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 […]
Read More… from 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 […]
Read More… from Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness: Wisdom for the Journey
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 […]
Read More… from A Science Project or a Poem?
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 […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Sleepiness
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 […]
Read More… from 40th Anniversary Conference Reflections
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. […]
Read More… from Faith and Science Conference
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 […]
Read More… from A Journey of Many Parts
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 […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Unloading of the Unconscious
by Brad Huard Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA It was late summer when we sold our house and moved into an apartment. After 22 years in the same home, I found […]
Read More… from Remain in My Love
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. […]
Read More… from Remaining Grounded in the Heart
by Mary Jane Yates, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and […]
Read More… from The Treasure of Hiddenness
by Jan Reed Austin, Texas USA At University United Methodist Church in Austin, for the last nine years, I have been teaching Centering Prayer at Vacation Church Camp for children, […]
Read More… from Teaching Children Centering Prayer
Q: I find it difficult to endure an hour of Sunday Mass, unless the priest happens to be an involving speaker. Many years ago, I effectively left the Catholic Church […]
Read More… from Attending Church Services as Contemplative Practice
Q: My experience with Centering Prayer in the last few years is that often when I sit down and close my eyes, sexual thoughts and images come in that […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Sexual Thoughts
by Suzi Kindervatter Centering Prayer has been my core spiritual practice for a more than twenty years. But over the past decade or so, I’ve also been drawn a […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Sacred Circle Dance
Q: Can fears, anxiety etc. occur during sleep or just during the sit time? I have been practicing Centering Prayer about two years. I often wake in the middle […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Unloading
by Mary Jane Yates, Alberta, Canada I have heard from those who knew him that Fr. Thomas was fond of using the word “experiment” when it came to discerning […]
Read More… from Opening to the Heartbreak of the World: An Experiment in Expanding Practice
by Teresie Viera Hašanová, CO Czechia-Slovakia I think there was no better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Contemplative Outreach community and honour Fr. Thomas Keating´s birthday (March 7) […]
Q: For my sacred word is it okay to use the four words QUE QUE SERA QUORA? This has helped me get through many confusing stresses and uncertainty. I […]
Read More… from Choosing a Sacred Word
by Bob Brown Thousand Oaks, California, USA For the past 73 years, I’ve been a participant in the human condition, both as recipient and contributor. In 1997, a woman […]
by the Contemplative Outreach Board As members of the Contemplative Outreach Board, we are volunteers who offer our time and service in an effort to support and advocate for […]
Read More… from Message from the Board Team
by Martina Weber Echzell, Germany Six years ago I read a lot about the Welcoming Prayer and tried to integrate it into my then beginning Centering Prayer practice. It […]
by Susan Kenney Sacramento, California, USA It is a prayer shawl, created in 23 hours. Each hour new threads are added. Each of different color and texture. Each with its […]
Read More… from A Prayer Shawl: March 8-9, 2024
Q: This question is in reference to the proper procedure for a group doing Centering Prayer. Our leader starts out by going around the circle and checking in with […]
Read More… from “Bless Them and Change Me”
Q: I read of your retreat at Garrison Institute, which I have also visited and it is wonderful. The struggle that I have is, as a Christian, the large […]
Read More… from The Meeting of Meditation Traditions