Category: Personal Testimonial

A Slightly New Perspective on the Welcoming Prayer

7/1/2013

By Julia Dady

I experienced a slightly new perspective on the Welcoming Prayer recently that I thought might be worth sharing. I have heard the Welcoming Prayer presented in the context of integrating our Centering Prayer practices with our lives, in particular, helping us through what we usually think of as "negative" emotions or experiences. It certainly has much value in those areas. But it occurred to me that there may be much value to applying it also with some of the "positive" emotions and experiences as well.

Recently, I had a particularly good day and was feeling quite on top of things, I thought "whew – life is good, very good ... everything is just great!" Well, there is nothing wrong about feeling that way, of course, but it occurred to me that maybe even the good emotions can be rooted in the false self needs for power/control, esteem/affection and security, too. The "positive" emotions feel so very good, that there can be a tendency to try to structure one’s life energies around creating or prolonging them. If the roots of those experiences are in the false self, I imagine much disorder can happen as well, such as with addiction, neglect or lack of appreciation of other necessary things in our lives.

So one day I decided to try the Welcoming Prayer and invite God into my "good" emotions. I invited the awareness of letting go of power/control, esteem/affection, and security within my positive emotions of well-being and the feeling that I was "on top of things (i.e., everything was under "control"!).

Something very subtle started to happen. It may not be fully revealed to me in my lifetime, but seems to be an invitation. There is the typical intellectual understanding of the transient nature of the positive emotions which we all have come to know through our life experiences. Beyond that, however, I felt a much deeper awareness and acceptance of the moment and a willingness to allow it to come and to pass without the need to hold on to it. This subtle revelation was gentle and without shame – for I could accept, honor, and celebrate the goodness of the moment for what it truly was. I felt a momentary freedom to experience without the need to grasp or claim ownership or entitlement. Now the journey begins again and the lesson will take much practice. Whew, life is good, very good!

Julia Dady is a member of St. Matt's Centering Prayer Group in St. Paul, Minnesota.

A Testimonial

8/15/2012

By Ted Tappan

Nearly four years ago now while incarcerated in Stillwater prison, in Minnesota, I was given instruction on, and began the daily meditation practice called Centering Prayer. I attribute miraculous changes in me and in my life to that daily practice and to a practice of 12 step principles.

I have been lifted from a scrap heap, and life has been restored to a goodness. I am out of prison, my chemical addictions have been successfully treated, most broken relationships have been restored, and my professional life is healing.

I have a relationship with God I never had. I have better relationships with my family than ever (not perfect). I have a humble confidence, a deep sense of gratitude, and a joy in my life that I never thought was possible. With Centering Pray I can Hear better than ever...but I can also See, Touch, Smell, and Taste all that I could never really experience before.

With Centering Prayer (meditation) anything is possible.... And the effects can be felt almost immediately. Like riding a bike or playing golf you get better with practice. I could go on talking about all the life changes I’ve had, or the changes I’ve seen in others…. But I will stop here with a suggestion to anyone who wants a better life: Try Centering Prayer.

Ted Tappan actively participates in the Centering Prayer Group at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis and for two years has attended the Workshop for Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps held at Colonial Church in Edina.

Aftercare Spotlight

3/1/2012

Centering Prayer can bring silence to your soul.

By Kathleen Lindstrom

Dick Young's search for peace started 50 years ago when his wife, Carolyn, gave him an ultimatum: "Either get into therapy, or we get a divorce." Five years and 250 therapy sessions later, he began facing the demons that haunted him since childhood when he was abused by an alcoholic father and narcissistic mother. It left him with a stutter and an inability to master reading, writing and arithmetic.

"Without the Twelve Steps and Centering Prayer, I'd be a raging maniac right now filled with anger and resentment — someone who couldn't feel one feeling."

Young went on to graduate from college, marry, get sober, raise two children, work his way up the corporate ladder and, in 1999, retire as the chief financial officer for a Fortune 500 company. Even more important, he works the Steps daily and claims to experience those intangible blessings of freedom and peace promised in the Big Book. He insists it's all due to the support of loving people who crossed his path along the way, and he's spent most of his life trying to return the favor.

