I wanted to jot down a few notes on how my experiment in hesychasm is going. In a relatively short period of time I have found that the daily meditation has really helped me make the scripture (Psalm 51:10) my "own" prayer. There have been a few times that its words have popped into my mind when I've had to make a choice. For instance, I held my tongue during a conversation when it would have been so easy to criticize. And anything that can get me to keep my mouth shut for awhile must be a good thing!
I use a set of prayer beads that I made last year, slowly repeating the prayer as I move my fingers to the next bead. I keep my eyes closed. Some days I'm more focused than others, but then again, I bet Saint John of the Ladder didn't ever have the cell phone in his pocket go off when he was praying. But in general I experience very little distraction when I meditate, and what I do have settles down quickly.
I guess my biggest challenge right now is being consistent as I have missed a few days entirely. It's not easy to make the time as I hold down the fort while Lamont is away at the National Youthworkers Convention in Pittsburgh. I'll have to give her a pay raise when she gets back.
I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the justCommunity conference in Allentown, PA. I'm really looking forward to the workshops and hearing Dr. Peter L. Benson of The Search Institute speak. I'm also interested to see the effect the change of pace has on my practice of meditation.
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I'm the worst with meditation and quite time and all that stuff. I miss one day and it's out of my life for months.
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