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation by Martin Laird.
Martin Laird is a professor, author, and teacher of Christian contemplative practice. His books include An Ocean of Light, A Sunlit Absence, and Into the Silent Land.
This book reminds us that contemplation is not something reserved for monks, mystics, or spiritual experts.
We are all created for a deeper awareness of God.
Laird writes that communion with God in the silence of the heart is already a God-given capacity within us.
We do not need to manufacture it.
We learn to become receptive to it.
Here are six lessons from the book that I found especially helpful.
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1. Find a Contemplative Practice
Laird describes two practices that are central to the Christian contemplative tradition:
Stillness and watchfulness.
There are many ways to practice stillness:
Centering prayer.
Christian meditation.
The Jesus Prayer.
Lectio Divina.
Chanting.
Walking.
Visio Divina.
It is important to find a practice that speaks to you.
Then stay with it.
Dig deeply into the well and see where it takes you.
As your practice deepens, you may begin to develop greater watchfulness and awareness.
You create a little space between your thoughts and yourself.
You begin to realize:
You are not your thoughts.
You do not need to believe every thought that enters your mind.
You can notice a thought, release it, and return to the present moment.
2. God Is the Ground of Our Being
Laird reminds us that God is the ground of our being.
Because of this, separation from God is not possible.
We may sometimes feel distant from God.
We may feel that God is absent.
But that feeling of separation is not the deepest truth.
Each time we sit in silence, we sit with God.
And the God we meet in silence remains with us when our silent prayer ends.
God is present while we work.
While we walk.
While we speak with others.
While we move through the ordinary moments of the day.
We are the ones who forget.
Silence helps us remember.
3. We Are the Mountain
One of the most powerful images in the book is the mountain.
Our thoughts and emotions are like changing weather.
Some days bring sunshine.
Other days bring storms.
But the mountain remains.
For much of our lives, we assume that our thoughts and feelings are who we are.
Stillness teaches us that we are much deeper than the passing weather within us.
We can notice fear without becoming fear.
We can notice anger without allowing anger to control us.
We can notice worry without believing every worried thought.
We move from being a victim of our thoughts to becoming a witness to them.
This is deeply freeing.
Stillness helps us become more aware.
We learn to be with life.
We begin to notice what we previously overlooked.
Silence opens us to a vast and beautiful world.
4. Become Receptive
God is always giving.
The question is whether we are able to receive.
Contemplative prayer helps remove the obstacles that make it difficult for us to receive what God is offering.
It is the prayer of simply being.
We do not need to earn union with God.
We awaken to what is already present.
A contemplative practice helps us become more receptive to God’s presence and action within us.
We sit.
We let go.
We open.
We receive.
5. Let Silence Nourish You
Silence nourishes watchfulness, self-knowledge, letting go, and compassion.
We do not enter silence only because of the benefits we may receive.
We enter silence because we love God and desire a deeper relationship with God.
Yet God often surprises us with other fruits.
Wisdom for the tasks in front of us.
Patience.
Confidence.
Compassion.
A renewed excitement for life.
Silence changes how we relate to ourselves, to God, and to others.
6. Remember Who You Are
Laird describes an awareness within us that has never been wounded, harmed, frightened, or incomplete.
This is who we are beneath the noise.
Beneath our fears.
Beneath the stories we tell ourselves.
Beneath the endless stream of thoughts.
This is the exciting part.
We get to spend a lifetime exploring the vast, luminous, and endless depths of silence.
Into the Silent Land is a beautiful introduction to Christian contemplation and a helpful companion for anyone who wants to deepen a silent prayer practice.
I encourage you to read it slowly.
Pause.
Reflect.
Practice.
Let the book lead you more deeply into the silence where God is already waiting.
New to Centering Prayer?
If you would like a simple way to begin, I created a free guide to help you sit quietly with God without pressure or overthinking.
Get the free Centering Prayer guide.
Grateful you are here,
Rich