Young's workshops, "Exploring 12 Step Spirituality" are one way he hopes to give back. The three-hour sessions are held once a month and include testimonials, group discussions, readings from the Big Book and 20 minutes of Centering Prayer meditation.

"Centering Prayer," he explains, "is one way to work the 11th Step, with the goal of improving our conscious contact with a Higher Power through prayer and meditation. They're both very compatible. Like the Twelve Step program, Centering Prayer is all about surrendering to something bigger than ourselves and deepening our relationship with the Divine."

For Young, discovering Centering Prayer was a turning point and something he unabashedly calls a "God-touch." "We had just lost our son in a tragic accident and his death was devastating. He was only 25. Carolyn and I were in bad shape. We read some books on grief and one of them talked about the healing power of meditation, so my wife started to do Centering Prayer. I have ADHD and sitting still for 20 minutes twice a day was unimaginable. But I saw the changes in her and decided to try it. Three years later I got up from my 20-minute session and realized the pain was gone. I still miss my son, but after three years of meditating, the octopus of pain that was strangling me had let go."

Today, the Youngs are certified Centering Prayer teachers and have led a Centering Prayer group for eight years.

Young explains that Centering Prayer is a form of meditation practiced by the desert mothers and fathers in the third century, and eventually entrusted to monastic communities for safekeeping. In the mid-1970s, Thomas Keating and two other Trappist priests repackaged this ancient prayer for the modern world, called it Centering Prayer and introduced it to the lay population.

Centering Prayer enables us to move deeper into our hearts and just be, Young says. "We sit in silence twice a day for 20 minutes. We say nothing; we ask for nothing; we just surrender to the moment and allow God to be with us. Keating has said that 'silence is God's first language. Everything else is a poor translation.' So we sit in that silence, listen with the ear of our hearts and gradually wake up to the presence of God."

How has this practice changed him?

"The best way to answer that is to ask someone you've known for a long time. So I asked my wife of 54 years if I've changed, and she said ‘Yes! It's unbelievable. No one from your past would know you today.'

"I've been working the 4th Step for 50 years," he adds. "For the first 30, I did it without Centering Prayer. For the last 20 years, I did it with Centering Prayer—and the rate of healing was exponentially faster. Centering Prayer reduced my anger and resentments faster and more completely than I could have done it otherwise.

"I've seen other people change also. It's in their faces—there's a quietness there, a peace and joy. They slow down. They are more accepting. They know a loving God is present in their lives. And isn't that all any of us really need to know?"

For more information about “Exploring 12-Step Spirituality,” visit 12stepspirituality.org.

© Published with permission from Renew Magazine, January/February 2012 issue

Meditation: Outside of the Box?

9/30/2011

By John Murphy

During my sessions of Centering Prayer, I am typically in the same area of my home, with a bit of the same ritual of quieting myself before prayer.

But it is SUMMER! We had a long winter, a wet summer, and I felt that I have been just cooped up for too long. So I decided to take CP out of my box and into the outside world! I knew of a very quiet place and "went for it." The first time was a sheer delight: low humidity, light breeze, a comfy temperature. Other times as I did a session or two, the outside was a delight. I felt in total union with God, Nature, and all of Human Kind! (Yes, I know we are not supposed to judge our sessions…but come on! This was the best few days in a really, really, long time!)

I wanted to sing from the top of the hills: The hills are alive with the sound of Centering Prayer!

Then, one day, I took a walk after work. I was a bit flustered by the day. "I know, I will do some CP." I found a quiet place and sat. There was no breeze. OK, just a thought: say my sacred word. It was rather hot… and after 8! OK, just a thought: Say my Sacred Word. A trickle of sweat was coming off my brow… and a bug, two bugs… I waved them away as I said my Sacred Word. I think I may have said it out loud as one of the bugs returned. I took a breath and went back to CP. That was as tough a 19 minute, 49 second session as I have had in a while. (Yes, I know we are not supposed to judge! But with the bugs, perspiration, heat… I am only human!)

The next day, my session was inside. Nice, quiet, a small fan humming in the background. Ah, life is good!

