‘We have to try to cure our faults by attention and not by will…Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love. Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer. If we turn our mind towards the good, it is impossible that little by little the whole soul will not be attracted thereto in spite of itself.’ Simone Weil.
Our Simone once took me to task over my ‘sneering’ about prayer. My notion of prayer was juvenile: forget this telephone line to God bullshit, she snapped, hot with impatience. It wasn’t even about God, she said, which I thought must surely be blasphemous. Praying was a way to interrupt your own habitual thinking, she told me. It’s admitting yourself into otherness, cracking open your prejudices. It’s not chitchat; it’s hard labour. She spoke as if all this were obvious. I longed to understand her. It feels always that I am on the edge of some comprehension here but never breaking through to the other side.
At night, just before sleep, is when I am closest to reaching it. In the morning, when the birds start, belief is as thin as the light.
— Charlotte Wood, Stone Yard Devotional (Riverhead Books, February 11, 2025)
Notes:
Recommended.
Book Reviews:
- The Guardian Book Review by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, March 15, 2024: A quiet novel of immense power.
- NY Times Book Review by Lauren Christensen, Feb 10, 2025: An Exquisite, Wrenching Novel of Leaving Your Life Behind
I love this notion.
This reminds me of a statement by one of your followers that has stayed with me all these years. I believe it was Bella. She said in a comment, “It is either all God, or none of it is.”
Bella’s statement has also changed how I view prayer. Everything we do is either all praying, or none of it is.
Thank you, dk
And thank you Bella, where ever you are ❤️
I’ve pinged Bela…stand by
Thank you dk
Sawsan, I am honored that something I wrote hit home for you in a sustainable way. I am also glad you mentioned prayer, or as I interpret it, ‘doing things in a prayerful/sacred manner.’ It’s like Rumi saying, “there are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” It’s a beautiful aspiration, and one we humans would do well to meet when we are able. I mean, all of us are fallible, but still we can hold it in our hearts, thus it’s either part of our conscious Being or it’s not (looping back to your statement that either it’s all praying or none of it is. Anyhow, thanks for your kind regard. Wishing you a peaceful rest of your Sunday! ♥️
❤️
And David, thanks for taking the time to message me on Instagram to alert me to this comment! I keep trying to get back on WP, but so far my activity has been sporadic. The move, then the new to us house, then … soon, I hope! Meanwhile, carry on! xoxo
I get it Bela! Love your Instagram posts! Have a good weekend. Dave
🙏
I think each person should do what works for them.
So agree with you Anneli.
Thanks, DK.
Wow… this is amazing. Must borrow.
I loved it!
Attention is the best gift bestowed. Now you have my attention.
Can’t always access books I want to read through my small town local library, but was just able to put this one on hold. Looking forward to reading it.
Hope you enjoy it!
Attention is what clients always appreciate most. “Paying attention” is a way of showing I want to know you.
And, then, there’s the worldly, “Chris Hayes’ new book is titled ‘The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource.’ “
“I want to know you.” Love that Valerie. Thank you for sharing.