Rock and Theology is pleased to feature this guest entry from Andrew McAlister:

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My name is Andrew. I am a Christian who meditates. In recent weeks some of my fellow Christian meditators and I have been having an interesting discussion around Christian meditation, rock and popular music. The catalyst for our discussion was the question: would it be possible to create some kind of public forum in which we could explore rock and popular music from a Christian meditation perspective? The meditators working on this project are a group of Gen X and Gen Yers from the Australian branch (http://www.christianmeditationaustralia.org/) of the World Community for Christian Meditation (http://www.wccm.org/).

As Christian meditators living in what some consider to be one of the most secular nations on the planet, we would like to find ways in which to introduce the art and relevance of Christian meditation to people of our generations who may have walked away from their experiences of formal religion (often with good reason). Many of these people still consider themselves spiritual and believing in a Divine reality, often from within a broad Christian context. Perhaps they may be living a kind of spiritual restlessness, asking wonderful and normal questions largely apart from the richness of the shared restlessness that has been an important part of the history of Christian spirituality. Because of this, many may be finding expression for their spiritual life from within what has been named as secular. Secular, contemporary music is one such place. As a group we have experienced this ourselves. Some of us have walked a journey of spiritual restlessness and discovery through the discographies of our favourite musicians, both before and after our discovery of meditation. It may be possible to present to our fellow restless questioners – people who perhaps see themselves as separate from the Christian experience of God – a relevant understanding of Christian spirituality through an exploration of rock/popular music and Christian meditation. Also, in this exploration, it may be possible for our own understanding of meditation and Christian spirituality to be broadened and made more relevant.

Our discussions and wonderings have led us to settle on what we think is a good ‘hook’ or basic statement from which to launch an exploration. This is our hook:

‘We wish to consider some contemporary music that has in its lyrics and sounds themes that resonate with our experience of God and spirituality in meditation. We would then use these themes as a common point of reference from which to explore the contemporary nature of Christian meditation’.

One of our number, Adam, has set up a YouTube playlist onto which we have begun posting songs which appeal to us as possible catalysts for exploration. Have a look at: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F180AC6CD3F5AA2F. Currently there are 12 songs posted.

How could our hook be applied to the songs already listed on our YouTube ‘Rock and Christian Meditation’ playlist? One song recently added is called ‘Murmurs’ performed by the Australian band Birds

of Tokyo. The opening lines are: ‘Here in this moment, the silence is comforting, there’s no sign of movement, at peace with the true Divine.’ How could we as Christian meditators explore this lyric?

Perhaps these words from The Birds of Tokyo are speaking to something that many of us both desire and are perhaps wary of: silence. In this contemporary time which seems to value activity over stillness and a more or less constant external stimulation, here is a piece of music which ‘drops’ into this stimuli the notion that silence can be comforting, that a lack of movement can result in peace, and that in this experience there can be a human encounter with the Divine, with God.

Our experience of Christian meditation resonates strongly with these lyrics. ‘Here in this moment’: our regular practice of Christian meditation contains within it an opportunity to enter more deeply into an experience of the present moment. Through the use of a mantra, a word sounded interiorly, the images, thoughts, ideas and desires of a stimulated mind can lose the attention that gives them energy. Over time, as we give the manta more and more of our attention, a stimulated mind can settle enough so that we might experience something of the silence deeper within us. An over-active self-consciousness can settle and, for a while at least, be forgotten.

‘The silence is comforting’: as Christian meditators, this is the experience we share with the composers of ‘Murmurs’. Silence is ok, it is natural. Over time we have found ourselves deeply drawn to it as an antidote for our busy active lives. As we meditate, we find our home there. Being ‘there’ renews us, indeed comforts us.

‘There’s no sign of movement’: stillness is the playground of silence. The experience of Christian meditation, of meditation in general, teaches that stillness of body aids in the coming to stillness of the psyche. A body and mind entering stillness can then come into contact with our stillness of spirit.

