There are some books I have which I enjoy having the chance to read again and again. One of these books for me is a volume first published in the 1980s, namely, Will and Spirit, by Gerald G. May. It is a book I use when I teach the class, Contemplative Spirituality. Perhaps it is understandable when I share May’s subtitle for that book: A Contemplative Psychology. May was a psychiatrist who founded and was affiliated with a Spirituality center in Washington, DC, called Shalem. I valued highly his various books and his work.
As a psychiatrist, May knew the physiological and emotional components of spirituality, which my own education did not give focus. The good news is one does not have to be in school or a classroom to learn. In fact, most of us had incredible learning experiences long before we went to school. It was simply called childhood! And so I eagerly bought Will and Spirit many years ago and devoured it. It was so important for me that I figured out how to use it in class. The students often feel like it is difficult, but I assure them important things are often difficult. If it were easy, it might not be worth learning.
The whole book is good. But there are chapters I like more than other chapters. One of my favorite chapters is his last one. May enticingly entitled that chapter, “On Being a Pilgrim and a Helper.” I like the assumption contained in the title. May assumes we will be both pilgrim and helper. I find this reassuring to think if we become contemplatives, we will feel the desire also to be pilgrim and helper. This makes sense because if we become contemplatives, it usually means others have been pilgrims who helped us. Being spiritual and becoming contemplative is not a solitary endeavor that happens solely on the basis of our own wit and effort.
I like how May shapes the conclusion to this final chapter. Effectively, it becomes a fitting conclusion to the whole book as well. May begins that conclusion by acknowledging, “Spiritual pilgrimage involves solitary searching, receiving help and guidance from others, and offering help to others.” (319) That speaks volumes to me. It suggests that we don’t pick up spirituality like a commodity from Walmart or online from Amazon. To be spiritual means we will embark on a pilgrimage.
If you think about pilgrimage, it has some definite characteristics. A pilgrimage has a specific destination. A pilgrimage is not a walk in the woods or some time spent wandering around the neighborhood or the world. If we are on a pilgrimage, it is to some particular place or, perhaps, experience. Normally, there is an intensity and focus on the pilgrimage. We are intent on something. We do it by ourselves, even if we were also part of a group. It is a search, as May says.
He adds two qualifiers. We receive help and guidance. This tells me we can’t or won’t make it on our own. But the other thing is just as important. We also will offer help to others. Being on a pilgrimage may be solitary, but it is not always alone and certainly not meant to be lonely. I sense May sees a mutuality among folks on their spiritual pilgrimages. It is both mine and ours. I find that exciting and reassuring.
May continues in his conclusion with a wonderful sentence. He notes this spiritual pilgrimage “is a journey of deepening willingness and clarifying vision.” I will tell you that throughout his book, May shows that being contemplative involves willingness rather than willfulness. It always seemed to me that willingness was a good way to talk about making ourselves---our souls---pliant to the love and leading of God. Willfulness is usually driven by a strong ego operating headstrongly in our own direction. To be willful is not to listen or care about what God might desire.
And thus, our pilgrimage involves a deepening of our willingness and a clear vision. We come to know where our life is heading and we are willing for that vision to come true in life. It will involve more the desire of God and much less the egotistical desires of my own will. This sets May up to write a sentence that actually contains the title of his book. He says, our spiritual pilgrimage is a journey that actually “is a process of reconciling will and spirit.” Our goal---if one can speak of spiritual goals---is to harmonize God’s desire and our willingness.
The last sentence I add speaks to me about the intent of the spiritual pilgrimage. May observes that in our journey, “one seeks to find, and realizes with increasing certainty that one has already been found.” To find and to be found is a wonderful outcome in life. And if we can experience this before we are dead, then we can live out of this truth. We can live out this truth in ways that will make a huge difference in the world.
To find and to be found means to me that we figure out life. And part of the gift of this will be realizing we will also be found in a community of others who have figured out life. We will know ourselves and know God and know others who also know themselves and know God. There is nothing more profound in life.
To get there is to embark on our spiritual pilgrimage as our life process.
As a psychiatrist, May knew the physiological and emotional components of spirituality, which my own education did not give focus. The good news is one does not have to be in school or a classroom to learn. In fact, most of us had incredible learning experiences long before we went to school. It was simply called childhood! And so I eagerly bought Will and Spirit many years ago and devoured it. It was so important for me that I figured out how to use it in class. The students often feel like it is difficult, but I assure them important things are often difficult. If it were easy, it might not be worth learning.
The whole book is good. But there are chapters I like more than other chapters. One of my favorite chapters is his last one. May enticingly entitled that chapter, “On Being a Pilgrim and a Helper.” I like the assumption contained in the title. May assumes we will be both pilgrim and helper. I find this reassuring to think if we become contemplatives, we will feel the desire also to be pilgrim and helper. This makes sense because if we become contemplatives, it usually means others have been pilgrims who helped us. Being spiritual and becoming contemplative is not a solitary endeavor that happens solely on the basis of our own wit and effort.
I like how May shapes the conclusion to this final chapter. Effectively, it becomes a fitting conclusion to the whole book as well. May begins that conclusion by acknowledging, “Spiritual pilgrimage involves solitary searching, receiving help and guidance from others, and offering help to others.” (319) That speaks volumes to me. It suggests that we don’t pick up spirituality like a commodity from Walmart or online from Amazon. To be spiritual means we will embark on a pilgrimage.
If you think about pilgrimage, it has some definite characteristics. A pilgrimage has a specific destination. A pilgrimage is not a walk in the woods or some time spent wandering around the neighborhood or the world. If we are on a pilgrimage, it is to some particular place or, perhaps, experience. Normally, there is an intensity and focus on the pilgrimage. We are intent on something. We do it by ourselves, even if we were also part of a group. It is a search, as May says.
He adds two qualifiers. We receive help and guidance. This tells me we can’t or won’t make it on our own. But the other thing is just as important. We also will offer help to others. Being on a pilgrimage may be solitary, but it is not always alone and certainly not meant to be lonely. I sense May sees a mutuality among folks on their spiritual pilgrimages. It is both mine and ours. I find that exciting and reassuring.
May continues in his conclusion with a wonderful sentence. He notes this spiritual pilgrimage “is a journey of deepening willingness and clarifying vision.” I will tell you that throughout his book, May shows that being contemplative involves willingness rather than willfulness. It always seemed to me that willingness was a good way to talk about making ourselves---our souls---pliant to the love and leading of God. Willfulness is usually driven by a strong ego operating headstrongly in our own direction. To be willful is not to listen or care about what God might desire.
And thus, our pilgrimage involves a deepening of our willingness and a clear vision. We come to know where our life is heading and we are willing for that vision to come true in life. It will involve more the desire of God and much less the egotistical desires of my own will. This sets May up to write a sentence that actually contains the title of his book. He says, our spiritual pilgrimage is a journey that actually “is a process of reconciling will and spirit.” Our goal---if one can speak of spiritual goals---is to harmonize God’s desire and our willingness.
The last sentence I add speaks to me about the intent of the spiritual pilgrimage. May observes that in our journey, “one seeks to find, and realizes with increasing certainty that one has already been found.” To find and to be found is a wonderful outcome in life. And if we can experience this before we are dead, then we can live out of this truth. We can live out this truth in ways that will make a huge difference in the world.
To find and to be found means to me that we figure out life. And part of the gift of this will be realizing we will also be found in a community of others who have figured out life. We will know ourselves and know God and know others who also know themselves and know God. There is nothing more profound in life.
To get there is to embark on our spiritual pilgrimage as our life process.
Comments
Post a Comment