In what way is prayer like sex--too intimate a mystery to describe? Yeah, well, lots of people talk about sex. Sex is paraded around in movies, on TV, and in music. And to a large degree it's cheapened. But there are forms of public art that reveal the beauty and wonder of sex and can invite us deeper into its mystery. We'd be better off without some forms of public talk of sex, but worse off without others. Prayer too is in many ways too intimate for words. And yet, we are compelled to talk about it. But how can we talk about it without cheapening it? Can we explore it artfully, reverently, so that our talk can invite us deeper? Is it worth trying?

I'll give it a try, then you tell me if such talk is cheap and, like sex, better left behind closed doors.

I crave God. I desire an experience of God that can keep me sane in the midst of an active life, but can open the door toward real union with God even in the midst of the busiest moments of my active life. I want to disappear into God, to be consumed by the sacred fire. Recently, I experienced the following during a dawn period of contemplative prayer, and wrote of it later in my journal:

"In stillness early. Light breaks in. I shudder. Tremble. Catch my breath. FIRE! Theosis! I see it. Touch it. Taste it. LOVE! I shake. And must voluntarily come back down 'the mountain'. The heights are too intense for me."

About "theosis" see this link.