by Cherry Haisten member of Welcoming Prayer service team At the end of early editions of Open Mind, Open Heart appears a list Thomas Keating calls “Means of Extending the […]
Dealing with the Unloading of Trauma and Grief
Q: Over the last few months I’ve been experiencing a lot of deep grief during Centering Prayer periods followed by understandings outside of prayer into trauma that occurred when […]
Practicing from a sacred space within
Q: Prior to discovering Centering Prayer I practiced meditation using a mantra. Somewhere along the way I found myself inside a space like the cleft of a rock, which I […]
Sounds of Nature and Centering Prayer
Q: There is a small creek in our backyard and I enjoy practicing Centering Prayer while sitting on the back porch or opening a window so I can hear […]
“The Greatest Experience of God is No Experience”
Q: I heard you share this quote: “The greatest experience of God is no experience of God” (Thomas Keating). This saying has me very confused. My life has been filled […]
The Cross of Uncle Raymond
by Tom Agness Rochester, New York, USA I have never liked crucifixes. For years, the emphasis on the bloody death of Jesus Christ, his anguished face, without the corresponding […]
Using the Sacred Glance in Centering Prayer
Q: Can someone explain using the sacred glance in Centering Prayer, instead of the sacred word? A: The sacred glance in Centering Prayer is a beautiful symbol of our consent […]
Body Sensations and Unloading
Q: I haven’t been a practitioner of Centering Prayer very long; or rather, I haven’t been as disciplined as I sometimes desire. However, I want to ask about my body’s […]
Transitioning from Mindfulness to Centering Prayer
Q: I’ve been practicing mindfulness for many years. A carryover from this practice is the tendency for a beautiful pulsating image to manifest in the area between my eyebrows a […]
Digging A Well of Presence in the Parish
by Amber Sturgess Recent years have brought about major paradigm shifts in our institutions, including our churches. During the pandemic many of our parishes had to close to the public, […]
Centering Prayer and Mindfulness Meditation
Q: I’m at times confusing Centering Prayer with mindfulness meditation. At times when I’m doing Centering Prayer, I find that I’m focusing on my breath and I know I’m […]
Tears During Centering Prayer
Q: Sometimes during Centering Prayer, an emotional pain comes up that causes me to cry from a deep level. Is this Divine Therapy or is it the “emotionality” teachers […]
How Centering Prayer is Changing the World: A Love Letter from the Dominican Republic
We embrace the process of transformation in Christ, both in ourselves and in others, through the practice of Centering Prayer – Contemplative Outreach vision A brief history of […]
Blending Prayer Practices
Q: I’ve practiced Centering Prayer on and off for years. Same with Lectio Divina and the Liturgy of the Hours. Now I’m trying to blend them into an integrate […]
About the Intensive Retreat
This article contains information about the Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat format, which is also one of the requirements of the commissioning process to become a Centering Prayer Presenter. Thomas Keating […]
The Prayer Phrase and Praying Without Ceasing
What longing there is in wanting to pray without ceasing! We stumble on that boulder-filled road forgetting, remembering, forgetting and remembering again. Contemplative tradition tells us that help can […]
Reflections on Service
All who serve seek to be attuned to the needs and concerns of the whole community, whether individuals, small prayer groups, or local chapters. – Contemplative Outreach Guideline […]
Guiding a Centering Prayer Group in Jail
by Tom Cook I have been guiding a Centering Prayer (CP) class for the last year at DuPage County Correctional Facility in Wheaton, Illinois (USA). I have been amazed and […]
Using the Spiritual Journey Series for Ongoing Enrichment
Two different prayer groups – one on Zoom and one in-person, share their experience and approach to using the Spiritual Journey videos. Note that the entire series is freely […]
Abiding with Unloading
Q: From a prisoner in minimum isolation: “I have been working on Centering Prayer. It started off easy. For about three months it was happening with no mental or physical […]
Letting God Lead the Relationship
Q: My attempts at Centering Prayer have not been particularly good. Though I do believe that any attempts to connect with God are honoured and I know at times I […]
How Masks Reveal Our True Selves
by Charles Fiore It had been my lifelong habit, when greeting friends or strangers, to grin madly like an animatronic clown—all teeth. I used to think this made me seem […]
Practical Steps for Self-Knowledge
Q: Our Centering Prayer group has been studying The Cloud of Unknowing translated by Carmen Acevedo Butcher. In chapter 14, pg 42, we are told to “Get to know […]
Centering Prayer and Posture
Q: Can you lie down in Centering Prayer? A: Thank you for your question. At some point, we all wonder if it is okay to lay down during Centering Prayer. Centering […]
