Contemplative self-enquiry

Cultivating the inner freedom to live with integrity and authenticity.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for the practice of contemplative self-enquiry

Page contents: Living in a spiritually expansive era. Our being and our doing. Deep listening, within the gentling light of lovingkindness. Open-ended questions light the path. Allowing spiritual questions to work through us to resolution. Why a contemplative stance? The difference between rumination and contemplative self-enquiry. A practice of contemplative self-enquiry.

Contemplative self-enquiry is an ancient spiritual practice reclaimed for today. In its reclaimed form, the practice can include yet transcend specific religious or secular belief systems. This practice is beneficial because it can be adopted irrespective of one's belief system, assisting in the venture of self-discovery in a way that aligns with one’s particular belief structure. The practice is invaluable as a personal spiritual practice and also for engaging in the collective venture of reimagining a new cultural mindset.

Living in a spiritually expansive era

We are living in a spiritually expansive era. The vast array of spiritual practices and belief systems available today can result in an information overload. For many, this information overload can be confusing at best and overwhelming at worst. How do we find our spiritual shelter of belonging within the myriad competing voices within our outer world and inner landscape? The ongoing spiritual practice of contemplative self-enquiry enables us to name and claim an inner shelter of belonging that resonates with our mind and heart. Mind refers to our current knowledge and beliefs about the nature of Reality and how the world came to be/continues to be. Heart refers to the ability to integrate the expected and unexpected joys, sorrows, fears, angers, traumas, and mystical experiences we will encounter over our lives. When our shelter of belonging resonates with mind and heart we experience inner freedom and authentic communal responsiveness. We can stand in our own ground, openheartedly

Our being and our doing

Contemplative self-enquiry draws from and flows back into daily life, enabling us to live with integrity and authenticity. Thus, the practice involves our being and our doing. Concerning our being, the practice focuses on authentic self-understanding. Self-understanding leads toward an experience of personal wholeness. Concerning our doing, personal wholeness leads toward an experience of inner freedom. Inner freedom enables us to live daily life in accord with our values. Also, as we continue to grow in personal wholeness, we project less of our shadow side onto our world. As a consequence, we are more able to be the change we want to see in the world. Therefore, the practice of contemplative self-inquiry involves both our being and our doing; both who we know ourselves to be, and how we each live within and act upon our world.

Deep listening, within the gentling light of lovingkindness

Contemplative self-enquiry involves deep listening, within the gentling light of lovingkindness. Deep listening is distinct from a logical probing, dissecting, scrutinizing, and evaluating excavation of our inner world. Deep listening picks up something of poet, John O'Donohue’s understanding that our inner being "was never meant to be seen completely." He suggested that our inner being be approached through the metaphor of candlelight. A candle sheds enough light to "befriend the darkness, [as] it gently opens up caverns in the darkness" which require tending at this moment in time. Such a candlelight process involves an ever-deepening movement from head - to heart - to gut.

Head: is about a life experience - recounting an experience that evokes a present moment affective (sensory) experience.

Heart: nonjudgmentally exploring the present moment affective experience.

Gut: discerning inner wisdom’s present moment stirrings toward authentic self-discovery.

The gentling light of lovingkindness: we must ground our practice with lovingkindness toward ourselves, otherwise, we might become too frightened to undertake the inner venture of self-discovery. The following poem underscores the importance of grounding the practice of contemplative self-enquiry within the gentling light of lovingkindness.

(To view the actual practice of contemplative self-enquiry, scroll down below the photo)

Open-ended questions light the path

The centre-point on which contemplative self-enquiry turns is open-ended questions. Why are open-ended questions fundamental? It is our questions rather than beliefs that enable us to break through and transcend the confines of our socially constructed view of selfhood. We pose our questions concerning meaning and belonging, in the light of current knowledge, beliefs, and life experience. Questions like: Who are we? Where did we come from? What becomes of us when we die? What is our purpose? How are we meant to live? Is there a God/Gods? Why is there good and evil in the world? What is the source and nature of love? What does it mean to be human in an evolving universe? What deeply held assumptions shape our cultural identity, purpose, and values? Is our cultural mindset causing more problems than it fixes? We pose our questions with an open-ended attitude. Then we allow our questions to work their way through us to resolution. In this way, open-ended questions light the path to discerning authentic self-discovery. 

