The Book of Privy Counsel: Session One
Chapter 1
It is important to note at the outset that the instruction here is not intended to serve as a call to isolation or solitude as a way of life. Almost all of us are called to live our lives in the world actively engaged with our families and our neighbors. The teaching here is for the period of the prayer. For a great many people the rhythm of letting go practiced in silent prayer will find its way into ordinary daily activities, however, the heart of the teaching is intended to be practiced during the period of the prayer whether 2 minutes, 20 minutes, or 2 hours. We then emerge from the prayer to love whoever is right in front of us from a deeper place.
Note the cadence of letting go instruction on the first page. “When you withdraw from the world for prayer:
Don’t worry about your schedule
Don’t think
Don’t clutter the time
Don’t plan
Don’t pray out loud
Don’t pay attention
Don’t scrutinize
“Empty your mind of everything except a naked intent reaching out to God.”
God dwells within all things and creatures and animates them to life. If you take God out of you, you will disappear. However, if you take you out of God, God remains.
“Let yourself be naked before grace.”
Chapter 2
Cleverness will get you nowhere in the work of contemplative practice. In fact, it will stand in your way. Humility is the path you must take.
The author is dismayed that some “experts” think his way is too difficult for ordinary people. His sense is that it couldn’t be more simple - “don’t focus on what you are but that you are.”
Chapter 3
“The only important thing is your simple awareness of your naked being and joyfully offering that to God with a willingness to love.”
The “blind” intent is “free from the interference of the self-reflective, I, which is always subtly co-opting and colonizing things for its own purposes.” (C. Bourgeault)
Don’t let your thoughts persuade you to feed them their usual diet. Let go of all thoughts and feelings, let them flow down the stream of consciousness.
Chapter 4
Give the entirety of yourself to God, your whole substance.
“The very fact of your being alive is the first of your fruits.”
Chapter 5
“Unclothe your awareness of analytical thoughts. Keep it empty.” Don’t think about yourself, others, or God. Direct your blind, naked intent toward God in the dark cloud of unknowing.
“You no longer need to feed your mind by meditating on who you are and who God is. You’re past that.”
“Hold yourself steady in the deep center of your soul, where you’ll offer God the simple fact of your existence.”
“Don’t analyze God’s being or yours.”
“The happy essence of both God and you is God.”
“Your being has always existed in God with no beginning.”
Chapter 6
“[Forget everything you know and give God the blind awareness of your being.]”
Chapter 7
“Contemplation is so powerful because its foundation is nothing else but the glorious gift of love.”
“True contemplative work will make your exterior life beautiful.”
As you progress in experience with contemplative practice your mind won’t be able to sidetrack you as easily.
Keep living your life. “Keep doing what you always do.” This is not a call to isolation or solitude. Give the entirety of yourself to God with a blind, naked intent and you’ll begin to do what you do from a deeper place, your own center where you and God are one.
Chapter 8
The gift of contemplation causes reason to die. Contemplation is the gift of intimacy with God that is an experience beyond the reach of the senses and faculties of human reason, memory, and will.
Chapter 9
“God guards who have made love their business and have stopped worrying about themselves.”
“[These people are unflappable and unassailable; they are the unpretentious peacemakers.]” This reminds me of Etty Hillesum’s "inviolable fortress.”
“Risk everything to learn how to love.”
“[Offer God the simple darkness of your own being, make sure it’s naked],” that is absent “the influence of memory, reason, emotion or will.” (CB definition of naked)
Stop thinking about yourself so much.