Love as the Leading Ethic for Black Contemplatives

A post by Guesnerth Josué Perea

“We begin our journey with love, and love will always bring us back to where we started. Making the choice to love can heal our wounded spirits and our body politic. It is the deepest revolution, the turning away from the world as we know it, toward the world we must make if we are to be one with the planet—one healing heart giving and sustaining life. Love is our hope and our salvation.” - bell hooks, Salvation: Black People and Love

This October, the Center of Spiritual Imagination will be offering an introductory series called "Black Lives and Contemplation." The series will explore the deep roots of Black contemplation and help participants gain a broader understanding of both Blackness and contemplation, and how this knowledge can be used to deepen their own contemplative lives. The course will suggest that we broaden our definition of contemplation, recognizing that “Poetry, music, and art all share something in common with the contemplative experience.” (Thomas Merton)

I write often about the breadth and depth of the spiritual traditions of the African Diaspora. As an AfroLatino, I encounter power and beauty in the long, deep, and sometimes unknown history of the African Diaspora which I believe includes a tradition of Black contemplation. It is true that “contemplation” is not a label often used for the traditions, art, music, and spirituality of the African Diaspora. I would argue that this is because our definition of contemplation is too narrow. If we consider only particular religious affiliations, cultures and understandings, then we can easily miss the wide history of Black contemplation. 

One of the best definitions of contemplation is from Thomas Merton in New Seeds of Contemplation: 

“Contemplation is the highest expression of our intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive.”

If we go even further and break down the word “contemplation” to its most basic meaning, we find that it is, as Barbara Holmes has said, “a spiritual practice that has the potential to heal, instruct, and connect us to the source of our being.” These definitions open up the possibilities for what contemplation means and who can be considered a contemplative.

One thing that every definition of contemplation has in common is the belief that contemplation is a journey towards love. In other words, contemplation is a way of connecting with the divine, with others, and with ourselves. It is a way of opening our hearts to love.

With this definition, we begin to see many people as contemplatives. Audre Lorde is not often thought of as a contemplative, yet she has a clear contemplative outlook on life. The way she engages in conversations about her body, her livelihood, and her experience resonates with the contemplative path. 

Octavia Butler has explored profound questions about who we are, who the Divine is, how we can understand the Divine on a more personal level, and how we can invite others to this discovery. These are questions that a contemplative asks, yet she is also not traditionally considered a contemplative. 

Then we have bell hooks, whose writings explore self-reflection, redefining love, and engagement with others. She is a contemplative guide for Black people all over the world who are looking for someone who speaks from their experience and talks about union with the divine.

All writers make observations, but what sets these writers apart is that they are not just observing; they are also grappling with questions and expressing their perspectives on society from a contemplative heart. At the center of their work is a response to a call: a call to ensure that love is what guides our future and brings us closer to ourselves, one another and the Divine. I would argue that this contemplative outlook on society may be inherent in Black writers. 

Love is the overarching ethic that guides contemplatives and mystics in their search for self and their connection to the Divine. It is love that guides our path to union with the universe and one another, and it is love that ultimately guides us towards practices of healing and restoration. bell hooks writes in Salvation:

“The resources to heal our wounds are already at our disposal. We simply need to garner the means of distribution to take action in every way. Simple things like ceasing to watch television, refusing mindless consumption, engaging in positive thinking, learning how to read and write, and learning how to think critically are among the myriad ways we can practice love in action, a redemptive love that can heal wounded spirits.” I would argue that the ‘means of distribution’ she is arguing for is what contemplation can be. When contemplative practices are seen from this viewpoint, we come to the realization that Black contemplation has been around for quite some time. We are then able to engage our own lives in a contemplative way that will allow love to be our leading ethic. 

I hope you will apply to join us for Black Lives and Contemplation this Fall, as we explore this expanded definition of contemplation. Over the course of seven weeks, we will read Barbara Holmes, defining and establishing a Black Contemplative tradition; we will discuss Howard Thurman and his recommendations on how to establish an inner life; we will expand our understanding of Black spirituality by looking at other traditions, specifically Black Buddhism and its focus on healing; we will continue to expand our definition of contemplation by studying James Baldwin, John Coltrane, and others as contemplatives; and lastly we will engage in a conversation on how we can deepen our own contemplative lives. 

Join us as we explore the myriad ways Black contemplation can have an impact on our lives. We will share stories, insights, and practices that will help you to deepen your own connection to this powerful practice and will lead you to the ultimate goal of contemplation: “awakening, enlightenment, and the amazing intuitive grasp by which love gains certitude.” (Thomas Merton)

Guesnerth Josué Perea is in his final year of the Novitiate with the Community of the Incarnation, the New Monastic Community that runs the Center for Spiritual Imagination. He is also the executive director of the afrolatin@ forum, founder and co-curator of the AfoLatine Theology Project, associate pastor of Metro Hope Church, and co-host of the Majestad Prieta Podcast. His research on AfroLatinidad has been part of various publications including Let Spirit Speak: Cultural Journeys through the African Diaspora and the Revista de Estudios Colombianos. He is the Executive Producer of the new documentary short Faith in Blackness: An Exploration of AfroLatine Spirituality.