My first encounter with Centering Prayer was in 2010 in Cambridge, England, where I was taking a two-year course of study on The Art of Spiritual Direction. One of […]
Centering Prayer and Other Types of Prayer
Q: While I am not yet capable of Centering Prayer, my daily prayer period consists of intercessory and thanksgiving prayers as well as Scripture reading and reflection. Silence and solitude […]
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Centering Prayer and Other Types of Prayer
Q: While I am not yet capable of Centering Prayer, my daily prayer period consists of intercessory and thanksgiving prayers as well as Scripture reading and reflection. Silence and solitude […]
![levels of awareness image](https://dev.contemplativeoutreach.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/fig-1-1024x744.jpg)
What Goes On in the Inner Room?
When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will cause your life […]
Some Teeny Centering in the Tiny Hours
I left the bedroom at 1:43 am, confident my congested, snoring wife would happily sleep away the night on her own. I made for the guest room and quiet. […]
Night of the Sense and Night of the Spirit
Q: I recently read Fr. Daniel Renaud's article on "Desire and Everyday Mysticism" and I see that over 25 years of Christian life I started on the positive way […]
Finding Wonders in the Desert
Few go willingly into the desert. It is a harsh life, more about survival than comfort. The silence can blister like the noonday sun. But harsh does not mean […]
The Use of a Sacred Image During Centering Prayer
Q: I am a trying to get a handle on Centering Prayer. Is it OK … to use the imagery that comes into my head when I sit, e.g., God […]
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The Nameless Place
I enter what enters me, Reaching a place in me, yet not in me, Releasing me to extend beyond The sensed boundaries Of my being alone in the world. […]
Going Inside: An Elder Brother Learns the Father’s Embrace
The fifteen years since my conversion have found me testing and confirming Fr. Thomas Keating’s assertion that, “the false-self accompanies us, implacably, into whatever lifestyle we choose” (1). Raised […]
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Contemplative Outreach Administrator Position
Posted November 4, 2019 From the "Guidelines for Contemplative Outreach Service with Commentary": 1. Contemplative Outreach is an evolving community with an expanding vision and deepening practice of Centering Prayer […]
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Brief Contemplative Lessons from Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart was a Dominican friar who lived in fourteenth-century Germany. He was a contemplative engaged in preaching and teaching. When he preached, his sermons were subtle and sublime. […]
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The Goal of Centering Prayer
Q: When I was in college in the late 60's, I used psychedelic drugs a number of times. Now when I pray with Centering Prayer, I find myself […]
Silence is Not Empty: It is Filled with God
I cannot imagine a better start to each day than a silent sit. When I practice Centering Prayer, I respond to God’s question, “Will you sit with me (Matthew […]
God’s Hints of Non-Dual Love Within Science and Nature
"Science is becoming more and more a prophet for our time, telling us things about God we never knew and about how the universe works." – Thomas Keating, That We […]
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Tuning-in to Nature
If we take time to look and listen, nature provides space and oxygen to breathe, salve for our souls and encouragement for our spirits. However, to access that bounty, there […]
Introducing Centering Prayer and the Practice of Silence to Young Adults
At the end of October 2018, we attended the first retreat at Snowmass after the passing of Fr. Thomas Keating and Abbot Joseph Boyle. The retreat began just five days […]
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Experiencing Peace in Centering Prayer
Q: People practicing Centering Prayer speak of experiencing a sense of peace. Can you please comment? A: The word peace can have different meanings, but what does it mean in the […]
Desire and Everyday Mysticism
In our lives and in our prayer practice, we often unconsciously live out two different types of spirituality: 1) A spirituality of duty is focused on following the desire of […]
Centering Prayer and Other Types of Meditation
Q: I did Centering Prayer for some years but with family (care-giving) responsibilities, I stopped because my head was always spinning and I couldn’t get centered. So, I will soon go on a […]
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A Lenten Visio Divina at Gallery W83 in NYC
“this really happened” by Julie Shelton Snyder When it was time to exhibit the wood block prints that came out of her residency at the foot of Mt. Fuji in […]
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Sacred Pathways Into Centering Prayer
Welcoming the Body, Stilling the Mind, Opening the Heart Incarnating Breath, Gesture, Chant “The contemplative dimension is the heart and soul of every religion. It initiates the movement into […]
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Often I am more aware of my pulse than my breath
Q: I have used the sacred word and the sacred breath at different times in my practice of centering prayer. But often I am more aware of my pulse than […]
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It seems the interest to do Centering Prayer has died
Q: I had been practicing Centering Prayer since 2008. But for the past year it seems the interest to do it has died. I would rather say the rosary or […]
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How Contemplative Outreach of South Africa came into being
Our founder was Winnie Young, and in 1995 Fr Carl Arico (on his first of 4 visits) helped her establish an ad-hoc national committee. This was replaced in 1997 by […]
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