An observation, whether it be real or fictitious, has the ability to create its own meaning within the context of ones reality. With the use of video technology, I record both staged and found situations that exist in limbo states. On the surface, they appear to be familiar spaces and places that the eye would naturally pass over. For example, recording the back of a figure or a blank billboard implies without revealing, while remaining autonomous and infinite. By hyper-focusing on seemingly banal occurrences, one has the ability to become a creatively conscious observer. Regularity is deceptive, as are our poetic imaginations. These video pieces act as catalysts that engage previous experience and thought. Specific cinematic techniques function within this body of work; particularly the long take, a slow pace, the static camera, and the use of mundane subjects. Each piece reveals a visual moment extracted from a universal notion and understanding of experienced time. By suspending these particular visual moments in time, I remove them from the pace of lived reality so they can enter an alternate reality. The images persist and reverberate within individual consciousness to create unique narratives specific to ones own understanding of the minimal amount of information given to them. The familiar becomes unfamiliar again. / text

The aim of this thesis is to suggest a model of development for the writings of Richard Rolle, based on the hermit's application of the theological concept of election. The thesis falls into three parts, corresponding broadly to the early, middle and late phases of Rolle's career. Chapter One charts Rolle's attempts to define the credentials of the electi in terms of the contemplative life in the early Judica me Deus, and points to certain tensions in Rolle's approach to the pastoral manual form. Chapter Two examines Rolle's subsequent attempts in the Tractatus super Apocalypsim to clarify the relationship of the electi to the signs hidden in Scripture and in phenomena, and places this within the teleological framework of the Apocalypse. Chapter Three begins with the Canticum Amoris lyric and leads to the Super Canticum Canticorum, Rolle's Commentary on the Song of Songs, in an attempt to show the movement from the experimental Marian focus of the lyric to the explicit Christological emphasis of Rolle's middle period. By reference to Augustine and to Bernard of Clairvaux, the latter part of the chapter attempts to show the influence of the concept of election in this movement. Using the Contra Amatores Mundi treatise as a focus, Chapter Four examines Rolle's pervasive sense of the universal movement in which the contemplative life plays a pre-ordained part, and considers the ways in which this teleological analysis defines the experience of contemplation. Chapter Five returns to the Super Canticum Canticorum, and examines the stylistic manifestations of Rolle's belief in the predestined purpose and authority of his writings. With reference to Ciceronian and Augustinian principles of rhetoric, this chapter points to Rolle's growing sense of his own writings as possessing a performative, para-liturgical function. This movement reaches its fullest expression in the Melos Amoris, and this rhetorical development is related, in Chapter Six, to Rolle's increasing assurance of his status as an electus. Dealing with the final phase of the hermit's career, after 1343, Chapter Seven considers Rolle's Latin Emendatio Vitae and English writings, in an attempt to explain the apparent disappearance of the ideas and themes that have hitherto shaped Rolle's development; the latter part of the chapter argues that these have been incorporated within the famous `three degrees' of love

This qualitative self-study explores my teaching practice. Three months of on-going daily critical reflections on past and present experiences related to my teaching resulted in 26 written documents illuminating memories, thoughts, feelings, insights, and epiphanies. Data collection strategies included narrative writing, dialogue with a mentor, and engagement in contemplative practices, such as Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. The main purpose of this study was to explore, learn, and develop a core teacher identity and teaching practice while addressing two main research questions: how am I authentic in my teaching practice; and how might engaging in self-study contribute to my authenticity as a teacher? I used Cranton and Carusetta’s research, specifically referring to “Authenticity in Teaching” (2004a) and “Developing Authenticity as a Transformative Process” (2004b) to guide this study and analyze my findings. Results revealed the various ways in which I practice authenticity in my teaching and that my engagement in on-going critical reflection through self-study contributed to my authenticity as a teacher. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-08-20 21:01:28.498

