The Transformative Power of Rest: BY ALEXANDRA KOVATS, CSJP, Ph.D.
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entering ourselves in our stories of origin, whether the first creation story in Genesis or the Universe story of origin, our sacred stories point to a Universe that by its very nature and design is one of expansion and contraction. Genesis tells us of a primal, dense darkness that the Holy Spirit animated, and the world was bathed in light bringing forth life. The scientific theory of the Big Bang, as an event of singular expansion from a state of immense density, imploded into the creation of an expanding Universe. The very origins of our Universe’s birth contain the notion, pattern, and rhythm of contraction and expansion. Within this continuum of growth, we have the tension of activity and rest. The Universe models for us a very sustainable presence of being that at its core holds balance. 6
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“Christmas Earth” © Carrie Vall, CSJ, www.ministryofthearts.org
The dance of expansion and contraction is so basic to our Universe and our humanity that we see it in our most basic life systems, that of breathing. We’d be in serious trouble if we only inhaled, and the same is true if we only exhaled. In order to sustain life, both movements need to be in harmony. The Universe invites us, even compels us, to open ourselves up to new life and enclose our life in the still field of restful potentiality. Living in this dynamic of expansion, we are always in transition, and the only constant core value is change amidst rest. The challenge we have in today’s world is that an artificial, commercial, dominant culture pulls us to look at the world as polar opposites and claims its nature to be one of a dual existence. In such a society, we are invited to a never-ending
“The very origins of our Universe’s birth contain the notion, pattern, and rhythm of contraction and expansion. Within this continuum of growth, we have the tension of activity and rest.” wheel of industrious activity where goals are aspired to and met, a society that celebrates work and activity over rest, a society where we are rewarded for overworking and not taking a day off.
Insights from the Natural World The natural world calls us in a different direction, one that honors a deeper rhythm that is embedded in our very DNA, the circadian rhythms that govern our body and its cycles. These rhythms call us to inner cycles of rest and activity in a balanced response to our natural world. To take a countercultural stance to our 24/7 society, we must restore and return to these original impulses to be in harmony and balance with the natural world and its daily cycles and seasons. We must find our inner compass to navigate our spirit back to a sustainable, authentic way of being, that is consciously, intimately, and interconnected with creation. How do we develop this deeper relationship to creation and the Universe as a guiding model to support us in our transformation? We live in a world that is rapidly changing its social constructs and norms, one that challenges the status quo. Our society is confronted with the reality of COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, Indigenous First Nations’ Sovereignty, gender fluidity, decolonization, the #MeToo movement, and reconstructing an accurate, equitable, and holistic history of our world—to name a few social shifts that we are encountering. We are, in fact, experiencing socially what could be described as a big bang of human social evolution. It is in the creation of new, conscious, social growth that we see the margins becoming the center as we move past the known into the unknown, forming new life-giving realities. We can accept a profound invitation to reclaim and reconnect the notion of contraction and expansion for new growth within ourselves, our community, and within our world. It is here where we need to recognize that between the contraction and expansion of the Universe, just as with the contraction and expansion of our breath, there is a pause, a holding, a moment of rest. In
this moment of full possibilities exists the tension and balance, the wholeness of contraction and expansion. We are called to rest in order to grow. The four seasons show us how winter gives birth to spring. In the natural world, we see this in the daylily that opens to the rising sun and closes at that same sun’s setting. Rest gives us time to integrate, incorporate, and steep in our formation of a new consciousness by allowing us to process deeply. Like the Universe, we must rest before expanding. We must
compassion with ourselves and others plays a transformative role. How we give ourselves permission to rest is akin to recognizing when we, like fruit on a tree, are ripe for rest, when it is our season. When in relationship to another, we also must recognize the signs for harvesting their rest in their season. H. Richard Niebuhr said that “we live in time but time also lives in us.” Creating sacred space and time to rest is a powerful expression of gratitude, a sacred time when we pause and are fully present to
“We are, in fact, experiencing socially what could be described as a big bang of human social evolution. It is in the creation of new, conscious, social growth that we see the margins becoming the center as we move past the known into the unknown, forming new life-giving realities.” ask ourselves: Do I take time in my day, week, or month to rest so I can come back to center to process new growth? In rest, we deepen our grounding in our 1 own autopoiesis , the act of honoring our inner dynamic of becoming ourselves. As our consciousness expands, we become more inclusively present. It transforms us and enhances the quality of our presence. We are moved from just reacting to the world, to responding to it fully with our authentic selves. Being present to rest this way creates sacred time for ourselves and sacred space outside of time that supports our engaging with our world. Knowing the importance of rest, how do we honor our need to rest when communal dynamics require others to be active? This is where the practice of
the Divine unfolding in us, among us, and all around us. It is a time that in and of itself is the purest form of prayer because it is the full embodiment of incomparable, single-focused presence. How you create your sacred time of rest can be as unique as you are, and you may find that the experience of rest is never the same but varies each time you welcome it as a spiritual practice. The way of rest as prayerful embodiment is both immanent and transcendent. Each season will bring forth new expressions of rest that are just right for that context. Joseph Campbell’s famous quote, “follow your bliss,” is really apropos because when you seek out rest and invite it, you are indeed following your bliss. Rest can be a sheer joy for a life well-lived. Alexandra Kovats, CSJP, Ph.D., is a Sister of
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The capacity of living cells to reproduce and organise themselves
St. Joseph of Peace, a retreat facilitator, and spiritual companion. A M AT T E R O F S P I R IT
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