As I drove to work, one of my best contemplation times, I smiled at the similarities of outside practice vs. inside practice. We can try to control things but we can’t. Inside the phone can ring, the coffee machine sounds like it is overflowing. Outside, bugs, humidity, a bus honking and brakes screeching. (Forgot to mention that one :-) ). Some days, the discipline of CP is routine, even a touch of boredom can creep in. Other times there is joy. Or there is a feeling that a great burden has been lifted. Thoughts come wherever I go. One thing I learned outside: You need to let it all go. Recognize it, say your Sacred Word and let that go. It is returning to the practice of Centering Prayer. It is in the doing, rather than "making it special." Being disciplined to continue is the key. Yes, even if only 19 minutes and 49 seconds have passed, I could have taken in one more breath and relaxed into the communion of the intention of the prayer.

Will I ever go outside to do CP again? Yes, of course I will. I have done it in the past and will do it in the future. The lesson this time was not to get stuck on the place, but on the prayer.

Gratitude Attitude

11/15/2010

By David Jorgenson

It seems to be a cliché to write about gratitude with Thanksgiving in November. However, this is what came to mind as I try to explain an attitude of gratitude in words.

There is a source of gratitude, there are obstacles to gratitude and there is a constant overflow of gratitude with numerous points between full and empty. Gratitude is a creation of the Trinity; the Heavenly Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our Father created it; the Son gave us the greatest example of gratitude and the Holy Spirit who instills it in us. Without all three of these we miss part of the whole attitude of gratitude. There are obstacles to gratitude such as; a distant relationship with our source, self pity and being absorbed in a "me first" worldly perspective. Actually the last two could be sub-categories of the first.

One of my grateful moments came from a weekly TV show. It is prime time evening and the opening of Mash is starting. Tears fill eyes and my throat chokes up while the nurses are sprinting to the landing zone to unload the wounded. Memories from Hill 69 remind me of the flights of med evac choppers returning to the field hospital at Chu Lai, Vietnam. From the southern horizon to mid-way up the coast, there is a stream of Marine helicopters evacuating wounded from the battlefield in the south. The opening of M*A*S*H always reminds me of how grateful I should be to have left Vietnam without any physical injury. Many times I should have been carried out on med evac but our gracious God's love spared me from that.

Staying connected with the Trinity can be done by daily Centering Prayer, daily scripture reading and community worship. These are just three of numerous methods to stay in touch with our Creator, Redeemer and Comforter. If we are unplugged from our power source by staying away, rejecting or denying our God exists, we can’t see God. If we don’t see God then how can we see His blessing? Without the thought of being fortunate or blessed our gratitude is diminished. However, with God who "works all things for good", and is continually loving and forgiving, how can I not feel grateful? Not realizing God wants to bless us is part of the problem. "Seek first the kingdom and all things will be added." "Everything you do will prosper", "the desires of your heart", more than you can imagine, "abundant life." These, a few snippets of verses indicate God wants to bless us. These verses do not mean we all will be materially wealthy but point to spiritual wealth with the fruits and gifts of the spirit.

Another obstacle to gratitude is self pity, which puts me at the center of my world. I’m not at fault for all the wrong around me. Who is to blame? Who is causing my misery? When I am selfish even God is wrong, therefore he must have caused it. Eventually it leads to thinking that I have it worse than anyone else does. This attitude lacking gratitude becomes a spiral downward, wider and deeper, shutting out my vision of gratitude. Prolonged lack of gratitude no doubt affects my physical, mental and spiritual health.

Looking into the loaded refrigerator it seems I’m lost trying to find something. My first impulse is to grumble that I can’t find anything in such a full refrigerator. Fortunately, before I finish grumbling the Holy Spirit injects; "Why aren’t you more thankful for the full refrigerator?" Thank God it is full. A more mature Christian would thank God they can’t see the back wall because it is full. Again the Holy Spirit instills in me, "Could you be grateful if the refrigerator were empty?" I hope so but I don’t think I’m there yet with the amount of my grumbling about being plentiful. What does that say about me? Paul wrote, "Do all things without grumbling", "He will supply all your needs." I hope I can find a balance at least, but better yet, that I would reach St. Paul’s level, "Whatever state I’m in to be content."

Absorbed in a worldly negative attitude we may not even realize an ungrateful attitude because of the influence of friends, lifestyles or upbringing that dominate our present thinking. We come to faith carrying various issues that influence and blind our gratitude. Our Centering Prayer allows God’s action within to make a huge influence on revealing or correcting our obstacles. In Centering Prayer God decides to choose His action to modify within us. Our perspective blinds us or clears the way to see. Our attitude supports our gratitude but our perspective must be connected to our Heavenly Father’s viewpoint.