‘At peace with the true Divine’: something wonderful happens in this stillness and silence that meditation can engender – we experience the Divine within us. Christian spirituality teaches that when we experience a peace, a peace we do not ourselves create, a peace that is the result of being loved by a reality within us that is also immeasurably beyond us, we are experiencing something of the true Divine. This experience contains within it an invitation for transformation and healing. The true Divine wants us to participate freely and as our true selves in the creativity of God, growing in love. Christian spirituality would call this experience one of our whole humanity becoming more ‘God-like’, of us becoming one with God in Christ.

So I wonder what you think of our idea of bringing popular music and Christian meditation into dialogue. Would you like to be a part of the discussion? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to Tom Beaudoin for the opportunity to share what’s been happening. Thanks also to my fellow Christian meditators in helping shape the final draft of this blog entry.

Andrew McAlister (andrewcmcalister@gmail.com)

 

4 Comments »

1. 

   This is a fascinating idea and I would like to read more. One question I have is, what makes this meditative practice “Christian.” Is it because those who practice is self-identify as being Christians? It seems that silence, slowing oneself down, focusing on the present moment, paying attention to breathing techniques, etc. are all meditation techniques practiced by people of multiple (or no) faith tradition. In my book “Rock-A My Soul” I explore the practice of Ignatian repetition and the paralells with how one “gets into” or “absorbs” a rock song.
   Thank you for your entry–great stuff!

   Comment by Dave Nantais — June 17, 2011 @ 9:20 am

2. 

   I’ll take a stab at the what makes it Christian. One way to look at it is that, yes, people do self-identify as Christian, and therefore have a Christian world view. So when I meditate, as a Christian, I open my self up to accept the grace of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit praying in me brings me into union with Christ and other Christians (communion) and Christ offers Himself to the Father. Because God doesn’t withhold His grace from those whose seek truth the Holy Spirit may also be working in Buddhists or rock bands, for example, who may use the same or similar techniques as Christian meditators.

   Another, perhaps “post-modern”, way to look at it is the Christian meditation is one practice in a variety of Christian practices, like reading the Gospel. Because Christian meditation goes *beyond* words, it is not dropping what is found in those other practices but an opening up for their fulfilment.

   Comment by Adam — June 17, 2011 @ 6:50 pm

3. 

   Thanks Dave. Sounds good Adam. Also, from an historical perspective, the use of prayer words and mantras (or formula) has deep roots in the origins of Christianity. Dave you mention Ignatian repetition. Also, during the time of the Desert Fathers and Mothers – in the first 200 years or so after the earthly life of Jesus – there developed a way of praying that used prayer phrases, or formula. Cassian, the preeminent writer and early monk who helped bring monasticism to Europe, writes in his 10th Conference about the use of a prayer phrase by the Desert Fathers and Mothers. The phrase, from the psalms: ‘O Lord come to my aid, O God make haste to help me.’

   During the later stages of last century a Benedictine monk named John Main helped to recover this way of praying from the forgotten tradition. John had had some experience with Eastern practices, having employed the use of a mantra before becoming a monk. He was asked to stop using the mantra after he joined his monastic community in England. However, his discovery of Cassian’s 10th Conference and the prayer phrase recommended by it, helped him to integrate his mantra practice back into his Christian spirituality. He shortened the phrase’s essence into a single word – maranatha. This mantra, maranatha, is scriptural from the Aramaic language (the language of Jesus) and means ‘Come Lord’. Over 100,000 Christian Meditators throughout the globe now use this mantra as they meditate morning and evening each day for 20 to 30 minutes.

   This global community, the World Community for Christian Meditation, a ‘monastery without walls’, is doing its own little bit to restore the contemplative reality of Christian life to their everyday. No more is this reality the sole privilege of monks and nuns. Now is the time in which we are seeing the restoration of the contemplative dynamic to all Christians who desire it.

   Comment by Andrew McAlister — June 20, 2011 @ 7:59 pm

4. 

   We now have a FaceBook Page. Check it out at: https://www.facebook.com/RockAndChristianMeditation

   Feel welcome to post a song, add a comment or Like what you like. )

   Comment by Adam — November 21, 2011 @ 7:56 pm

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