Foundations of Meditation
- Meditation is a universal practice.
- In the Christian tradition, meditation is sometimes referred to as apophatic (without form) prayer, prayer of the heart, or contemplative prayer.
- Meditation may be thought of as a form of spiritual exercise.
- Whereas in physical exercise, the body is strengthened and conditioned through movement, in
spiritual exercise, the mind/soul finds peace in stillness. - Meditation is not work you are doing, it is work you are allowing to happen.
- The benefits of meditation accumulate over time.
- The only way to fail at meditation is to try and make it a success.
Centering Prayer Practice
- it still, upright, relaxed but not slouching. Try not to dip your head.
- Take slow, deep breathes through the nose (exhale out the mouth, if needed.)
- As much as you can, focus on the experience of breathing.
- When you notice your mind has wondered (which it will do, frequently), silently say a prayer word or phrase and bring your attention back to the breath.
- Continue for 20 – 60 minutes.
- Remember that distraction is not a failure. Having attention move from distraction and attention is how the prayer works
Eddie O’Connor
The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius has been a classic of Christian spirituality since its publication in the 16th century, with many Christians still completing either the entire 30-day retreat or over a longer period of time in daily life. Yet the opening section of the text is largely ignored in the present day, in part due to its focus on disorder, sin, and Hell. With so much darkness in the world, we tend to focus on the lighter, more hopeful side of the Christian faith.
But what if a little bit of darkness is exactly what we need right now? In this session, Eddie looks at the first week of the Spiritual Exercises as a medieval example of ‘Shadow work’, a confrontation with the unacknowledged dark side of our personality that we must come to terms with if we are to become the undivided people God is calling us to be.
Eddie O’Connor is currently a Chaplain at Burwood Hospital in Christchurch, as well as a retreat leader, spiritual director, and writer. He was the Director of Sister Eveleen Retreat House from 2020 – 2023, where he also completed his formation as a spiritual director in the tradition of St Ignatius of Loyola. Eddie is currently finishing a book that uses film and insights from psychology to represent the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius in a way that is