A compelling argument has been made which claims that institutions of higher education focus disproportionately on transmitting basic skills to their students at the expense of supporting issues of central importance to the development of emerging adults, including clarifying values and identity and defining individual purpose and meaning (Palmer & Zajonc, 2010). As a result, an increasing number of postsecondary teachers are considering how they can refashion education by using contemplative inquiry to deepen student learning and personal growth. This movement to reframe the teaching-learning paradigm has led to the development of teaching methods that seek to cultivate emotional, psychological and intellectual competencies including creativity, self-understanding, awareness and mental flexibility (Lief, 2007). Contemplative pedagogy, which can include mindfulness practices and contemplative or imaginative inquiry, provides such a framework for teaching and learning. Faculties at institutions of higher education across the U.S. are increasingly adapting this educational model for use in their classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand ways in which faculty members in higher education are developing mindfulness-based contemplative pedagogies and to identify critical variables that have informed how they have conceptualized and implemented this educational model. I employed a collective case study methodology to explore the experiences of faculty members who have embedded contemplative inquiry within the broader context of a traditional liberal arts curriculum. The study focused on why and how these instructors have developed contemplative teaching practices, their experiences integrating these practices into the classroom, and the potential outcomes they identified for themselves and their students. The findings suggest that, for these teachers, contemplative pedagogy provides a mechanism to deepen learning through a process of embodied inquiry in which both student and teacher are actively engaged. Through their teaching practices participants demonstrated a common goal: to foster in students qualities of mind that might help them engage more directly with learning as an experiential process of personal inquiry. This study informs the evolving landscape of contemplative education by exploring how teachers are developing and implementing contemplative models for learning in order to address issues of personal meaning and purpose in higher education.

"'Thinking Things Together': What Contemplative Practice Can Offer Academic Writing Instruction," calls for the inclusion of contemplative practices (e.g., mindfulness meditation, visualization, deep listening, reflective journaling, etc.) in the instruction of writing, due to their potential to foster more self-efficacy in the writing process. Because recent research has linked contemplative practices to improved cognition, they are especially well-suited to facilitate writing, which is-at least in part-a cognitive act. In other words, the common denominator of composition studies and contemplative practice is cognition. However, composition studies has failed to make this connection because the field has been largely dismissive of cognitivist writing research, and has neglected to stay abreast of recent research on cognition and writing. By presenting recent research on the cognitive processes involved in the production of text, as well as recent research on the effects of meditation on the brain (pioneered in the emerging field of contemplative neuroscience), this transdisciplinary project highlights the points at which these two bodies of research converge. Two systematic literature reviews (SLRs) of these-seemingly disparate-areas of research reveal that they share interests in the cognitive processes of executive function, working memory, attention, motivation, and self-regulation. Furthermore, a meta-synthesis of the research conducted on these cognitive processes illustrates how contemplative neuroscience can inform-and improve-the theory and practice of teaching writing. Specifically, I provide readers with classroom activities and assignments that implement contemplative practices in the writing classroom in empirically-informed and effective ways.

Through centuries of Christian theology, prayer has held an important role in theology and the ministerial vocation. However, foundational literature on Protestant theological education for ministry does not offer a clear role for the practice of prayer in the theological classroom. In order to explore the relationship between theology and prayer in the context of theological education, this dissertation first explores the wider conversation around prayer in theology, the ministerial vocation, spirituality studies, and theological education. Second, it analyzes the role of prayer in foundational texts that have influenced and continue to influence the Protestant theological education conversation. Third, in order to gain a deeper understanding of how a practice of prayer functions within a theological framework, this dissertation analyzes three Protestant theologians for the relationship between theology and prayer. Fourth, by placing the analysis of the theological education texts, theologians, and voices from practical theology, spirituality, and contemplative studies into conversation, this dissertation offers a proposal for how prayer can function within a theological classroom. Chapter one draws upon multiple voices across theological traditions within Christianity and argues for the importance of prayer in the work of theology and in the ministerial vocation. It provides an overview of the role of prayer within practical theological methods and theological education, and also explores the split between theology and spirituality. Chapter two analyzes seven foundational texts discussing Protestant graduate ministerial theological education for the role of prayer. Chapters three, four, and five explore the writings of three Protestant theologians--Karl Barth, Eugene Peterson, and Marjorie Suchocki--for how their understanding and practice of prayer functions within their respective theological frameworks, and what their under-standings offer to theological education for ministry. Chapter six places these theologians into conversation with scholars in spirituality studies, practical theology, and scholars from the new field of contemplative studies in order to offer a contemplative pedagogical framework. Using a four-movement dynamic based on lectio divina, the flexible framework balances four modes of attention: first person introspective reflection, second person dialogic prayer, third person objective investigation, and attentive rest.

