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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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] […]
Moving Through Discouragement
Q: I pray Centering Prayer two-three times daily for an hour each. I started two years ago but I didn’t take it seriously until last year. I am currently going through […]
Confirming Direction
Q: I’ve been reading the books and practicing Centering Prayer on and off for about three years. Going from yoga to meditation, and now being called back to the […]
Renewing Our Understanding of the Contemplative Tradition
As the New Year unfolds it is a good time to renew our understanding of the richness of Contemplative Prayer, Centering Prayer and the role of Contemplative Outreach. What is Contemplative […]
Invited into a Deeper Relationship
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer consistently for the past three years. Over the past few months or so, I have noticed that I have not had so many extraneous […]
Let It All Go and BE
Q: Occasionally, I feel when I am in Centering Prayer that God is setting up a barrier, and that beyond that barrier is fire and that I would be burned if […]
Difficulty with Centering Prayer
Q: My difficulty with Centering Prayer is distractions of thoughts spilling over and being unable to get to or sustain a deep place in the prayer. I usually sit down […]
Is Centering Prayer for Everybody?
Q: I have used the CD series, “Contemplative Prayer” from Sounds True, along with reading many of Father Keating’s books. When I tried Centering Prayer, my mind was filled […]
Vestibules to our Centering Prayer Time
Q: I recently completed e-courses in Centering Prayer as well as Welcoming Prayer. When doing Centering Prayer, I find that most thoughts that come up are related to tasks […]
About the Sacred Word
Q: “How do I choose my sacred word for Centering Prayer” Dear Friend, Thank you for asking for clarification on the first Centering Payer method guideline: “Choose a sacred word […]
Centering Prayer and the Breath
Q: “I am new to Centering Prayer. I have historically meditated with a focus on the breath. I am having a difficult time not focusing on my breath throughout […]
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