Meditate with Reading

Meditation

We live in an age of information. We are subtly and not so subtly coerced through the television, the media, the Internet, to consume more and more, more and more rapidly. The technological tools have put us into a mode of speed—we actually start trying to approach the soaking up of information at a rate similar to a computer processing data. Even with the printed word, we have become habituated to reading quickly in an effort to absorb information in the shortest amount of time possible so we can move on to the next responsibility spread before us. Or we become so engrossed by the action and emotion of a story that our reading is as agitated as our pounding heart.

In such a fast-paced environment the slow savoring of ideas and concepts has gotten lost in the push for quickness and efficiency. The practice of spiritual reading is one way to regain a more balanced and meaningful interaction with the world around us. It can help us slow down so that information is allowed to seep unhurriedly into our heart, our mind, our soul, where it can be turned over and tasted like a fine well-aged wine.

Spiritual reading is a "practice" because it is counter-intuitive to our familiar form of reading. It is a form of meditation and reflection that calms a thumping heart to a gentle and silent beat. It is an exercise less concerned with swallowing everything before us, than with chewing small savory morsels that can actually work to change us from the inside out. A slow small meal of information becomes more nourishing to us than a feast eaten on the run. Surprisingly, the action of slowing our intake of information helps us slacken our pace as we walk through the world without—and the world within.

"The Spring" from Meditation without Gurus

by Clark Strand
from "Walking"

by Henry David Thoreau
from The Brothers Karamazov

by Fyodor Dostoevsky
from The Little Prince

by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
from The Story of the Other Wise Man

This short excerpt from the story by Henry van Dyke offers some stirring thoughts for reflection during these days of holy adventure that begin at Christmas.
The Joys of Rereading

Sometimes re-reading your favorite books can be more profitable than reading new ones (or ones that are new to you).
Why We Read What We Read

Where does the prompting to read what we read come from? I would like to hope that it is God’s gentle hand that leads us to abandon one book and pick up another.