from the Governing Board of Contemplative Outreach It is a new year – a time for celebration, for looking back at the highs and lows of the previous year, […]
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About the Contemplative Walk
Q: Our group has been doing a contemplative walk before meetings. Do you have any information about this practice? A: The contemplative walk is a time of mindful walking sometimes […]
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False self, Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for many years, although it doesn’t fall easy for me. One thing I have kept being frustrated about is how to view the […]
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Letting Go of All Ideas About God
Q: The inevitable end of the letting go process requires one to let go of all ideas about God, including belief in God. So one is presented with a paradox […]
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Choosing a Centering Prayer Retreat
Q: I have had a committed, active Centering Prayer practice for many years. I would like to go on a retreat and was wondering if you could advise me […]
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Making Centering Prayer Available to Everyone
The practice of Centering Prayer deepens our awareness of the Oneness of all creation and our compassion for the whole human family. – Theological Principle #12 At a recent […]
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Length of an Intensive Retreat
Q: I’m exploring how/if I can organize my life for an intensive retreat. As I look there seems to be a standard of a nine-day retreat and then some […]
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What are we Welcoming?
Q: Our Centering Prayer group in Ireland has been using the Welcoming prayer practice for a number of weeks after our period of Centering Prayer. There seems to be […]
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Prompted to Incarnate
by Carolyn Goddard Nashville, Tennesee, USA The first time I entered St. Bernard’s Convent, it was through the back door. I was teaching at St. Bernard’s High School; the […]
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Thomas Keating’s Call to Wisdom
“ May the next years see the increase of Centering Prayer, and the creative addition of other Wisdom aspects that might enhance what we are doing, or at least […]
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Lectio Divina in a Centering Prayer Group
Q: What is effect of having a book discussion immediately after a Centering Prayer session with a group? I thought you shouldn’t engage in intellectual discussions. Are there guidelines […]
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Spiritual Experiences in Centering Prayer
Q: I would like clarification of what appears to be a contradiction in Thomas Keating’s teaching. On the one hand, he says that perceptions are thoughts and therefore, to be […]
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Centering Prayer Group Facilitator Support Team
Facilitating is a ministry that empowers people and enables group process. As a ministry it helps group members to become more aware and more loving. . . . Good […]
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Centering Prayer and Arising Energies
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for some time. Around two months ago during this prayer I had a strange experience. I felt some powerful force/energy entering my […]
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The Second Movement of Welcoming Prayer
Q: Is step two of Welcoming Prayer — the opportunity to consent to the Divine Indwelling — the same thing as ‘casting your cares’ upon the Lord? A: Thanks for […]
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Centering Prayer and The Chipped Cup
Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you felt emotional darkness, unsure if you would ever see light again? A single phone call from my distraught […]
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Autism and the Practice of Centering Prayer
Q: I have autism but I’m highly functional. It seems like during Centering Prayer my mind/brain goes almost always to memories of my past. Are there any special recommendations for […]
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What If I only have 15 minutes to practice?
Q: If I only have about 15 minutes a day to practice Centering Prayer, is this still beneficial? A: It is wonderful to dedicate some time to resting in God […]
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Centering Prayer, Welcoming Prayer and Anger
Q: Centering Prayer has changed my life. At times it’s hard, though it does not get old. So thank you for this method of prayer. It helps me to […]
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Praying Holy Scripture in the Lectio Divina Method as Part of the Centering Prayer Support Group
The Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina prayer practices complement each other. Fr. Thomas Keating called this a “Liturgy of Lectio Divina.” In his article “The Four Approaches to the Practice […]
The Facilitator, the Judge and the Three-Year Old
by Cissy Eyre Milford, Ohio “I said, and said, and said those words. I said them but I lied them.” ~Dr. Seuss I’m sitting snug on the couch early […]
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Judging our Practice
Q: I’ve been doing Centering Prayer for eight years now. I do two sessions of 20 minutes nearly every day. Sometimes I miss the 2nd sit, but that is […]
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The Experience of Apathy
Q: I have been spending time with the Spiritual Journey program, and I just watched the video ‘Frustrations Caused by the Emotional Programs’ (from Part 2 of the ‘Human […]
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Centering Prayer, Jesus Prayer, Welcoming Prayer
Q: Can I practice Centering Prayer as my main prayer (morning and afternoon) and during the day practice the Jesus prayer? Am I using two practices with different meanings and […]
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Is Centering Prayer for the Non-Religious?
Q: I’m a practitioner of “A Course in Miracles” and other non-religious pathways. Can I or anyone that is not a traditional Christian practice Centering Prayer? Is Centering Prayer for […]
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