Toolkit #1 Discover the Examen

Marcus Buckingham is a guru in the buisness world today. His work centers on finding your strengths. Fining the things that make you feel strong! All his works have been on the best seller list. I particulary like his DVD series, Trombone Player Wanted. I'm betting he has learned about the beauty of the examen somewhere along the path of his life.

The examen is one of the greatest gifts of the work of St. Ignatius. It was revealed to him during a period of convalescence - he noticed that somethings he read (or did) left him with fulfilling feelings and these feelings stayed with him a long time. He also noticed that other things he read (or did) gave him positive feelings for a while - but did not stay with him. Ignatius became aware of how good feelings changed his daily outlook. He also became aware of how negative thoughts and emotions affected him. He named these experiences and developed a practice of evaluating the activities within a day so that he could make conscious choices for positive living or living the life God most wanted for him.

He gave the deepest feelings and yearnings of God the term 'consolation' and for the negative feelings or non life giving feelings he used the term 'desolation'. In today's language we might use words like 'strong' or 'weak'. The examen is a process of becoming aware of the events in your daily life that enable you to live your best life. The examen can be done by yourself or with another. It can be done at the end of the day or in the midst of the night. It creates a space within your life that is aware of the people, relationships and activities that make you feel strong. The examen also allows you to be aware of the people, relationships and activities that get on your last nerve.

The examen is life strengthening because it allows the acknowldgment of pain as well as the reception of the love and life that are often taken forgranted in a busy, daily life.


Here's the process:
Light a candle. (I like to do this because it separates the space for me, I also really like candles because I am reminded of the presence of God)
Become aware of God's loving presence.
Spend a few minutes in quiet while reflecting on the following questions:

For what moment today am I most grateful?
For what moment today am I least grateful?

OR

When did I feel most alive today?
When did I most feel life draining out of me?

You can write your responses or not.

You can speak your responses aloud or not.
You can do this by yourself or with another.

To increase your toolbox, practice the examen, each evening during this first week.

If you want to read more about this try the book: Sleeping with Bread, Holding What Gives you Life; Paulist Press.