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If we want to tackle the many crises before us, it’s not enough to change our words and ideas. Injustice and oppression shape our bone and our muscle – that is where we must find them and change them. We need to become critical and creative with our bodies.
Lectio visceralis is a form of embodied prayer and reflection. How do you do it? Where does it come from? How does it work?
Here are three arguments for embracing embodied prayer and reflection:
(1) Pedagogical (based on teaching practice and theory). Lectio visceralis is based on Theatre of the Oppressed (TO for short) - an embodied learning practice that emerged in South America and has spread all over the world. I hope that the theory of TO, and the concrete examples from liturgy and classroom that I describe in the section below, will inspire you to imagine new possibilities for leading, teaching, and prayer. Click here to learn more about TO.
(2) Scientific. We learn, pray, and think with our bodies. As neuroscience teaches us, all thinking and learning is rooted in the body. This means that body techniques belong in both spiritual and educational settings: in Morning and Evening Prayer; in classroom analysis; in children’s work, youth work, and adult education. Click here to learn more about the science of embodied learning.
(3) Theological. Lectio visceralis reflects a theology of incarnation, and a vision of integral Christian liberation. This theological vision is both scriptural and contemporary; it can appeal to academics and to lay people alike. Click here to learn more about the theology.
There are other arguments for embracing a body-based approach to reflection and prayer: semiotic (based on the embodied nature of communication); metaphysical (based on the continuities between spirit, biology, and matter); epistemological (based on the connections between hospitality, community, and knowing). You can learn about those arguments by clicking here.
I hope that these arguments will get you thinking: how I might put lectio visceralis into practice, in my own teaching or ministry setting? I'd be happy to discuss the possibilities with you! To set up a conversation, please contact me here.
The Background: Lectio Divina
Lectio visceralis is a style of reflecting and praying that works in and through our physical bodies. It’s an extension of lectio divina, the ancient Christian practice of reading Scripture in a meditative way. The traditional movements of lectio divina are:
1. lectio, listening to God’s message;
2. meditatio, allowing the message to rest in us and shape our imagination;
3. oratio, responding in prayer; and
4. contemplation, rest and refreshment in the friendship of God.
To these four, many modern teachers add:
5. actio, acting on what we have heard.
While lectio visceralis includes all of these movements, the focus of attention is not written Scripture, but the body: gut feeling, bone and muscle, tension and emotion. Throughout history, people both literate and illiterate have practiced spiritual lectio – on the Scriptures; on treasured stories that they heard and remembered; on natural beauty; on statues, icons, frescos, and stained glass (Pennington, 1995).
Lectio visceralis adds the body to this list of sacred locations where we can encounter the message of God.
Concrete Examples and Practical Advice:
A typical lectio visceralis online ritual. Learn about the different parts of a lectio visceralis prayer service, and about the ritual dynamics that hold it together and help it to "work."
Rituals that are critical and creative. Read about different formats for rituals that cultivate embodied expression and critical thinking.
Analyzing Images in Creative and Critical Ways. Learn how the facilitator (or "difficultator") in lectio visceralis maintains critical tension, so as to keep reflection both fruitful and sharp.
Embodied Techniques in the Classroom. Find out how you can use embodied learning in religious education and in university/seminary settings.
Online Rituals: Selected Scripts
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