https://mysticwindsmi.com/blog-reflections daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://mysticwindsmi.com/blog-reflections/why-contemplatiob monthly 0.5 2021-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1632352798955-Z5HFT2OU3V9V17AXZKI4/Contemplative+Spaces+-+Crystal+Springs+UMC+Camp.png Reflections - Why Contemplation? - Make it stand out This wooded grotto was close to the cabin we stayed in that weekend, though I had taken it earlier than my retreat with Greg and company. Closed and given back to the Potawatomi tribe near Dowagiac, MI Crystal Springs UMC Camp was a powerful place for me contemplatively and is sorely missed… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1632352852499-Q7KKM64OVGYE09VPMXRK/Pentecost+1.png Reflections - Why Contemplation? - Make it stand out Image provided by music4life, pixabay.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1632352807119-HIDGNX48F5UVOO34TI22/Outdoor+Fire.png Reflections - Why Contemplation? - Make it stand out Image provided by Mikhail Nilov, pexels.com https://mysticwindsmi.com/blog-reflections/category/Reflections monthly 0.5 https://mysticwindsmi.com/about daily 0.75 2021-11-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1624066751600-KPZ9DFWF3NMTQIOLKEW3/Rev.+Paul+Reissmann.jpg About - Rev. Paul Reissmann Rev. Paul Reissmann is a 2020 graduate of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL where he focused on Biblical Studies and Spiritual Formation. He has been married to his wife Ashleigh since summer of 2016 and is currently serving Central: Lake Odessa United Methodist Church in Lake Odessa, MI where he lives with his dog Sophie and his cat Midna. When he’s not reading, Paul enjoys gaming (all kinds!), cooking, gardening, and online content creation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1624065806748-88RCTYIASB5OSGXHE58G/Mystic+Winds+Feather.png About - If you’re looking for a deeper faith or even a place to rest, I hope Mystic Winds can be a way point or a permanent stop on your destination. After seeking a deeper sense of faith for myself, I only truly felt at home in the realm of the Christian mystics. Through studying them and more ancient forms of prayer, my life was subtly and powerfully changed and healed. The American churches in my home state of Michigan, though filled with some of the nicest people I’ve met, stopped feeding me. Following a call to ministry led me to explore the mystics, the Desert Mothers and Fathers, mystics of color, and to deepen my prayer life in a way that not only healed my heart, but felt genuine and meditative. Contemplative practice has changed and healed my life. Mystic Winds is the culmination of that study and that call. In my experience, the mystics often call to people who feel spiritually homeless or spiritually wounded. It’s a tradition that is the best of the faith I have inherited. Sincerely, Rev. Paul Reissmann https://mysticwindsmi.com/home daily 1.0 2023-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1624068648841-O7TEFX0K0N6LA586UZ3F/singing-bowl-200851_640.jpg Home - Contemplative Practice There is a desire of people for a more fulfilling spirituality spurred interest in meditative practice, pilgrimages to spiritual sites, and a more engaging dive into the divine. Prayer can be expansive, restful, empowering, and challenging work even without words. Contemplative practice seeks to have you encounter the realness of the divine in the here and now. Discover ancient practices being rediscovered by people in the Christian tradition and by people hungering for a more dire spirituality. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1624068494742-SYM0EIZBKA1R8G1XAWOG/catholic-2220285_640.jpg Home - Mystical Theology The Christian tradition was rooted in the wisdom and teaching of Jesus Christ. From the desert mothers and fathers, to the convents of old, to the visions of saints, mystical theology assumes that God is not “out there,” but right here waiting for us to find them. God desires all of us beyond the pew on Sunday morning and we can experience that God right now. Mystical theology is about experiencing God, not merely wrapping our heads around how God works. It’s by experiencing the divine’s work in us that we we are lost in grace. https://mysticwindsmi.com/spl daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/de56c38f-2ce2-4b14-bb7f-9ba59f7d693b/Tea+Light.png Spiritual Practices https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1635952828552-13E2KWMD1CF9NOBF3AD5/pexels-johnmark-smith-250609.jpg Spiritual Practices https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1636047250686-6Z6L5K1JMWAXCCPMIG5N/pexels-pixabay-261579.jpg Spiritual Practices https://mysticwindsmi.com/praying-with-scriptures daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1638812250296-V2UJT1EK8C86L79VQGQA/Lectio+Devina.png