Word and Silence https://kelvinwright.podbean.com Christian Meditation is a practice as old as the New Testament. The benefits to mind and body are numerous but, more importantly, it is an unparalleled way of furthering our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This channel offers resources for deepening and enriching a practice of silent prayer. These include "how to" sessions, guided meditations and some reflections on theory and method. My own practice is based on Centering Prayer, but I also discuss Ignatian methods of prayer.

]]> Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:01:04 +1200 https://podbean.com/?v=5.5 en Copyright 2026 All rights reserved. Religion & Spirituality:Christianity 1440 episodic Resources for a Contemplative Christian life kelvinwright kelvinwright ee7eb700-b3cf-11f1-b7ec-577769174ba1 No false https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22519706/P3120015_DxO_cj77iu.jpg Word and Silence https://kelvinwright.podbean.com 144 144 The God who is No Thing The God who is No Thing https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/the-god-who-is-no-thing/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/the-god-who-is-no-thing/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:01:04 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/904758f5-d6ea-39ca-ac8d-c9b24dda8cea Meister Eckart said "God is no thing". We are people whose brains seem hardwired to think in terms of things so the great mystic's words are hard to fathom. In this episode talk about how language affects the way we perceive God and how we might get around the shortcomings of language to think of God. 

]]> Meister Eckart said "God is no thing". We are people whose brains seem hardwired to think in terms of things so the great mystic's words are hard to fathom. In this episode talk about how language affects the way we perceive God and how we might get around the shortcomings of language to think of God. 

]]> kelvinwright false No 892 13 full Discerning the depths of my daily life Discerning the depths of my daily life https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/st-ignatius/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/st-ignatius/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:41:44 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/d7622be5-83df-3a7f-a488-88c8bbedbdd9 St. Ignatius Loyola offers a form of daily prayer which is invaluable in developing an ongoing and deepening spiritual life. Today I look, briefly, at the life of St Ignatius and at what he calls "The Examen of Consciousness"

]]> St. Ignatius Loyola offers a form of daily prayer which is invaluable in developing an ongoing and deepening spiritual life. Today I look, briefly, at the life of St Ignatius and at what he calls "The Examen of Consciousness"

]]> kelvinwright false No 985 12 full Religion as a map of reality Religion as a map of reality https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/religion-as-a-map-of-reality/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/religion-as-a-map-of-reality/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:03:09 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/1077ae27-53d9-3bf4-9022-272122d5fa6b Reality is complicated and puzzling; exhilarating and joyous; bewildering and sometimes dangerous. Reality is beyond our ability to comprehend and difficult to navigate. And so, just to be able to live we need to have a map - or a number of maps - to help us find our way about. Religion is one such map. It is useful, but also has a few pitfalls to watch out for. 

Today I am looking at Religion, as a general concept, through the metaphor of a map. 

]]> Reality is complicated and puzzling; exhilarating and joyous; bewildering and sometimes dangerous. Reality is beyond our ability to comprehend and difficult to navigate. And so, just to be able to live we need to have a map - or a number of maps - to help us find our way about. Religion is one such map. It is useful, but also has a few pitfalls to watch out for. 

Today I am looking at Religion, as a general concept, through the metaphor of a map. 

]]> kelvinwright false No 1110 11 full Bartimaeus: Ignation Contemplation Bartimaeus: Ignation Contemplation https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/bartimaeus-ignation-contemplation/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/bartimaeus-ignation-contemplation/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:04:01 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/d1975715-bbc1-3b85-82c6-aebc7ead6c25 Following the example of St Ignatius Loyola, a way of deepening our engagement with a Biblical passage is to imagine our way into the story and inhabit it. This contemplative exercise is a way for you to engage with the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, as it is found in Mark Chapter 10. 

]]> Following the example of St Ignatius Loyola, a way of deepening our engagement with a Biblical passage is to imagine our way into the story and inhabit it. This contemplative exercise is a way for you to engage with the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, as it is found in Mark Chapter 10. 

]]> kelvinwright false No 685 10 full Bartimaeus: Biblical Reflection Bartimaeus: Biblical Reflection https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/bartimaeus-biblical-reflection/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/bartimaeus-biblical-reflection/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:00:20 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/d7935a25-c7c8-3fcc-8ba2-3f17c712250c A brief reflection on the story of Bartimaeus, which is found in Mark chapter 10, verse 46-end. 

This reflection is by way of introduction to the Ignatian contemplation on the same passage, which follows in the next episode of this podcast.

]]> A brief reflection on the story of Bartimaeus, which is found in Mark chapter 10, verse 46-end. 

This reflection is by way of introduction to the Ignatian contemplation on the same passage, which follows in the next episode of this podcast.

]]> kelvinwright false No 529 9 full The Practice of Centering Prayer The Practice of Centering Prayer https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/the-practice-of-centering-prayer/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/the-practice-of-centering-prayer/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:44:58 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/5b68760d-fd3f-3d67-a06d-3f2929b7392a Centering Prayer is  a contemporary form of one of the most ancient Christian disciplines:  silent, or contemplative prayer. In this podcast I give an introduction to Centering Prayer and some advice about how you might begin to practice it. 

