The Practice of Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer is a modification of the prayer described in The Cloud of Unknowing.  In Centering Prayer, there is no creation of a cloud of unknowing above you or a cloud of forgetting below you.  These are mental creations; ideas that are artificial and not wholly real.  Instead, there is a resting of the attention in one's center, trusting that God is always present to us there.  There is no attempt made to 'feel' God's Presence.  Again, this would be just another 'mental' effort; something that ultimately distorts our approach to God rather than something that facilitates our approach.

Finally, there is a different use of the "sudden impulses toward God" which the author of The Cloud describes.  The author of The Cloud invites us to use a one-syllable word to help focus our attention, by "fasten[ing] the word to your heart" and saying it over and over again.  The authors of the Centering Prayer invite us to choose a word at the outset of our meditation, but to use it in a somewhat different way.  Instead of repeating it constantly, like in the Jesus Prayer, we are to say it only when we become aware of distractions.  We are to "touch distractions with the sacred word, like the light touch of a feather."  

Father Keating sums up this use of the sacred word with "the four R's."  These are:  

1)  Resist no thought.

2)  Retain no thought.

3)  React emotionally to no thought.

4)  Return to your sacred word when you notice you are thinking about some other thought."

Centering Prayer revolves around the use of a "sacred word."  Before we begin a period of practice, we must choose a word, a sound, or even a gesture.  This will serve as a symbol for us, a tool to remind us of what we are doing – sitting in God's holy Presence.  When distracted, we will use this word to bring us back to that central Reality.  

It is important to note that the sacred word is not sacred because of any intrinsic quality of the word itself.  It is sacred because it expresses our intention to be in God's Presence and to yield to His action.  Your sacred word may be one of the words used to refer to God:  Jesus, Lord, Kyrie (Greek for Lord), Abba, Amma (Aramaic for Father and Mother), etc.  It may refer to a divine quality:  Love, One, Still.  It may be a gesture, made silently within yourself, such as raising the distracting thought up to the Divine.  It may be totally devoid of intellectual content, such as the sound of a pure tone, or a sigh like, "Ahhh."  

Whatever you choose for your sacred word, it should be simple, short, and non-reflective.  That is, you shouldn't go off on a ten-minute remembrance of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount if you use the name "Jesus" as your sacred word.  Furthermore, after you have chosen your sacred word, do not change it for the period of your meditation.  Father Keating and the other leaders in the Centering Prayer movement recommend practicing this method for at least 20 minutes at a time.  They also recommend practicing twice a day: early in the morning when you arise, and in the afternoon or evening.

Keating describes Centering Prayer as "a discipline designed to withdraw our attention from the ordinary flow of our thoughts.  We tend to identify ourselves with that flow.  There is, however, a deeper part of ourselves.  This prayer opens our awareness to the spiritual level of our being....which is our participation in God's being."  

Centering Prayer is based upon cultivating a receptive attitude.  The entrance into deep quiet is a mark of the power of our developing receptivity.  We are not praying to achieve a spiritual 'high,' to have no thoughts, or to do or have anything at all.  Our purpose, in Centering Prayer as in all of the exercises presented here, is to be with the Lord, to be open to His Will, to be receptive to His movement in our hearts.

The reason this discipline is so crucial is simple.  "The chief thing that separates us from God is the thought that we are separated from Him.  We fail to believe that we are always with God and that He is part of every reality."  The obstacle that prevents us from understanding this fundamental reality is our own thinking and worldview.  "It needs to be exchanged for the mind of Christ, for His worldview."  Centering Prayer, then, can be best understood as an open-hearted consent to God.  

*  *  *

This seems like a good stopping place for this week.  I would encourage you to practice Centering Prayer until we meet again.  I have found that Centering Prayer seems more natural for introverts, whereas the Jesus prayer, with all of its words, seems more natural for extroverts.  That being said, both of these forms of meditation will take you very deeply into the presence of God.  It really doesn’t matter which method you choose; what matters is that you find a method that is comfortable for you and that you practice with it regularly.

Next week, we will examine the interior movement that occurs during Centering Prayer in more detail.  I will be sharing the experiences of a colleague who went to a 10-day Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat.  In this account, my colleague shares with us a series of internal changes that occurred as a result of her meditation.  Her account is very moving, and it will give you a sense of what is possible as a result of practicing this prayer.

With love,

P.S.  Several of you have expressed the desire for an online meditation class.  If there is enough interest, I will try to figure out how to hold a group class on the web.  If you have an interest, please write me at [email protected]. 

Humility as a Tool  → Letting go → Fear → Openness →  Acceptance & Growth

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