All of us who go to meditation groups will know the standard format which they take: teaching, meditation, sharing. This format goes back to the beginnings of our community when John Main used to give the introductory teachings. These teachings were recorded and circulated, on tape cassettes, for use by other groups as the community grew. Later Laurence Freeman provided new teachings often extracted from his longer talks. Others also contributed. From 2005 these talks were circulated on CDs, and more recently as downloads available on the WCCM international website (//meditatiotalks.wccm.org).
In 2008 I suggested to David Wood and to Fr. Laurence that David record some talks for circulation. One of the best things I did during my term as national coordinator! David, a Mancunian, was a retired Anglican priest who had served various parishes in northern England. Within WCCM he was the first chair of our charity (then called the Christian Meditation Trust) and for years was regional coordinator for Cumbria.
David told me that he was gobsmacked by the gift of the opportunity to produce these talks and that he was having great fun in doing so. His style was inimitable, faith filled but also deeply human. Sometimes provocative, sometimes laugh out loud funny. He recognised the importance of the discursive teachings which were normal but also knew the need for short pieces specifically prepared to lead us into meditation. He produced four sets of talks. The first, Aspects of the Spiritual Life, was published as a Meditatio CD in 2008 and remains available on the WCCM website. A second set, along with the first, was published by WCCM for purchase and remains available from Good News Books, under the title Aspects of the Spiritual Life. The third and fourth sets, both entitled Prefaces to Meditation, recorded in 2010 and 2011, were not widely published at the time.
Even while preparing and recording the talks David was suffering from a long drawn-out terminal illness. He died in 2013.
In 2018 the National Council of our UK community was reviewing the availability of teaching for the meditation groups. Just as David had done, it recognised the need for expanded teachings but also saw that some short introductions to the meditation periods were desirable. Two actions flowed from this discussion. Geoff Waterhouse masterminded the recording of a new set of short talks prepared specially for prison meditation groups. And David’s Prefaces to Meditation were prepared for re-publication. Andy Goddard ensured that the sound quality was up to scratch and we also had to address issues such as copyright. COVID got in the way too. The original plan was to publish them on CDs but with WCCM worldwide moving to downloads we have now done the same. They have now been available for a while and you can find them on the UK website wccm.uk in the Resources section. Go to resources on the opening menu, then to newsletters and audio, and there you will easily access these special recordings. And not only the recordings, but, thanks to Sarah Kirkup, David’s successor as Cumbria coordinator, the transcripts of each talk as well.
I commend them to you as a valuable resource for groups or as a preface to your own individual meditation.
Roger Layet