Allowing spiritual questions to work through us to resolution

How can our spiritual questions work through us to resolution? The entry point for such a process is noticing, then gently engaging with our present moment affective experience. Present moment affective experience includes the whole range of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations emerging into our present moment awareness. It includes joys, sorrows, fears, frustrations, angers, delights, and awe. The practice of gently engaging with our present moment affective experience differs from acting out of it, repressing it, or ruminating on it. Rather, the practice is undertaken in the knowledge that while we each have thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, we are not totally identified with them. In line with such an understanding, we allow our questions to work through us to resolution through a process of:

• noticing what is stirring within in response to spiritual questions

• letting it be

• gently opening it up

• curiously wondering about it

• asking open-ended questions of it

• and patiently listening for inner wisdom's invitation toward authentic self-knowledge.

Why a contemplative stance?

According to author, educator, and activist Parker Palmer, our [inner wisdom] is like:

Drawing from Palmer's quotation our shy, inner wisdom hides from analysis which takes the form of logically probing, dissecting, scrutinizing and evaluating. In contrast, a contemplative orientation creates a safe place for our shy, inner being to show up.

The difference between rumination and contemplative self-enquiry

Rumination and contemplative self-inquiry both involve a deep dive into our inner world. However, there is a significant difference between them.

Rumination may seem like a path to self-understanding, but it tends to focus on the past and negative thoughts. It is closely linked to depression. When ruminating, we become stuck in negative thoughts and the associated memories, akin to descending into a rabbit hole and getting lost in the darkness. Rumination leaves us with a heavy heart.

Contemplative self-enquiry on the other hand is a practice of deep listening that takes us beyond ego-identification and enables us to perceive inner wisdom’s stirrings toward authentic self-discovery. The practice begins by focusing on present-moment affective experience, within the gentling light of lovingkindness. Contemplative self-enquiry leaves us with a lightness of heart, even when the content of our self-discovery is confronting.

The following contemplative process was developed for personal spiritual practice. However, given that our era is calling forth a new cultural mindset, the process is also valuable for personally engaging in the shared spiritual venture of reimaging a new cultural mindset.

A practice of contemplative self-enquiry

An ever-deepening movement from thinking about an experience - to engaging with the sensory experience - to discerning inner wisdom’s invitation toward authentic self-knowledge.

Stilling exercise

Commence with some form of stilling exercise that enables you to drop beneath your socially constructed mindset and brings you into an awareness of the gentling light of lovingkindness. Also, remember that you have thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, but do not have to be identified with them. 

Let your mind wander back over the last 24-48 hours.

What do you find yourself remembering? Around what event/moment/situation/question/conversation do you feel a present moment affective energy? Choose one.

Notice what is happening within you

Bodily felt experience e.g. relaxing/tightening; warmth/coldness; opening up/shutting down; drawn towards/repelled by . . .

Emotional response e.g. delighted; sad; angry; joyful; stressed; fearful; vitality; challenged . . .

Thinking e.g. are your thoughts judgmental; compassionate; circular; racing; calm; stuck in a habitual pattern . . .

Letting be

As you are able, hold your affective experience within the gentle light of loving kindness, breathing through it without denying, resisting, or seeking change.

Listening and waiting

If and when you are ready, pose some open-ended questions to yourself:

• I wonder why it is that my body responded this way?

• Is this sensation or emotion tapping into a particular area in my life?

• If this sensation / emotion / image had a voice, what might it say to me?

• Is there a colour / shape / texture / image which seems to encompass it? If so, feel free to draw it;  express it in prose or poetry; or simply jot down words that arise in response.

What may inner wisdom be inviting you to see or see afresh through this experience?

• Is there any insight arising for you?

• Are you being invited to stay; move; change; grow?

Conclude your practice by simply resting in the quiet for a few moments.

Note: Do not try to manufacture a response. Simply wait for a response to arise - metaphorically try it on and see how it fits. Do not worry if there is no discernible response initially. Simply pose the question and live into the response.

Resources

John O'Donohue, Anam Cara

Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Towards an Undivided Life

Bernard Lonergan, Method in Theology