"Walking as a Spiritual Practice"

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Graham (who is actually a member here) posted this on his blog. I thought it had some good observations.

The best walks are those where one does not pay any attention to their thoughts at all. To meditate on the colour of the sky, the technology one has (hopefully) unplugged from, or any noise is all fine and well. But meditation means to be fixed upon particulars, thereby removing the wholeness of the practice of walking. Walking remains whether one passes by a tree, a dog, or an automobile. Walking is not found in any of the objects one comes across within the practice, but instead, it is found in its very transience - the detachment from those objects. Walking must be taken for what it is, that is to say, motion, in which neither internal nor external stimuli cause one to stumble. This is what it means to walk in contemplation.

Again, it is not thinking in itself while one walks that is problematic, but paying attentionto one's thoughts. If the body is in motion, so too should be the mind. Abilities like reconsideration are appropriate for sitting down, but never walking.

The Spirit of God that hovered over the waters when the world began, as recorded in Genesis 1.2, is the same wind that surrounds me today. I am aware of God in and through the wind as it commits to a makeshift dance. I may feel cold, distracted, agitated even, but God has found me in the moment, and in a way so irrefutable unlike most other moments.

When one walks alone, it can be comfortable to fall into a solipsistic universe. I choose when I leave the house; I decide when to return; I know which path I most desire to take, etc. Avoid eye contact and communication with others as best you can, but eventually, a bell from a tower so high will toll, and upon hearing it, you will realize that hiding is a great mistake. Even if you deny others to your utmost ability, this in no way indicates that they will deny you in the same manner. This facade can shatter at the simple utterance of "hello." You have been found; your existence has been affirmed.