Category: Spiritual Practice

There is a trough in waves,
a low spot
where horizon disappears
and only sky
and water
are our company.
And there we lose our way
unless
we rest, knowing the wave will bring us
to its crest again.
There we may drown
if we let fear
hold us in its grip and shake us
side to side,
and leave us flailing, torn, disoriented.
But if we rest there
in the trough,
in silence,
being in the low part of the wave,
keeping our energy and
noticing the shape of things,
the flow,
then time alone
will bring us to another
place
where we can see
horizon, see land again,
regain our sense
of where
we are,
and where we need to swim.

―By Judy Brown

In an episode of his podcast Turning to the Mystics, clinical psychologist James Finley describes his first encounter with Thomas Merton:

“I told him about my desire for God. Then he told me, ‘Once in a while, you’ll find somebody to talk to about this, but they are hard to find. The purpose of this place is, it is a place meant to protect, to preserve, and cultivate this radical desire, as a charism in the world.’ And then he offered me guidance in my own prayer.”

Source: Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation from the Center for Action and Contemplation (Meditation@cac.org), “Lost in the Secret of God’s Face” (September 1, 2021).

At the heart of the Contemplative Center of Silicon Valley is our passion to provide a welcoming place that protects, preserves, and cultivates our desire for God.

―Kent Smith, Spiritual Director and Discernment Board Member at CCSV

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Sacred Community

9/3/2021

by Atum O'Kane

I need community.
You need community.
We are a part of God's body.
Thank you for making this journey with me.
Thank you for sharing your gifts, your being, your soul story, and your life.

We are a part of God's heart.
I hold you in love, respect, compassion, and appreciation.
May your soul unfold with grace and accommodation.

We are all a part of God's body.
May your heart know the beauty of love and the support of soul friends as you go forth.

Peace be with you.
We are all a part of the soul of humanity.

―Atum O'Kane, Teaching on the gift of community and a prayer of completion

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