Two Levels of Thinking — Thomas R. Kelly
January 29th, 2008 Posted in Spirituality
Thomas R. Kelly (1893-1941) was a Quaker writer. His little volume that’s titled A Testament of Devotion has become a spiritual classic, though it’s of rather contemporary origin. I’m reading it through, again, and thought I’d share a few of my “underlinings” with you.
“There is a way of ordering our mental life on more than one level at once. On one level we may be thinking, discussing, seeing, calculating, meeting all the demands of external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes, at a profounder level, we may also be in prayer and adoration, song and worship and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings…
“Walk and talk and work and laugh with your friends. But behind the scenes, keep up the life of simple prayer and inward worship. Keep it up throughout the day. Let inward prayer be your last act before you fall asleep and the first act when you awake…
“At first the practice of inward prayer is a process of alternation of attention between outer things and the Inner Light. Preoccupation with either brings loss of the other. Yet what is sought is not alternation, but simultaneity, worship undergirding every moment, living prayer, the continuous current and background of all moments of life….
“The processes of inward prayer do not grow more complex, but more simple.”
Hope you enjoyed it.
Dave
