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Hecate is the Greek goddess of the crossroads
Hecate is the Greek goddess of the crossroads. Properly pronounce her name is "E-CA-TA" or "e-CO-ta, the H is silent. She stands at the crossroads of your life and protects you from taking the wrong road. She is also the guardian of new borns, the...
How To Relax And Think Clearly
Learning To Be In The Moment
Imagine thinking clearly, and feeling relaxed at will. Could you get more done? Enjoy life more? Would you like to know how to do that right now? Start by learning how to put yourself more in the moment with a...
Love and Light
Seems that everyone who writes to me signs their letters "love and light." It has such a bright uplifting sound to it. Lightworkers are being taught to hold the energy of the light and to equate love with a warm white light that heals and...
Natural Acne Treatment
Natural acne treatments are desirable because they have few side effects, are inexpensive, and are effective for many. There are many natural acne treatments available for purchase. These contain various plant extracts that work to dry up the...
Simple Ways to Have Happy Experiences
It's the dream of many to live happy and contented lives. The
truth is that life happens and with the good comes the not so
good. Some become skilled at getting into the zone and ride the
wave of life learning from each wave that washes over...
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Lectio Divina
Lectio divina is a very useful and practical discipline for spiritual growth. Rooted in ancient monasticism, the practice is a fourfold cycle: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation. In fact, the term itself means “sacred reading.”
Reading. Lectio divina begins with a “text,” whether that is the Bible, a spiritual classic, something in nature, or even another person. You must “take up and read.” But the reading is not done to acquire knowledge or information, to master the text. Reading is done slowly, focusing on words and connections. In lectio divina, we are seeking to let the text master us.
I read through the Bible, a practice known as lectio continua, during my devotional times. I used to read for information, and to get through a certain amount (say, four chapters every day), but now I read slowly, taking at most a chapter each day. As I read, I listen for how the Word of God is addressing me.
Meditation. Meditation is focused thought. In lectio divina, we are neither letting our mind run wild with thoughts nor letting it empty of all thoughts. Instead, we concentrate our focus on the words of the text, thinking about each one. Let each word resonate within you.
Think of the meditation phase as though it were tea steeping. You are the hot water, and the tea bag is the Bible. As the tea bag steeps (reading), flavor is diffused throughout the hot water. This is meditation. It is the slow, simmering period where we digest the text and gain insight.
Prayer. The prayer phase takes the fruit of our meditation and offers it back to God. Perhaps a text led us to joy because of the gifts of God, or maybe a passage exposed sin in our lives and the need for repentance. Prayer is when we offer these insights back to God.
Contemplation.
Contemplation is the act of sitting in the presence of God with total attention and concentration on God. After a time of prayer, we just sit with God.
If you preach or teach, you should use lectio divina as part of your preparation. Sit with the text away from analysis and exegesis, and let God speak to you through his word. A sermon or class could follow this four-part cycle.
For a sermon, the preacher could read the passage, describe the paths he or she explored during meditation and the insights found, and offer a prayer to God based on the meditation. After, there could be a congregational period of silence for contemplation.
When I teach, I often use lectio divina as an outline. I read the passage from my Bible and ask two or three others to read the same passage, but from different translations. Then I help the class to “meditate”: I ask what words or images struck them from the reading, what they noticed or didn’t noticed, what feelings they had as they read, or what was most surprising in the text. We follow these threads, learning from each other, and then conclude with prayer.
Lectio divina is a very helpful discipline for spiritual growth. If the reader practices lectio divina often, she will begin to plumb the depths of her soul and her relationship with God. The single greatest facet of lectio divina is its ability to create a mindset that can actually listen to and for God.
About the author:
Jeremy M. Hoover is a part-time minister and writes full-time in Windsor, Ontario. Visit his website at http://hoovermarketing.info/amg/introduction.htmto learn how he supports his writing with an online business.
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Learning Meditation Home Page |
Introduction to the basics of meditation and the reduction of stress. |
www.learningmeditation.com |
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Meditation Room |
Choose freely and feel free to perform more than one meditation. ... Allow some time for your meditation. These meditations last from 3 - 10 minutes. ... |
www.learningmeditation.com |
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Meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
An introduction to different traditions, forms, techniques, and benefits. Includes links to other resources. |
en.wikipedia.org |
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World Wide Online Meditation Center |
Contains colorful, clear, concise meditation instruction on a variety of meditation methods from various spiritual teachings, plus tranquil meditation tapes ... |
www.meditationcenter.com |
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The Transcendental Meditation (TM) Program - Official website. How ... |
Meditation validated by over 600 scientific studies. The best meditation against stress. Online video! Personal instruction and lifetime follow-up. |
www.tm.org |
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Vipassana Meditation Website |
Homepage of the organization which offers Vipassana Meditation courses as taught by SN Goenka. |
www.dhamma.org |
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Welcome to Meditation Mount |
Meditation training programs and group meditation as a service to humanity. Worldwide organization based in Ojai, California. |
www.meditation.com |
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Guided meditations on mindfulness, peace, the 23rd Psalm, the way ... |
Come into the present moment with this 10-minute mindfulness meditation narrated by ... Experience a flow of positive energy with this meditation on peace ... |
www.beliefnet.com |
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Meditation Station Presented By The Meditation Society Of America |
Meditation Society of America's web site. Dedicated to sharing meditation techniques and concepts from all traditions. |
www.meditationsociety.com |
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Wildmind | Learn Meditation Online |
Wildmind provides a complete guide to simple meditation techniques. |
www.wildmind.org |
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Meditation |
An article By Dr Tom J. Chalko explaining the process and stressing the need for a spiritual teacher. |
www.thiaoouba.com |
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Free Learn to Meditate, online meditation - Meditation Australia. |
Details of activities, events, and classes in Wollongong University, Australia. Also offer a free online Meditation course. |
meditation.org.au |
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Meditation, Home, what is meditation, types of meditation ... |
Meditation Meditation is an alternative therapy. It can be broadly classified under the mind-body medicine. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation ... |
1stholistic.com |
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Sivananda Yoga - Meditation |
Introduction to the Official Web site of the Internationa Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. Lots of information on Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, ... |
www.sivananda.org |
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Stress Reducers: Articles index |
yellow arrow button, Choose a Virtual Meditation Slide Show for Your ... yellow arrow button, Meditation and Relaxation: 20 Minutes A Day Can Make A ... |
www.selfhelpmagazine.com |
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Zen Mountain Monastery: Zen Meditation Instructions |
Detailed instructions from Zen Mountain Monastery on how to practice Zen meditation. |
www.mro.org |
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Meditation and concentration |
meditation concentration ability. ... Online fire meditation use it and develop concentration ability; Online flash meditation look at the screen and ajust ... |
www.ababasoft.com |
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Siddha Yoga path - Gurumayi - Swami Muktananda founder |
Under the guidance and teachings of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Siddha Yoga meditation students embrace the spiritual practices of yoga. |
www.siddhayoga.org |
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Meditation Handbook |
Survey of seven meditation techniques for beginners. |
home.att.net |
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Healing Products offers healing music for your Mind, Body & Soul at low prices. Use sound and music to heal and relax. |
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