Lectio Divina Unleashed: Part Two (Poetry)
September 26, 2006 · by Christine
“People turn to poems for some kind of illumination,
for revelations that help them to survive,
to survive in spirit not only in body.”
-Denise Levertov, “Poetry, Prophecy and Survival”
Poetry is language illuminated. When we read poetry we are reading the same words we use for prose, but because of the compactness of images and the poet’s way of pointing us deeper than what we expect to see, poetry has the potential to reveal the sacred to us in new ways. Much of scripture is written in poetic form, making use of metaphor, rhythm, meter, sound, and image to help us grasp an awareness of God. Praying lectio divina with poetry is probably the most straightforward application of this prayer form to the arts.
Essentially you select a poem that speaks to a sense of the holy for you. There are any number of wonderful poets to choose from. I adore Denise Levertov, Mary Oliver, David Whyte, Rilke, and Rumi just to name a few. There are also many good anthologies of sacred poetry available.
I invite you to pray with this poem by Kathleen Norris from her book Journey, this poem is especially rich with images of the sacred:
Who Do You Say That I Am?
Morning and evening,
womb before dawn:
nova of blossom,
star in the apple,
word on the wind.
Long thorn of black locust,
ironwood bark, as
warm as skin:
the infant’s hand,
unfolding, light
that forms the eye:
the messenger,
the one,
whatever makes us sing:
emergence,
return,
the end of the spectrum,
beginning of light.
Light.
-Kathleen Norris
Use the same process I outlined in the previous post for praying with scripture, and see what happens when you take time to move into the language and images of poetry. Are you able to consider this a sacred text? Are you willing to believe that God can speak to us through all kinds of creation? Let your word or phrase linger with you throughout the day, repeating it to yourself at various times. Or write it on a post-it note and put it by your computer monitor if you spend a lot of time there. See what happens when you allow poetry to infuse your awareness of the many ways God speaks.
If you are feeling especially moved by the language of poetry, perhaps your prayer response to how the word or phrase unfolds within you can be your own poem. What would a poem about your “yes” to God say?
Coming next will be music and icons. . .
-Christine Valters Paintner
Posted in Poetry, Monastic Spirituality, Lectio Divina |
September 27th, 2006 at 1:31 am
” What would a poem about your “yes” to God say?” That really spoke to me!
The poeticness of the Bible has always deeply struck me. Its why I have a really difficult time with modern translations that take the poetry away, they are taking its deeper heart and voice away. The poetry, the images, the emotions evoked, the healing myth, that to me is how Gods Word really speaks to the human heart.
It can take courage nowadays though for a Christian to admit feeling God’s presence in any other prose but the Bible. And saying He can only speak there is kind of like saying we only had miracles long long ago and not now. A horrble and scary thought. God is here for us in all times, not just some.
Still though, I can understand the caution there. If we meditate on other writings it can reveal Gods love to us, or it can just clutter up the mind and block that “yes”, or even do deeper harm. Its the whole matter of discerning what to open to. It can become really “clogging”, and even dangerous, being open to too much. Yet its also rather a slap in the face to God to block His voice out when He speaks where you may not have expected Him to.
Lots of food for thought here Christine. And very poetically put : )
I am especially now looking forward to your lectio divina icon post when the time is right, very much. My own draw to “icon-ic living” or “an icon-ic rule of life” (two little phrases that came up and wont seem to go away) is still kind of mulling…
September 27th, 2006 at 4:39 am
Thank you for this. A friend passed your blog (?) on to me. I am very grateful! I’m a new fan of Kathleen Norris. I can’t get enough of her writings.
I didn’t know she had a new book of poetry. Thanks. Please put me on your list.
September 27th, 2006 at 7:35 am
Hi Wendy, glad you like this post too. Obviously when I get to a book stage there will be much more detail exploring poetry as sacred text, but this is a good practice for me to begin writing down these ideas. I have been leading folks in praying this way for so long I appreciate the chance to articulate it in writing. I agree that revelation is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. I think we often put God in far too many boxes, limiting the ways God can speak.
A sacramental vision celebrates the divine presence in all of creation and that is one of the things I love about using lectio in this way. It invites us to extend our contemplative gaze to the whole of life. I relish finding the sacred in more and more places, and if we are in community, whether with a congregation, a faith group, or a spiritual director, there are ways to find guidance for what truly is speaking of holiness and what are our own projections.
Welcome Martha, glad you found your way here! Actually the Norris book of poems is a collection of her work published a few years ago, but thankfully still available. If you want to receive emails with new blog posts, Feedblitz is a good service. If you want to be on our local Seattle events email list, let me know!
Blessings, Christine
September 27th, 2006 at 7:57 am
I agree with Denise Levertov’s quote . For me, writing or reading poetry that combines concrete images of nature with human nature and/or nature poetry and prose that evokes emotion without mention to ’self’, evokes the Sacredness of God within my soul.
September 27th, 2006 at 9:15 am
Bette, It is all a doorway or a window I think, pointing us to the depth of meaning shimmering below the surface of the world. Some doors feel wider than others!
September 27th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Yes, and thank God for the people who come into our lives to introduce us to those different windows and doors!
Wow, what a beautiful day it IS!
October 22nd, 2006 at 4:28 am
[…] We went to see the History Boys by Alan Bennett at the Alhambra on Saturday and one of the lines of the play stuck in my head ‘Literature is consolation’. After reading this post on The Sacred Art of Living about Lectio Divina, I sat down and read through ‘Autumn’ and the poet’s words not only consoled me but God spoke to me through them. I know I do not suffer as many do on this earth but God understands and cares for me even amongst my anxiety with the trivial frippery of wedding arrangements. He sees the frail leaves of my life falling; stress at work with difficult characters, the delicate balancing act of family expectations, someone close who is in prison (whom I ache and grieve for because they are going through hard times), the general fatigue of being too busy, the lack of time spent with Dave. He sees these fall but all the while He holds me up. He is constant when everything else is unsure. […]