Listening for the Heartbeat of God

This is the entranceway into Casa del Sol, the retreat centre at Ghost Ranch. I mentioned earlier that it is several kilometres away from the main cluster of buildings and there is nothing else around in all directions except for cliffs and desert. The wreath is made of red chile peppers, a common sight on porches and doors in New Mexico.

I really enjoyed the people who were part of the study group but I also loved being the only person at Casa del Sol when the program ended. At night the stars were as brilliant as anything I have ever seen and the silence was extraordinary.

Philip Newell has written a book called Listening for the Heartbeat of God and it is appropriate for the feeling I had in the solitude. There are times when we need to open the door of our spirits to attune ourselves to God's heartbeat. The incessant busyness of life, including in the church, can mean that the truly meaningful sounds are lost in the din. In the couple of days at Casa del Sol I found myself writing lengthier entries in my journal and praying spontaneously and feeling a greater sense of clarity about goals for my personal life and ministry.

One of the medieval mystics, Meister Eckhart said "nothing in all creation is so like God as silence." I am inclined to agree. We can't all get away to the desert but we can quiet our spirits enough to listen.

One last thought. Each time I walked through the door in the photo I had to pull the string latchkey to enter Casa del Sol. It made me think of words from a poem by Edward Hays:

Come, O life-giving Creator,
and rattle the door latch of my slumbering heart.