Praying with Scriptures https://mysticwindsmi.com/body-practices daily 0.75 2021-11-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1636046225703-ENEVX2R1C8HKCFKHPZ5G/Breath+Prayer.png Body Practices https://mysticwindsmi.com/praying-in-nature daily 0.75 2021-11-04 https://mysticwindsmi.com/written-practices daily 0.75 2021-11-04 https://mysticwindsmi.com/artful-practices daily 0.75 2021-11-04 https://mysticwindsmi.com/music-practices daily 0.75 2021-11-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1636046822198-PU1IMQ1PQWIC7NXTXGWO/Taize.png Music Practices https://mysticwindsmi.com/wesleyan-piety daily 0.75 2021-11-04 https://mysticwindsmi.com/lectio-divina daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1638812124288-SW7Q6740V1WMR7G7IIDO/Lectio%2BDevina.jpg Lectio Divina - Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading” or “Sacred Reading”) is a prayer practice that relies on our listening for the Holy Spirit. It requires that we quiet our mind and resonate with the words, images, and phrases of scripture as we read. Unlike historical-critical readings for the sake of studying the Bible and its scriptures, Lectio Divina seeks to encounter God through the text. This is very notable and different purpose, although these different schools of thought can benefit one another. For newcomers to this practice, it is recommended to start slow and pick a familiar verse from the Gospels that contain strong imagery (e.g. Luke 4:16-30, Mark 4:35-41). Even if you are not a primarily image-driven person, opening ourselves up to the possibility of God speaking through an image is important. We cannot limit how God reaches us. Light a candle and take up a posture that is comfortable and grounding. Then, read through the scripture slowly. Allow yourself to savor the words, phrases, and images that arise for you. When finished, make note of what word, phrase, or image stood out to you. Writing this down may be helpful. Hold this in your mind for at least 15 seconds or longer in silence. Then read the scripture again, paying attention to what word, phrase, or image emerges for you. Allow yourself additional silence to meditate on these words or phrases or images for at least 15 seconds or longer in silence. Finish by saying the Lord’s Prayer or a prayer that is familiar or comforting to you before returning to life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/1636046822198-PU1IMQ1PQWIC7NXTXGWO/Taize.png Lectio Divina - Lectio Divina as a Practice Lectio Divina was broken down into four distinct parts by Christian leader Guigo II. These elements are: 1.) Lectio (or reading). This is the most straight forward element of Lectio Divina. Reading scripture is central to this practice. In a full practice of Lectio Divina, you will be meditating on a passage for approximately 30 minutes. As mentioned above, it is recommended that a passage with strong imagery or phrasing is used to help evoke a stronger sense of God’s will for you. 2.) Meditatio (or meditation). Mediating or reflecting on the text is utilized for the sake of exploring the scripture in silence. Identify a word, phrase, or image that stood out to you is helpful in this stage. Turn that word, phrase, or image over like a precious jewel that catches the light. Analyze it, explore it, become curious about it. 3.) Contemplatio (or contemplation). This portion of the practice comes after hearing or reading the text three or four times (lectio) and identifying the word(s), phrase(s), or image(s) that stand out to you in the scripture. Contemplatio is where we move from the scripture to the Word being spoken, the voice of God coming through the scriptures itself. What is God calling you to do or to become? What is God inviting me into so that I might be transformed? 4.) Oratio (or oration, in reference to spoken prayer). To end the practice, Oratio or spoken (kataphatic) prayer, is used to vocalize our desire to be molded by the Divine, to allow ourselves to acquiesce to the will of God for our lives, deeper love, and unity with all of God’s creation. This can be best described as a “response” to the Word we have received from God in our contemplation. Information compiled from Patricia D. Brown’s Paths to Prayer (Jossey-Bass, 2003). https://mysticwindsmi.com/imaginative-prayer daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://mysticwindsmi.com/devotions daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://mysticwindsmi.com/coming-soon daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://mysticwindsmi.com/spiritual-resources daily 0.75 2022-10-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/09438cd6-48b9-44c3-898a-d4411056e8c8/YouTube+Logo.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60a153f6a76e1920aa64b097/d9297323-07ba-42a4-9837-de333ff3f03a/Copy+of+Mystic+Winds+Cover+Photo.png