The gesture of bowing the head is a ritual in all traditions that acknowledges the wisdom of sinking the mind into the heart. The Christian mystical tradition is ancient and includes writings such as the Philokalia (which dates back to the Desert Fathers), The Cloud of Unknowing, and The Way of the Pilgrim. The heart can only be experienced. If there is the tiniest urge to explore this depth, it is the Divine asking to be explored through and as us. The Christian Prayer of the Heart in the West is not all that different from the repetition of mantra in the Hindu tradition. Some diligence and practice allows a particular prayer to become so much a part of our being that it arises spontaneously with our thoughts and breath. This is different than trying to be a spiritual athlete, which can undermine our practice. The Prayer of the Heart is some form of “Lord Jesus have mercy on me.” Hesychia is a Greek word that means tranquility or peace. People have always gone into retreat to find a place of sanctuary, which is so needed in the midst of a stimulated life. Yet, the whole idea of pilgrimage, of opening and searching for wisdom, has lost meaning. The heart is our moral compass. In a spiritual sense, it is not a particular organ but full body consciousness penetrated by the presence of divinity. The Christian monk Thomas Merton recognized that everyone has this divinity, which is like a blazing sun, and that the gate of heaven is everywhere. We can meet each other and know that godliness is in everyone even if it is covered over with many veils. The repetition of the Prayer of the Heart leads to silence and affects the world. To set the heart on fire is to be consumed by love. Prayer is given as grace, as a gift. Regina is the editor of Hohm Press, a workshop leader, retreat guide, and the author of The Woman Awake, Igniting the Inner Life, Praying Dangerously, Only God, and other books.
We’ll Never Be Prepared for Life—We Might as Well Start Living It (Rick Lewis)
The Recognition of Our Heart (Karen Sprute-Francovich)
Timing Is Everything: Opening to Windows of Opportunity in Life and on the Path (Vijaya Fedorschak)
Fourth Way Magic: How Hermetic and Indigenous Traditions Interface with the Gurdjieff Work (Rob Schmidt and Stuart Goodnick)
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off (Regina Sara Ryan)
Basic Trust: The Soul’s Key to Being (Peter Cohen)
Kneel and Kiss the Ground: The Poetics of Presence and Purpose (Mary Angelon Young)
Do You Want to Be Right or Do You Want to Be in Relationship? (Matthew Files)
The Benefit of Good Company on the Spiritual Path (Tom Lennon)
War: What Is It Good For? (Bandhu Dunham)
Cultivating Spiritual Maturity: An Honest Look at Our Commitments (Lalitha)
Writing as a Transformational Path (Mary Angelon Young and Regina Sara Ryan)
Living From Paradox (Juanita Violini)
Hospitality: The Practice and the Art (Regina Sara Ryan)
Using Death as an Advisor: What Death Can Teach Us About Living (Vijaya Fedorschak)
Grace and Mercy: Return of the Goddess (Angelon Young)
Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For... Why? (Matthew Files)
Giving Ourselves to Love (Nachama Greenwald)
Nonduality: Speaking the Unspeakable (Peter Cohen)
Know Your Character: Who’s Running the Show? (Elise Erro/e.e.)
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