“Contemplation is not a name for God. It is a condition of being-in-the-world that is necessary in order to bear (in the world) the divinity of the world.”
– Beverly Lanzetta
Answering the Monk Within with Beverly Lanzetta
I first met Beverly Lanzetta a few years back when the opportunity arose for a couple of us to gather in a retreat house in the desert of New Mexico. At the time, I had just completed reading her book, The Monk Within: Embracing a Sacred Way of Life and was moved by its holistic contemplative invitation. The words that inspired me in the book translated perfectly to the presence of the author before me. What conspired in those brief hours together was special and ordinary in the contemplative blooming of life. Beverly Lanzetta is a profound teacher who invites her readers and students to engage in the fullness of Mystery each day through the cultivation of practice and rhythm. I was elated to get my mitts on her latest book A New Silence: Spiritual Practices and Formation for the Monk Within. Our conversation flows out of this work, we talk about contemplation rhythms, parenting, the archetype of the monk, the via feminia and so much more. Reflecting on A New Silence makes up the bulk of our conversation today, but I want to really emphasize how A New Silence provides many exercises and practical ways of moving into a monastic way of life. A New Silence is for any seeker who hears the call to a contemplative path in their own context.
Now, for those of you new to Dr. Beverly Lanzetta let me share about her background. Dedicated to a vision of theological openness and spiritual nonviolence, her work has won praise for its wisdom, eloquence, and mystical insight and is considered to be a major contribution to what theologian Ursula King called “a feminine mystical way for the 21st century.”
Dr. Lanzetta is also a vowed monk of peace living in the world and an interfaith chaplain. She has formed a community of new monks—single, married, partnered, celibate, etc.—dedicated to the universal mystical heart and to the spirituality of nonviolence. She has devoted much of her life to mentoring people who seek a deeper contemplative commitment and who wish to take personal monastic vows. She has taught theology at Villanova University, Prescott College, and Grinnell College.
Check out Beverly Lanzetta’s work at beverlylanzetta.net.
I heartily recommend her books The Monk Within and A New Silence, they have greatly impacted my journey
Episode Show Notes
Resources & People Mentioned
- The Monk Within: Embracing a Sacred Way of Life
- A New Silence: Spiritual Practices and Formation for the Monk Within
- St. Theresa of Avila
- Hildegaard of Bingen
- Via Feminina
Drink Recommendation
- Espresso or sparkling water
Questions
- Where am I finding you today, what is the context of your setting?
- When you hear the word “contemplative monk”, how does that moniker relate to you or your work?
- What is the contemplative rhythm that you have found most suits your own vocation?
- Were there any sticky or troubling shifts that you knew you needed to make but were the most difficult to actually change?
- Can you share a bit about what inspiration that lies behind your latest work, A New Silence?
- In a time when monasteries are closing their doors due to lack of novices, you write of the archetype of the monk, almost as if the world is bursting with monks-in-waiting, waiting for the structures to catch up with contemplative renewal at bay (and I’m with you on this), what is the archetype of the monk and why does it still call out to many of us disguised in the real world?
- You hone in on the word ‘bearing’ can you speak to why ‘bearing’ is such a pregnant word in the contemplative life?
- Your work around the path of via feminia has been profound and a touchstone for me since I first came upon it, what do you see as the alluring invitation of via feminia?
- Parenting is about “We are all called to protect the divine spark in the world in all its manifestations.” (p71) …and we can only do that if we are mature and emotionally truthful adults, can you speak to this way of life within a family?
- As you have walked this path of monkhood, what word of wisdom to give you seekers just stepping on this path? Like if we had a 25 year old person who is intrigued by what you are saying here, what guidance might you offer for them?
- What drink would pair with this conversation?
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