VI.    Navigating the Abyss to Our True Self 

We may think that we know ourselves yet we are often unaware of our essence that rests in the center of our beings. To discover our true self, we must cross the great abyss — a void in which we cram all sorts of things that we believe we need or want in our lives. The abyss becomes like a closet full of treasures that we feel somehow defines us, our lives, our accomplishments…our very being. Instead of these things defining who we are, they serve to accentuate the illusion of our façade or our false self.

The journey across the abyss provides revelations about our selves. This can be a disconcerting and frightening journey if we do not have the tools and skills to navigate this great chasm. What vessel can we use to navigate the abyss? By what means do we clear the debris that prevents us from embracing our authentic self? The vessel that we use to cross the abyss and clear the debris is our being and the relationships that connect us to God, self, others, and nature. Our ability to navigate the abyss is fine tuned through contemplative living.

Contemplative living is a radical yet simple means of discovering who we truly are by entering into deep relationships with our selves, God, others, and nature. To live contemplatively is to be in the present moment while being aware, without judgment, of life unfolding. A contemplative’s commitment is to respond intentionally, consciously, and without judgment to what is unfolding.

The Rule of St. Benedict is a tool used for centuries in the ancient monastic tradition of contemplative living. The first word in The Rule is listen. Listening is often our last response. We are so inundated with life’s happenings that out of sheer exhaustion we tune out what is vital to our spiritual being.

Contemplative living calls us to rest within the pockets of silence in our lives. These pockets are opportunities to listen to ourselves, God, others, and all of creation. When we listen and respond in both verbal and non-verbal ways, we are replenished and find the strength to release the debris that forms the barrier between not only our true self but also the barrier to our ability to enter into deep, sustainable relationships with God, others, and nature.

To cross the abyss seems a daunting task. Once in the abyss we are invited to release the illusions about our selves and gently embrace the beautiful spirits that reside at the centers of our beings. In each moment we navigate the abyss, we reach out to others for it becomes more and more apparent that we cannot do this alone. It is within relationship that we come to know ourselves on deeper levels and, in turn, reach out to others. And, they reach toward us.

The abyss that separates us from ourselves is only an illusion. The same is true of the abyss that separates us from God, others, and nature. Contemplative living calls us to a radical and bold move of stepping into the abyss, finding the pockets of silence, and listening with our hearts. Contemplative living calls us to enter into union with all by stripping the illusion from our lives. Contemplative living opens our eyes to the realization that there is no separation; God, ourselves, others, and nature live in unity.
 

© 2010 The Merton Institute for Contemplative Living
 

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