Defined as an awareness of suffering coupled with a willingness to do something to relieve suffering, compassion has recently received an incredible amount of attention in popular culture, social media, and academic and scientific research (Jinpa, 2015). Qualitative research is needed to investigate the experiences of adults learning to cultivate compassion. The present study adds to the body of research on compassion by investigating compassion cultivation with first person accounts, and by providing examples of somatic learning, or learning through the body. In this qualitative study, I investigate individuals' perceptions of the course Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT), developed at Stanford University's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). I explore three questions: 1) How do participants find CCT and why do they take the course? 2) How do participants describe the CCT course and their learning experiences? 3) How do participants describe the impact of CCT and integrate what they learned into their daily lives? I conducted 1-hour open-ended interviews with 18 CCT alumni and a qualitative analysis of interview transcripts to identify themes across the data. I identified four cases that exemplify elements of cultivating compassion, including: a case of depression relief, a case of increasing the capacity to stay, a case of dealing with self-criticism and a case of reducing empathy fatigue. I then organized findings across the entire data set into three categories according to my research questions; in each finding, I identified four themes and clustered participants' responses according to themes. Findings indicate that the 18 participants' reasons for taking CCT are diverse, including the desire to connect with others, curiosity about compassion and contemplative science, and the need for compassion in their personal and professional lives. All respondents reported CCT as a powerful and meaningful learning experience, describing the value of learning through the body, through meditation practices, and as a group. Participants attributed substantial positive changes to the course, citing improvements in their relationships to themselves and others, and increased awareness of their own mental and emotional states.

abstract: This thesis document encapsulates the findings of my research process in which I studied my self, my artistic process, and the interconnectivity among the various aspects of my life. Those findings are two-fold as they relate to the creation of three original works and my personal transformation through the process. This document encapsulates the three works, swimminginthepsyche, applecede and The 21st Century Adventures of Wonder Woman, chronologically from their performance dates. My personal growth and transformation is expressed throughout the paper and presented in the explanation of the emergent philosophical approach for self-study as creative practice that I followed. This creative-centered framework for embodied transformation weaves spiritual philosophy with my artistic process to sustain a holistic life practice, where the self, seen as an integrated whole, is also a direct reflection of the greater, singular and holistic existence. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.F.A. Dance 2013

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / There has been an upsurge of interest in Christian spirituality in recent years. In this thesis I will provide a brief survey of the history and forms of Christian spirituality in order to sketch the background against which this study will be situated with specific reference to the history of contemplative spirituality. Beginning with the life and teachings of the Desert Fathers it will show that contemplative prayer is firmly rooted in the ancient Christian tradition. More specifically, I will focus on two contemporary exponents of the contemplative tradition of spirituality, namely Thomas Keating (1923-2018) and Henri Nouwen (1932-1996).

The purpose of this study was to describe and classify the stages of contemplative mystical development in the major world religions. To accomplish this task, a sample of five major world religions was chosen from the total population. From each religion, a contemplative author who was regarded as an authority by the members of that religion was chosen. The major work of each author was described in order to make explicit his/her conceptualization of the stages of contemplative development. These conceptualizations were then compared together, resulting in two models of contemplative development. The first model was composed of those stages where there was agreement between four of the five authors. This model described the necessary and sufficient conditions of contemplative development and had five stages. The second model was composed of those stages where there was agreement between three of the five authors, and was postulated to address the information loss of the first model. This expanded model had thirteen stages. The implications of this taxonomy for the scientific study of religion were then explored.