the spiritual practice of reading
A mentally healthy reading practice is more than just a love of reading. Why are some books more enjoyable than others?
Reading books teaches you about the magic and power of words.
Developing meditative habits strengthens our love for reading and contemplation. It is ironic that valuing meditation and silence influences our valuing of words. Our reading and reflective practices combine words and the spaces between them.
There are some books that I enjoy as part of my reading routine, but I try to savor every book. After reading a good book, an intense feeling of sadness can come over you, like when you return home after visiting a close friend.
This practice is not exactly the same as sacred reading or reading. lectio divina. Our purpose is not to constantly try to keep up with every new book on the spiritual life that is published.
Some of us set goals for what we want to read each year or each month. We may commit to reading the scriptures each day.
There are people who give me spiritual direction and choose books for me to read and discuss together. It can be a particularly enjoyable aspect of our spiritual practice.
One of my practices focuses on online conversation groups where we read spiritual books together. People join the group over four school years, and the conversations cover all four years of his life. Each year, it is organized around a guidebook called “”. Reading and reflection guide.
My practice also includes reading and reviewing books.I’m writing a book review Spiritual Directors InternationalI sometimes post book reviews on this blog.
Reading as an organized practice
I’ve also read several detective mystery series. There’s the joy of anticipating the next book to be published and the comfort of spending time with characters you already know.
My spiritual practice is not limited to sitting down and reading words on a page. I often use the public library to read mystery series, but selecting and acquiring books is also part of my practice.
Last summer, I spent some time maintaining my bookshelf. One of my goals this year was to buy a complete set of one author’s books, and I needed to free up some space. It’s been a while since I’ve looked through my bookshelf for the purpose of sorting and moving things.
Although there were some challenges, I felt better when I finished cleaning up the space. I’m starting to read a new collection, which will probably lead to next year. We already have several candidates for our next acquisition project.
The practice of spiritual reading is not a competition. It’s not a sprint or a marathon. This is not a way to train yourself to read faster or more efficiently. I’m not in a hurry. My regular reading schedule is interrupted when a new mystery is published.
Reading as a spiritual practice is a meditative practice. We’re not trying too hard to become better readers. It’s about listening and being open to what the text is trying to tell us, whether it’s scripture or a mystery novel.
We listen to what the author is trying to tell us and what it causes in us. Reading is a way to connect with people who may have lived hundreds or thousands of years ago.
Some books are more enjoyable than others
Some of the people who have taught me and influenced me the most are because I read what they wrote. Women and men who died centuries before I was born helped me overcome difficult situations. The leaders who inspired me and shaped my thinking came to me through their writings.
We are used to making friends through social media that we have never met in person. Some of us have developed supportive and encouraging online communities of people living far away.
My socially distant friends are not only geographically distant, but also temporally distant.
People like Benedict and Thomas Merton, Julian of Norwich and Kathleen Norris are friends I never met. Even after their words have been translated and retranslated, they still speak to me.
When you read to build relationships, you don’t necessarily need to know all the background information. No need to argue about what exactly they were trying to tell us. What they wrote sparks new insights for us today. Their words still comfort us when we suffer from situations they could not have foreseen.
Rereading the books on your bookshelf over and over again strengthens your relationship with the people who wrote them.
We read their words and listen to what they have to say to us. Our conversation continues.
Read and reflect together
Reading is something we enjoy doing. We want to spend more time reading and find more ways to make it a spiritual practice.
There are so many books on so many subjects that so many people should read.
One important step for me is spending time with others who encourage me. If you would like to acquire the spiritual habit of reading, please contact us.
I’m starting an online community that meets monthly.
Read and reflect on one book each month. Toward the end of the month, we’ll be having a conversation to share what we’ve learned from reading and reflecting on the book.
Our Zoom community helps people practice reading and thinking together.
Please let us know if you are interested. Please bring your questions.
It’s not about forcing someone to do something or trying to convince someone. We meet online to focus on conversation and share questions and insights about what we’ve read. It’s a way to experience being together online.
What is the mental habit of reading?
Where can the spiritual practices of reading and reflection help you go this year?
[Image by ckaroli]
greg richardson I am a certified spiritual director in Southern California.he He is currently a recovering assistant district attorney and university associate professor. Lay Oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is http://StrategicMonk.com and his email address is: StrategicMonk@gmail.com.
