Today I will just share a short note about a spiritual practice that I truly recommend. The practice is called centering prayer. It has a long tradition, and can partly be traced back to a practice of silende explained in the mystical book Cloud of Unknowing. The form in which it is practiced among many contemplative seekers today has been clarified by the well-known munk Thomas Keating. His books come recommended too, and one which dives into the topic of centering prayer is Keating’s Open Mind, Open Heart.
For myself I practice this silent attitude or prayer once a month together with some contemplative friends. We meet in a local church, and after a short introduction by the one leading the practice we sit in a circle for 2o minutes. After that we join around the table again for a short voluntarily sharing.
Many mornings, regularly, I also try to sit down alone for at least 10 minutes, taking time for a shorter version. Even though the 20 minutes are truly recommended, I find that 10 minutes are much better than not doing the practice at all.
The main goal of the practice is to sit openly in silence saying a word in your mind every time you lose your silent focus, to redirect yourself back into the open silence. This is not called a mantra, yet it is a word of your choice to think when the monkey mind starts talking. Then the goal is not to empty your mind, but to give your focus to the open silence and quietness. For some this seems similar to some mindfulness practices, but it can be said to be a little different too.
In centering prayer it is not thought so much that you will experience any particular elevation, ecstasy or felt experience of God or Divine during the practice. At least that is not what we are seeking. We seek only to be open in silence, in a restful and upright, chaired position. You may close your eyes and open your hands on your lap, but really what counts is that you can sit comfortably and attentive in an open silence.
Since there is not much more to it than what I have explained simply here, and the goal is not a spiritual experience other than attentiveness, why practice it? For me it is a time of open focus where I think my heart and soul are working, even though the feeling of it is not important. And the results you may say, will come later. If you practice for some time you may experience a change in your daily life. This silence may become a strength and something beautiful to carry within you in your day. It may help you become less reactive and activated, and more responsive to the experiences in the real world.
I word of warning if you want to try it out, which I hope you do, is that as Keating explains in other words that the first period you try this your mind may go a little crazy, and start spinning and throwing a lot of thoughts at you. Since you are not used to being in silence like this, the mind is not used to it either. It also may be that the mind and feelings come at you with really important stuff too, that you need to bring your attention to after the time of practice. A lot of unconscious and repressed things, that you have tried not to see and acknowledge maybe in a very active and perhaps stressful daily life, now may come at you with full force. If this happens you must realize that you may need someone to talk to about hidden issues in your life that now want to surface. It is really Important that you go seriously about this, otherwise you may hit a wall. I could have said more about this aspect, but will leave it at that for now. If you want to dialogue about it, please comment, and we’ll start a discussion that can become fruitful.
Now, I just hope you learned a little bit about centering prayer. For me these days I combine this practice with dream work and dream interpretation which can be very interesting and learningful. More on that later. So, try it out, this silent practice of centering prayer – if you dare 😊 I dare you, you probably won’t regret it, at least if you take note of the words of warning too.
Blessings to you!
A Contemplative Life 