True contemplation is a gift from God – prayer in which God is the giver and we are the receiver. Trying to define contemplation beyond these statements is difficult, and trying to explain the experience of contemplation is even more difficult, at times impossible. Those new to the world of contemplation will oftentimes experience frustration over a description or explanation that seems “vague” or “confusing.” We must recognize that this sense of confusion does not arise from the fact that experiences of contemplation are any less real or powerful than other experiences of prayer. If anything, the issue is more likely that contemplation is the most raw, naked, direct form of contact with God that there is – in other words, too real for a simple explanation. At this level, the infinite Mystery of God defies the very construct of language (which is why so many contemplatives strongly advocate silence as the most effective “meeting place” between God and the soul). Finding typical religious vocabulary and expression lacking in the ability to express the richness of contemplation, many contemplatives come up with unique expressions to try and share the experience with others. Yet, while these expressions are more personalized due to the fact that they are born directly from the experience of the practitioner, these expressions also suffer from the limits of language. In the end, true knowledge of contemplation is only possible in the participation in contemplation itself.