This is actually a re-read of Sadhana, subtitled A Way to God, Christian Exercises in Eastern Form.
Anthony de Mello was a Jesuit spiritual director and writer, prior to his sudden and untimely death in 1987. (For a touching online biography of de Mello by his brother, go here – Tony deMello, a biography ).
I first read Sadhana probably 12 or 14 years ago. This time, I brought it with me into the hospital as a back-up read, but didn’t start it until I came home. The book is in three sections and divided into 47 “exercises” or short chapters, and should be read over a period of time – I took almost five weeks, reading one or two exercises a day.
The three sections are entitled Awareness, mostly having to do with various thought, concentration, and breathing exercises. I used exercise five for four weeks (you’ll have to get the book to find out what exercise five is!)
The second section is Fantasy but perhaps would be better labeled Imagination, and is somewhat Ignatian. Imagine yourself in a Gospel story, imagine you are dying and say good-bye to your body, the joyful (and sorrowful) mysteries of your life – stuff like that.
The last section is Devotions, with lessons like The “Benedictine” method, the Jesus Prayer, the Prayer of Intercession.
The book is very good and once read can serve as a sort of reference – go back and re-use the things you found valuable. Of course the trick is to actually do the exercises over a period of time. Time is important – it takes time for the value of these approaches to affect you. Or as some would say, to "sink in".
I guarantee that when you finish the book you will NOT be able to levitate, have visions, etc, but you probably will be a calmer and saner person. Not bad.
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