Contemplative Spirituality, at its core, is the practice of turning our attention to the God who is already present with us.

Encountering the presence of God in nature

When we think about Christian practices of the contemplative life, we generally begin with the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the 3rd and 4th centuries.  These were people who withdrew from society in various ways and led ascetic lives, but their focus was largely on stillness or silence, the practices of charity and forgiveness, and the recitation of Scripture.

Since then, the range of Christian Contemplative practices or exercises has expanded to encompass a range of traditions that are often designated after particular saints - Franciscan, Benedictine or Ignatian - but which share a common goal of leading disciples into a deeper sense of inner peace, awareness and connection to oneself, others and the cosmos, as well as a sense of connection with the Divine which is present in all creation.

For Christians, Contemplative Spirituality:

• is the mystical heartbeat of their faith, seen in Jesus, the apostles, the mystics, and the saints.
• is the expression of 'being' in the presence of God.  This focuses our actions on love and seeking justice arising from that inner peace and connection with the presence of God.  
• is grounded in an attitude of welcome and reception.
• offers a vision of God present in all creation, thus making each created thing an icon of God, present to be apprehended in contemplation.  

• cultivates in us an awareness of the flow of the Spirit in all we do. 

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A household votive centre

"God's first language is Silence. 
​
Everything else is translation."

- Thomas Keating

A WAY OF SEEING

Contemplative Spirituality becomes a way of seeing that stands in stark contrast with the way so many in the world see.  It involves seeing God in everything, in seeing everything as something pointing us towards God.

                                                                   "Nature is God's living, visible garment."
                                                                             - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The focus of most contemplative practices is an aid to the revelation of God in those things that surround us.  In perceiving our Loving God through Contemplation as our Creator, as the true Wisdom for life or as the Ground of our Being, we are awakened to the reality of a world that is shimmering with the Presence of the Divine.  Thus we discover that God is not hidden, but in fact there in plain sight - waiting to be discerned and discovered in nature, in our relationships with each other and in all the profound and mundane expressions of our lives.

Contemplative Practices

“Prayers are tools not for doing or getting, but for being and becoming.”
- Eugene Peterson

Meditation

Meditation is a common and often the first contemplative practice people engage in.  It is a gentle slide into stillness that rouses our awareness of the presence of God

Walking

Pilgrimage is the Grand Tour of contemplative walking.  But we can practice contemplative walking using a Labyrinth, or the beach, or a bush trail, or a local park.

Writing

Writing based on periods of contemplation helps to transform an intangible experience into something of substance.  Sometimes the writing itself becomes the contemplation through which we encounter the Divine.

There are many more than these 

Resources & Opportunities

From its inception, the Dayspring Community has been committed to creating opportunities for people to discover, explore, and practice the many and various contemplative exercises that have been expounded in contemplative Christian communities over the centuries.  Times for learning new practices and regular opportunities for them to be exercised have been a constant part of our community's existence.

There are a number of regular times for sharing the Daily Office together online as well as times for meditation on line.  Monthly Day Retreats called Quiet Days are held at Nathanael's Rest Retreat Centre in Mundaring but resources are made available for people to undertake a self-directed Quiet Day at home or at some other convenient venue.

In addition to these regular events, we schedule special events that focus on particular aspects of the Contemplative Life and are presented by guest presenters as a way of stimulating and extending our personal range pr contemplative practices.

In 2012, Robert Ferre led us through some very practical workshops on making Labyrinths and the practice of walking a Labyrinth

More Information Here

We have begun to create practical resources that will soon be available either online or through the Dayspring Shop.  Subscribe to our NEWSLETTER to ensure you do not miss the opportunity to access these resources.

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