Q: I am a meditation instructor for health and a secular Carmelite. I have difficulty with the Centering meditation technique and I am asking for help. I have understood […]
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An Interspiritual Experience with Charis Circles
by Ronald Barnett, PhD, rbarnett@hey.com Germantown, Maryland, USA Something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is do you, Mr. Jones? – Bob Dylan, Ballad of a […]
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Centering Prayer and the Sense of Dying
Q: While practicing Centering Prayer I suddenly had a very intense feeling of terror come and a sense that I was dying and losing all my loved ones and things […]
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Contemplative Practice with Parkinson’s Disease
Q: I am a long-time traveler on the contemplative and eco-spirituality path. I recently was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and find the tremors to be disruptive to Centering […]
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Chapter Simplicity
“Leadership is an ambiguous term in the Christian situation where everyone is equal at the most fundamental level which is the essence of our being. Everyone is designed […]
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Getting other prisoners to join in practicing Centering Prayer
Q: Thank you all for your support and prayers, for your hard work and commitment. I am practicing Centering Prayer for over two years. I started with a group […]
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Do I have to be a Christian or have a religious belief to practice Centering Prayer?
Q: Do I have to be a Christian or have a religious belief to practice Centering Prayer? A: Thank you for this beautiful question. Centering Prayer is a spacious […]
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On the Method of Centering Prayer
Q: I am an Episcopalian practicing Christian meditation, and find myself agonizing about technique, being somewhere between Father Keating and John Main. As I am disabled, I meditate lying […]
Centering Prayer: Practicing The Peace That Passes All Understanding
On the western wall of Greystone chapel within Folsom state prison hangs a mural painting. A reconstruction of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” painted by a Folsom inmate nearly a […]
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Surrendering to a Subjective Presence
Q: Do you believe that centering on a object or mantra is the gateway to silent prayer and hopefully contemplation? Which is a gift from God but not entitled. […]
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Centering Prayer and Singing Bowls
Q: Why are singing bowls using during Centering Prayer? Did Thomas Keating use or implement them? A: Thank you for your question. Let me answer it in two ways. First: […]
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Experiencing Unloading During Centering Prayer
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for more than 20 years now, but I have never experienced “evacuation” of emotions during the prayer as Fr. Thomas describes. I […]
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Our “Big Sits” Story
In 2020 we presented a Centering Prayer workshop for the first time on Zoom. Afterward, one of our friends mused, “Now that it’s possible to reach people who live […]
Challenging People in Prayer Groups
Q: I facilitate a contemplation group and there is a challenging man who clearly has anger issues and likes to argue about whatever has been read. How should I […]
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Contemplation, Centering Prayer and ADHD
Q: I have ADHD and I love to use the ideas from the book Praying in Color. Am I praying contemplatively if I use paint or drawing to center […]
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Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness: Wisdom for the Journey
For all the people who suffer from chronic pain and/or chronic illness, it is a beast. Sometimes pain and other symptoms can make me just want to curl up […]
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A Science Project or a Poem?
A person is not a science project to be examined, analyzed or dissected. A person cannot be known with the clarity and exactness of a lab experiment. A person […]
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Centering Prayer and Sleepiness
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for approximately 8 months now. During the last few months I get very sleepy during the prayer (especially the second session) and […]
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40th Anniversary Conference Reflections
The 40th Anniversary conference was a time of telling stories, stories of how Father Thomas touched our lives, maybe from one of his books, or a video or maybe […]
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The Integrity of the Teaching of the Centering Prayer Method
The integrity of the teaching of the Centering Prayer method is presented in the four guidelines and its conceptual background as described in the Method of Centering Prayer brochure. Additional […]
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Thomas Keating Archive Housed at Emory University
On September 22, 2010, Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. and Emory University signed an agreement to house the works of Fr. Thomas Keating at the Pitts Theological Library of Emory University […]
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Faith and Science Conference
By Jan Masterson, Contemplative Network Director Communications Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. (COL) and Contemplative Network, Inc. (CN) share a history. In 1986, COL established Houston as one of its first chapters. […]
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A Journey of Many Parts
by Elaine Walker, Ireland I have walked 11 different Camino routes in Spain since 2012. It is a path I am compelled to do, although I often don’t always enjoy […]
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Centering Prayer and Unloading of the Unconscious
Q: I am 76 years old and belong to a recovery program. I have read several of Fr Keating’s books on Centering Prayer and by Fr Pennington. I practice […]
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Remaining Grounded in the Heart
Q: Thank you for your articles and questions and answers on trauma and depression alongside Centering Prayer. I have encountered people suffering with trauma and depression, perhaps everyone has trauma. […]
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