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Meghan here, and this week I have the privilege of playing with the word Contemplation, one of the four foundational principles of the Gene Keys approach. I thought I would play with a diary format for this exploration of the term along with quotes from Richard Rudd about Contemplation (he wrote a lovely short and potent book about it, The Art of Contemplation.) All quotes in this article are Richard Rudd’s words, I’ve simply attributed where I found them.

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Aug 15: Contemplation today looked like me weaving together all of the strands I have been investigating for the past two weeks into a written and visual tapestry of Meghan’s inner and outer life in her SQ. Somehow, writing an article for Devoted helped me to bring all these understandings and breakthroughs into more of a cohesive whole grounding mysteriously into my body.

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Aug 16: Contemplation today had a big infusion of inspiration as I attended the mid-month SQ integration call and answered questions posed by Hayley and listened to other members vocally contemplate their own Gene Keys and this sphere. Contemplation was heart shared!!!! 

Aug 17: I am handling a load of pain today as I navigate this particular healing stage of my broken foot. I don’t feel like I have the bandwidth to do much contemplating, but I did watch the replay of the second Integration call and felt the delicious inner movement of the women on that call; so many lovely insights shared that will be food for my contemplative thought as I go through my week. Contemplation is served by pauses and so napping on the couch and reading my novel were regenerating for my foot and my inner awareness.

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Aug 18: Contemplation was spurred on by watering eyes today. Hubby startled me with news that guests I expected 10 days from now are arriving tomorrow. I wept. This honest response held all sorts of information for me around my own Line 1 in my SQ and with a little help from some loving gentle reflection I eventually pivoted to accepting the situation (moved with Dharma and not Drama).

Aug 19: Reading a book in my art hut with all the windows and doors open, listening to the birds and animals, watching the afternoon light sparkle through the tree spaces, feeling the perky breeze as it ruffles my hair even through the window. Contemplation through the senses.

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Aug 20: Contemplating the programming partners of 62 and 61 yesterday in the Voxer space for our Devoted group spurred on a brain blast of creative inspiration for a new project that was simultaneously thrilling, showing me a new expressive direction, as well as illustrating to me both the gifts of 62, Precision and 61, Inspiration in real time.

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Aug 21: I am practicing having an open heart in all of my interactions. My contemplations come when I notice that I’ve forgotten and my heart is beginning to barricade itself… OR I have an open heart but then absolutely no words to speak and I wonder if that’s ok. OR I notice that my open heart doesn’t actually change things for anyone I’m listening to, and yet I feel better. And perhaps I simply need to keep coming to all these interactions over and over again to notice any difference. And then again, if I’m coming to my relationships with the expectation of change then I’m coming with the wrong intent. So I’m telling myself to give that open heart some space to simply radiate and have patience.

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Aug 22: Today I’m contemplating through a visual medium. I’m playing in a new type of art journal (the masculine structure) and then delving into my inner world finding the feminine expressions that want to live in it and pondering the best ways to put the inspirations into the form of this new small 6-ring journal. All of the inspirations are the experiences/insights/pivots/merges I’ve been having over the past month in this sphere of the IQ made physical with paper, quotes, images, marks, colors textures and my own words. 

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Aug 23: Contemplation today was simply delicious! I played with my best friend Lizzie, and we recorded a video/podcast. Solo contemplation is amazing and I also recognize that because of my own unique make-up (lines 2 and 5 in key places) I need others in order to really dig deep. When I’m in conversation about our Gene Keys and the inner work with Lizzie I find myself vocally contemplating… somehow bridging the mind and the heart with words from a space that isn’t just my thoughts.

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Aug 24: As I’m putting together the quotes to put into this article on Canva I find myself taking them in at a deep level. When I first read the book The Art of Contemplation back in 2021, I honestly thought contemplation was boring. I was so impatient. I wanted the answers to my outer problems now and didn’t want to have to mull over any inner traumas or inner puzzles. That would take too long I thought. With the knowledge I have now, I understand that was just my shadows talking and that patience and contemplation are deep, deep friends in this work we are doing. These quotes I have so nicely put into frames are going into that small new art journal now so that I can flip through it repeatedly to remember how far I’ve come and how far I can go as I stay grounded through contemplation. Delicious.

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Contemplation in the world of the Gene Keys work has such a personal definition. I would love to hear in the comments what it means to you, and how you bring contemplation into your every day life.