Two years ago Contemplative Outreach hosted a Global Introductory Workshop on Centering Prayer in the midst of the pandemic. Several hundred people from around the world tuned in to […]
TM, Centering Prayer and the Sacred Word
Q: I have a question regarding the sacred word. Before coming to Centering Prayer I had been practicing Transcendental Meditation. As long as I maintain the intention of Centering Prayer, […]
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Where Should the Attention Be in Centering Prayer?
Q: First, let me send you my sincerest gratitude for all that Contemplative Outreach does. After several years of Buddhist meditation, I have found my home in the teachings […]
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Thoughts About Thoughts
by Eben Carsey, Boulder, Colorado, USA The Centering Prayer method is a prayer of intention to consent to the being, presence, and action of God within. During prayer, thoughts arise. In the […]
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Guard of the Heart and Welcoming Prayer Practices
Q: Bob Mischke writes this about Guard of the Heart , from Fr Keating: “The following are three ways of keeping yourself on course in everyday affairs. The first […]
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Welcoming Prayer and Onset of Mania or Depression
Q: Firstly, I am very thankful for the teaching on Centering Prayer and have been practicing it for about two years. (The mobile app is really helpful too.) Though […]
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The Real Welcoming Prayer Practice
Q: I have a question about Welcoming Prayer. I saw some website posting Father Thomas Keating’s poem： Welcome, welcome, welcome. I welcome everything that comes to me today, because […]
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Perception Through Levels of Consciousness
Q: I’m a practitioner of Centering Prayer for about 15 years. I started after reading Cynthia Bourgeault’s and Thomas Keating’s introductions to Centering Prayer. Their later works have me […]
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Why Meditation/Contemplation?
Q: I’ve been practicing meditation/contemplation for more than twenty years. As of late, I am periodically troubled by the question “why am I doing this, i.e., contemplation?” The question is in […]
Ego Elimination?
Q: What Centering Prayer method is used to eliminate the ego? The Buddhist method is to meditate on emptiness. A: Thank you for your question. In truth all our contemplative practices are […]
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Centering Prayer and Trauma
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for 12 years, and recently I have been praying for the transformation process to hurry up. To put it more politely, for […]
In Memory of Ilse Reissner (English & Español)
1929 – 2021 HER HISTORY IN EXTENSION CONTEMPLATIVA INTERNACIONAL The history of the Spanish Centering Prayer Groups in Central Florida starts in 1991, when Ilse Reissner moved to Altamonte […]
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Governing Board Member Selection Process & Call For Applications
Description of the Governing Board The Governing Board of Contemplative Outreach is a volunteer group of Centering Prayer practitioners entrusted to serve the community at large, discern the call […]
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Our Contemplative Practices Move to Zambia
by Fionnuala Quinn O.P. Dublin, Ireland During this time of pandemic, when globally the life of every citizen has been disrupted and our personal connections with people very much […]
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Monkey Mind on Steroids
Q: I have been doing Centering Prayer for about 7 years, and I have changed in positive ways that my wife, some others in the CP group, and even […]
Background Noise
Q: When doing my Centering Prayer and after settling in to “find my sweet spot” I find that despite the quiet of prayer, there always seems to be noise […]
Centering Prayer and Tinnitus
Q: I was meditating/doing Centering Prayer for many years. However, about three years ago I got pretty sick. A result of that illness is now severe tinnitus or ringing […]
Guard of Heart
Guard of Heart By Bob Mischke “If you do Centering Prayer and don’t bring it into active life – like the active prayer phrase, the Welcoming Prayer, and Guard of […]
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What is Being “Welcomed” in the Practice of the Welcoming Prayer?
Q: On the Welcoming Prayer practice, what is being welcomed? What if I don’t feel “welcoming”? It seems like I can’t even “feel and sink into” the sensation if I’m […]
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Father Thomas: Gently Waiting for the Beginning
For most of the last 30 years, our abba, Father Thomas, has been an indefatigable whirlwind jetting around the world teaching, leading retreats, writing books and preaching the good news […]
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The Accelerated Course for Those Over 80
Q: In the book, The Human Condition, it mentions an accelerated course for people over 80. I am looking for information on that program. A: I am unaware of any […]
The Unitive Way: Seeing Creation from God’s Perspective
by George R. Gerardi “A new period in evolutionary history seems to be emerging that calls us to transcend our rational powers with their desires for security and survival, power […]
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A Closer Walk with God during Lockdown
Q: I have one – desperate – question. In the current lockdown I am led to believe from the book 40 Days to a Closer Walk with God [by David Muyskens] […]
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Some Gleanings from Survey Results – Contemplative Outreach Prison Outreach
At a Glance: A rich, diverse and exuberant response 88 respondents from 30 different U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. From both men’s and women’s facilities; From volunteers outside and chaplain/staff […]
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Remembering Therese Saulnier
“She got a little too good at welcoming!” So Thomas Keating said about his dear friend and colleague Mary Mrozowski after her death in 1993. We might say the same […]
