Book: Dancing at the Still Point

Dancing at the Still Point by Gemma Simmonds. Publisher SPCK

At the end of a presentation there are often one or two people who are keen to speak to the presenter. On one occasion an elegant elderly lady came towards me at the rostrum. She had a cheerful and disarming disposition. I'm not sure what she heard to prompt her story but she began to tell me all about her husband; "He's retiring in the summer" she concluded. "You must be delighted" I replied, scooping up leads, notes and microphones as I did my best to pay attention. She stared at me intently for a moment and I stopped, realising that I had said the wrong thing. "I am not delighted" she said sternly. "What" she said indignantly, "Am I supposed to do with him?"

The encounter stayed with me. Is it possible I wondered, to become so embroiled in the relentless pursuit of performance that one day we don't know who we are without our jobs? This woman wondered who she would be married to after her husband retired. They had no doubt lived good lives, done the best for their children, made their way in the world of work. Yet despite the best of their endeavours, they had drifted unconsciously apart as we all do from time to time. The same is true of God, who longs for us to come home from the swathe of distractions which send us off on all sorts of tangents. (Luke 15).

There is haunting sentence at the heart of Gemma Simmonds' book. She writes "We can go for months putting one foot in front of another and not really picking up the pattern of God's consolation and desolation within our daily lives." This apparent sleep walking through our lives won't make us bad people, but the inference is that we become dominated by anxieties of all kinds until we have become disconnected; from God, from each other and from our very self. This would be for us all a life half lived, a lonely life. At the same time, we greet each other with the words "Are you keeping busy?" as if this has become our very survival mechanism - keeping busy.

During his visit to London in 2010, Pope Benedict gave a speech to young people. In it he encouraged them to give time to silence. Silence he taught, helps us to encounter God and meet our true selves. Staying tuned in, both to our own authentic self and to the whisper of the almighty requires some sort of intention, a pattern woven into our lives. We need time to separate ourselves from the noise of our insecurities, our frustrations and the sheer pace of all that must be accomplished. GK Chesterton wrote, "It is our solemn duty sometimes, to do nothing." Doing nothing sounds easy. It really isn't.

Jesus "retreated" up into the hills to pray and following his example, Christians have sought various means to retreat and connect ever since. The pattern of separating ourselves from the challenge ahead in order to return to it, is a well-established one. Yet here another problem emerges. Despite being enlivened by my faith I have always found individual retreat experiences problematic. Firstly, I'm not very good at the interior journey. As an extrovert I find my own company a bit, well… boring. Yes, I said it. I'm not very good at solitude. The very thought of a solemn retreat makes me nervous. In my experience the joy of the Gospel comes through interaction with others. For those who find solitude appealing, my nervousness around these individual pursuits is difficult to appreciate. Several times I have been encouraged to go "Deeper" by people who didn't have three kids and a mortgage. The best I could often achieve was a good walk. Gemma's book is about turning a walk into a retreat.

These pages are written for everyone. For those who get it, and those who don't. For those who have time, and those who don't. It is especially helpful for people living their lives at a pace, who recognise their need to reflect and yet are really not helped by the thought of a period of seclusion in a nearby retreat house. If you don't know Gemma or haven't heard her speak at a conference let me give you a sense of the author. Firstly Gemma doesn't make the frequent mistake of separating the heavenly and earthly realm. For her, emulating the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins - the world is charged with the grandeur of God. Her book has its head above the clouds in the sunshine and its feet on the rain soaked cobbles. Gemma's book reminds us not to confuse the hiddenness of God for the absence of God. God is waiting for us inside our daily routines. Gemma will help us to tune in to the ever-present God who is waiting patiently in the shadow beside us.

Perhaps why I most appreciate this work is the breadth of scholarship that sits just behind the very accessible advice. Gemma's wisdom is wonderfully practical, providing insights into ways we can build retreat experiences into our lives. To do this we are entreated to guidance from the scriptures, from saints, popes, mystics, poets, song writers and contemporary authors. We learn from the spiritual masters like St Ignatius and at the same time are entreated to all sorts of practical tips suited to our contemporary lifestyles.

Gemma may have written this book recently, but its wisdom comes from years of her own pondering. The gathered prayer, study and wisdom here is obvious. There is no doubt that following the advice in this book will bring about human flourishing; being ourselves, yet more fully alive!

David Wells is an author, an internationally renowned speaker, a lecturer and a teacher. He is married to Alison and they have three grown up children. Find out more about him at: www.davidwellslive.com

Dancing at the Still Point is published by SPCK, see: https://spckpublishing.co.uk/dancing-at-the-still-point