Centering Prayer is a modern approach to the ancient Christian tradition of contemplative prayer. It is a simple practice, easy to learn, but not always easy to do. During a Centering Prayer session, you sit in quiet and drop below the constant chatter of your mind into silence. You also choose a sacred word that you focus on when your mind wanders. Which it will. Constantly. Favorite anchor words are “love,” “joy,” or “Jesus.” I like “beloved.” I have been centering for about four years now. I have been lucky to find a group that meets weekly not far from my home. I never would have thought that sitting in silence in a circle with strangers could change my life. But it has.
I am grateful for Father Thomas Keating, the Trappist monk who helped develop Centering Prayer and make it accessible to ordinary people. Keating is one of the founders of Contemplative Outreach, an organization that “fosters transformation in Christ…through the practice of Centering Prayer.” Contemplative Outreach has a website that is full of information about Centering Prayer. It has videos, tips, and all that you need to start your own practice. You can find them here: Contemplative Outreach. There is enough wisdom about Centering Prayer there to keep you learning and growing for a long time.
A Little of what i’ve learned about centering
Father Keating is funny, and kind, and loving, as you would think a monk would be. But as I’ve watched his teaching videos in my weekly Centering Prayer circle, I’ve also learned how smart he is. Smart about the human condition. Smart about the human heart, and the ways that I fool myself into thinking that I know what will make me happy. He uses sociology, psychology, and Scripture to speak the truth that I have spent years wandering through life seeking happiness in places where I can’t find it. I am on an endless quest for safety. For esteem and people liking me. For power and control.
The problem is that none of those things ultimately bring happiness. I know it seems like they should. But that’s where I get it wrong. The good news? Centering Prayer helps break down the thought patterns (Keating calls them “emotional programs for happiness that don’t work”) that keep me trapped in the safety/esteem/power cycle. Centering Prayer helps me drop down to a deeper place where I become aware of God’s presence and love. In that place, nothing else matters.
Part of growth is awareness. This blog is my attempt to chronicle my own journey of trying to rewrite my own bogus emotional programs for happiness. Everyday, every hour, every minute, I get caught up in my own desires for security, esteem, and control. I am trying to let these go.
