ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how the ancient practice of meditatio, used in the monastic schools, can be re-visioned for use in a twenty-first century Humanities classroom as a method to experience wisdom hidden within a text. It reviews the ancient monastic practice of meditatio, including its purpose, and proposes its use as a way of searching for meaning in a literary work in twenty-first century Humanities classrooms. The chapter examines three elements of the ancient monastic method of meditatio— rumination, memorization and analysis. It offers some insights and challenges for instructors in the Humanities instructors interested in incorporating the contemplative practice of meditatio into their teaching. Once the students have learned the skill of meditatio, they will have the foundation necessary to move into the next practice of oratio, the skill of moving even deeper into the subjective realm where they can begin to learn to respond to the text.
