Receptivity

Long considered a powerful spiritual attribute in the lives of holy men and women, receptivity is a revered act in nearly every spiritual tradition. Roots of receptivity have origins in the earliest human civilizations. When we look closely, we discover being receptive to possibility, to mystery, to the known and the unknown in every manifestation of life. Even atoms and subatomic particles can reveal a story of ongoing receptivity resulting in new life.

Why is the practice of being open and receptive an important spiritual practice for men and women, the young to the aged? It’s simple. A receptive person tunes in, opens up, and becomes vulnerable to reality—risking growth and transformation. When we are willing to learn and grow, we experience harmony, compassion, and a willingness to suffer for others. Paradoxically, the stillness experienced in the heart of receptivity is also distilled attention. From this state of poised centering, the woman or man of prayer becomes interrelated with possibility, potential, and reality.

Quite often we turn off our receptivity and openness, choosing instead to busy ourselves with tasks. We become distracted and miss the gift of the hummingbird, the temple bell, the teapot, the incarnate world. Could it be that fear, mindlessness, and antipathy stifle the receptivity that can lead to our healing, creativity, and transformation? Thomas Merton writes, “The contemplative life must provide an area, a space of liberty, of silence, in which possibilities are allowed to surface and new choices – beyond routine choice – become manifest.”

As a spiritual practice, receptivity teaches us to be open to shadow and light, polarities and perplexing oppositions, and our own inner and outer landscapes. With practice, we are unburdened and unbound from the tyranny of unhealthy action and thoughts. The spiritual quality of receptivity is a powerful gateway to presence and ongoing revelation of Mystery. Receptivity offers feathers of possibility and healing for our lives, and the insight that we are invited here and now to live on behalf of the world community. When we choose receptivity we allow Holiness room to rest and grow within our inner landscape.

Notice if these questions help you become more open and receptive… 

• In what situations and places do I best practice receptivity?
• When I encounter a child, stranger, lover, tree, or busy city street do I believe that the act of receptivity can guide me into deeper presence and gratitude for what is?
• How can receptivity to trauma, illness, or pleasure in my body teach me?
• Why is my own practice of receptivity valuable for the life of the world?
• How might the receptivity offered to me by a spiritual director or guide allow my own story to unfold more completely?

Excerpted from the July 2008 edition of Listen: A Seeker's Resource for Spiritual Direction: "Receptivity" by Pegge Bernecker, Spiritual Directors International©2008. Used with the permission of the publisher, Spiritual Directors International. To order copies or a FREE subscription of Listen: A Seeker's Resource for Spiritual Direction call 1-425-455-1565 or go to www.sdiworld.org -- you can also click the button below.