As I walk through the hospitals I feel the pain of the patients, families and staff. (Your words come to me and they comfort me.) The patient in 991 has been there for over 200 days. When I enter the patient’s room his spouse looks weary and tries to smile but her smile fades. My spirit picks up on the peoples pain more than what I see. All I can do is to do my job quickly and leave with the least amount of disturbance. If I can find some words to say, I speak them and leave praying as I move onto the next patient. Gratitude wells up in me as I thank God for my good health while still feeling the Patient’s emotional pain. Every ache of mine is so trivial compared to the patients I encounter.

Gratitude comes from our source, God and Creator, and instilled by the Holy Spirit. I pray that I can live grateful for every moment without the grumbling that is part of my life. I pray that Centering Prayer would bring God’s action to resolve this issue. God fills us with love, joy peace, kindness and faith to build our gratitude with the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. With these blessings God gives us a perspective to see His blessings in our life from God’s viewpoint. We can understand now the range of His Blessings from the most significant to the tiniest of material blessing.

(Verses include: Matt. 6:33, Deut. 29:9, Ps. 34:4, Eph. 3:29, John 10:10, Phil. 2:14 & 4:19)

David Jorgenson is a trained presenter of Centering Prayer and a member of the Minnesota Contemplative Outreach Planning group.

Bringing Centering Prayer to Mindful Driving

4/2/2010

By John Murphy

The discipline of daily Centering Prayer (CP) is important to me. It is too easy to let the practice go for a day ... a week. To help me with this, I try to find ways to take "traditional CP" and introduce it to my day to day activities. For me, it helps to reinforce my practice and reminds me of my commitment.

One activity that I have brought CP to is rush hour traffic. I am referring to those times when at best the car gets up to 5 MPH. The time when you, and everyone around you is stuck

Now I will admit my first reaction to this event is far from enlightened. At times I will even use words of frustration that I used during my short tenure as an iron worker.

But then I stop. Literally! It is then I notice a long slow exhale.

"Oh," I think. "I am breathing."

I smile, turn off the radio, and focus on my breath. My meditation has taught me well of this focus. The breath goes from "scattered" to rhythmic. I can feel my shoulders relax. My hands loosen their death grip on the steering wheel. Again, I smile.

I notice traffic is starting to move. Peacefully, I start mindful acceleration and braking practice. I do not lose focus on my breath.

Don’t worry; I am still very aware of the other vehicles. As a matter of fact, I don’t see vehicles at all. I see drivers, and passengers. I notice they are like me: Stuck in traffic. Some are on the phone, others singing, cursing, tapping on the steering wheel. I see them as we slowly move along. I continue my focus on my breath. As I breath, I feel a connection of us all being here. I return to my breath.

Time passes and I drive in my mindful creeping mode: Quietly breathing, and letting thoughts go. And as we all inch along the interstate, locked as a swarm of metal, I sense a stillness. My Sacred word comes up and I return to my breath. I have let go of all thoughts of being anyplace except here. My breath reminds me that I am "right here." My Sacred Word coaches me to be present. Years of driving keeps me safe as I crawl along. My storylines are gone and I know that I am surrounded by a Gentle Love’s potential. 5, 10, 15 minutes pass, and then I transition. I go from "mindful driving" to "commuting." Stillness is a bit noisier as we rush to "normal" speeds. My awareness shifts to driving in rush hour. A few minutes pass and my Sacred Word bubbles up. I smile and am thankful that I had this time... Well, mostly thankful.

Doing exercises like this helps me incorporate CP into my life. IT also helps me be more VIGILANT to keeping the commitment of daily practice. Bringing CP to activities during the day, and then daily practice reminds me of a quote of St. Anthony: "The prayer of the monk is not perfect until he no longer recognizes himself or the fact that he is praying."

Forward>>

A Slightly New Perspective on the Welcoming Prayer

A Testimonial

Aftercare Spotlight

Meditation: Outside of the Box?

Gratitude Attitude

Bringing Centering Prayer to Mindful Driving

Presence & Action Blog

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