We can feel the assurance that even though we may be in uncertainty and doubt and confusion, we can still be sure that things will be well. That’s a fundamental element of the conversion process, very similar to what John Keats described as ‘negative capability’, the ability to remain in a state of doubt or confusion, uncertainty without having to run around like a scared cat looking for facts and reasons. We can simply accept what is happening in trust. And with meditation, what Keats is describing as a contemplative consciousness in the poet, I think the same consciousness develops in us through a contemplative practice that we build seriously, faithfully into our lives. So the state of assurance, a sense of meaning is another symptom of the experience of conversion. And as I said, meaning is about the realisation that we are connected.
(The Art of Waiting by Laurence Freeman OSB)