]]> Centering Prayer is  a contemporary form of one of the most ancient Christian disciplines:  silent, or contemplative prayer. In this podcast I give an introduction to Centering Prayer and some advice about how you might begin to practice it. 

]]> kelvinwright false No 868 8 full Beginning Meditation Beginning Meditation https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/beginning-meditation/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/beginning-meditation/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2026 13:02:46 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/99b957c0-aa8e-3d0f-ae19-d8951e2ccad8 Meditation is very simple. But it is also fairly difficult to begin and continue a regular meditation practice. Here are some thoughts about how you might do that

]]> Meditation is very simple. But it is also fairly difficult to begin and continue a regular meditation practice. Here are some thoughts about how you might do that

]]> kelvinwright false No 1144 7 full Jonah 4: Getting angry over Nothing Jonah 4: Getting angry over Nothing https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/getting-angry-over-nothing/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/getting-angry-over-nothing/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:40:40 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/15c800d3-bff7-3033-9858-f01949ff6bf6 Anger is a threat response. When we encounter anger it's illuminating to ask "what is being threatened here?" Threats can be physical or emotional, or, most difficult to identify, existential. We are all involved in the process of Theosis - of being drawn into the fulness God intends for each of us. This means we are often facing the limits we have unwittingly placed on ourselves and, in response to that threat, becoming angry. 

We are invited into something bigger than that. 

]]> Anger is a threat response. When we encounter anger it's illuminating to ask "what is being threatened here?" Threats can be physical or emotional, or, most difficult to identify, existential. We are all involved in the process of Theosis - of being drawn into the fulness God intends for each of us. This means we are often facing the limits we have unwittingly placed on ourselves and, in response to that threat, becoming angry. 

We are invited into something bigger than that. 

]]> kelvinwright false No 1350 6 full Why Meditate? Why Meditate? https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/why-meditate/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/why-meditate/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:09:00 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/abed90e1-eef4-34eb-9c76-c2848b6d9925 Meditation is an ancient form of prayer that has all but disappeared from large portions of the Christian church. Here I am sharing my experience of meditation, answering some of the fears held by some Christians about meditation, and suggesting ereasons why it might become part of a normal Christian spirituality.

]]> Meditation is an ancient form of prayer that has all but disappeared from large portions of the Christian church. Here I am sharing my experience of meditation, answering some of the fears held by some Christians about meditation, and suggesting ereasons why it might become part of a normal Christian spirituality.

]]> kelvinwright false No 930 5 full Jonah 3: O Love that will not let me go Jonah 3: O Love that will not let me go https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/o-love-that-will-not-let-me-go/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/o-love-that-will-not-let-me-go/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2026 21:46:14 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/1536c50e-60da-39d3-9184-c02f9c4a73e0 The love of God, freely given to the Ninevites, is the central theme of the Bible.

An account of how that has affected me, and of how I have tried to understand it. 

]]> The love of God, freely given to the Ninevites, is the central theme of the Bible.

An account of how that has affected me, and of how I have tried to understand it. 

]]> kelvinwright false No 1423 4 full Jonah 2: In the Belly of the Whale Jonah 2: In the Belly of the Whale https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/in-the-belly-of-the-whale/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/in-the-belly-of-the-whale/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2026 20:23:06 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/6a6435f7-d91f-3aac-88e0-0bc5f765eb1b Spiritual progress is often  -or usually - punctuated with seemingly dark periods where deep things are resolved in us. These are experiences of the Belly of the Whale. These are what John of the Cross calls "The Dark Night of the Soul". Tonight I talk about one of my own such episodes. 

A talk from "3 in 1" for Sunday August 9 2026.

]]> Spiritual progress is often  -or usually - punctuated with seemingly dark periods where deep things are resolved in us. These are experiences of the Belly of the Whale. These are what John of the Cross calls "The Dark Night of the Soul". Tonight I talk about one of my own such episodes. 

A talk from "3 in 1" for Sunday August 9 2026.

]]> kelvinwright false No 1595 3 full Jonah 1: Stories within Stories Jonah 1: Stories within Stories https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/stories-within-stories/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/stories-within-stories/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2026 21:18:15 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/d5ccb060-0cac-3814-8c61-9dca0c3a03fb Jonah chapter 1. Let's not get too hung up on whether a whale could really swallow a man. This is a story loaded with symbolic meaning for the original hearers, and that's the important bit. 

]]> Jonah chapter 1. Let's not get too hung up on whether a whale could really swallow a man. This is a story loaded with symbolic meaning for the original hearers, and that's the important bit. 

]]> kelvinwright false No 1682 2 full How to read the Old Testament How to read the Old Testament https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/introduction/ https://kelvinwright.podbean.com/e/introduction/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:16:07 +1200 kelvinwright.podbean.com/d18ec0dd-308e-32f0-893a-420e43946fda An address at "3 in 1" on Sunday 26 July 2026.

The book of Jonah as a congenial entrance into the Old Testament. 

This is an introductory talk in a series of five.

 

]]> An address at "3 in 1" on Sunday 26 July 2026.

The book of Jonah as a congenial entrance into the Old Testament. 

This is an introductory talk in a series of five.

 

]]> kelvinwright false No 1701 1 full