Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious

Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious
Author: Murchadh O'Madagain
Publisher: Lantern Books
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2007
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1590561074

In this searching study, Fr. Murchadh Fr. Ó Madagáin describes the life and thoughts of Fr. Thomas Keating, the Trappist monk who was one of the founders of the centering prayer movement. Centering prayer aims to reclaim the Christian contemplative and mystical traditions after centuries of neglect and to make it available for modern spiritual seekers. Fr. Ó Madagáin traces its roots back to the fourth- and fifth-century Desert Fathers such as Evagrius and John Cassian. He shows how it was used in the medieval classic The Cloud of Unknowing and practiced by saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, then revived by Thomas Merton during the twentieth century. Fr. Ó Madagáin illustrates how, by bringing the insights of contemporary psychology to bear on this ancient method of prayer, Fr. Keating has not only revitalized the contemplative tradition, but also has enabled it to become a powerful tool for people of faith to gain insight into themselves and God, whom Keating calls the divine healer. Fr. Ó Madagáin also unpacks the processes at work in centering prayer and clears up some of the common misunderstandings that surround it. Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious is an essential work for all those interested in the history and practice of centering prayer. In addition to describing the background of this unique and effective practice, Fr. Ó Madagáin offers unique insights into the ideas of one of its leading contemporary teachers and practitioners.

Reflections on the Unknowable

Reflections on the Unknowable
Author: Thomas Keating
Publisher: Lantern Books
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2014-04-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1590564383

A distillation of over seventy years as a monastic and more than three decades of writing on centering prayer, Reflections on the Unknowable is Fr. Thomas Keating’s latest volume on how we might develop our intimacy with God and our experience of the Christian contemplative tradition. The first part of the book consists of a long interview with Fr. Thomas, in which he examines concepts of the divine‐including the astonishments, playfulness, and transformation available to the individual willing to open the door to God. The second section consists of thirty-one brief homilies, which range over topics as diverse as the Trinity and the message of Epiphany, spiritual evolution and cultivating interior silence, and the treasure of spiritual poverty and the beauty of chaos.

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening
Author: Cynthia Bourgeault
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2004
Genre: Contemplation
ISBN: 1561012629

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening is a complete guidebook for all who wish to know the practice of Centering Prayer.

Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer
Author: Brian D. Russell
Publisher: Paraclete Press
Total Pages: 127
Release: 2021-09-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1640606440

A new, but ancient, way to pray can turn your life around. Discover how to experience God’s love at your core, freeing you to love others, and even yourself. When biblical scholar and coach Brian Russell discovered centering prayer at a difficult crossroad in his life, he had no idea how his life would change. “Sensing God’s love for me has been so transformational that it almost feels as though I’ve experienced conversion all over again,” he writes. He became calmer, less anxious, less reactive, freed of past wounds, and a better listener in the presence of others. Centering prayer, also known as the prayer of silence, helps you quiet your mind from the constant thoughts and impulses, and frees your true self to experience more of God’s love in the very core of your being. This inviting guide gives you practical tools to make centering prayer a consistent habit in your life, gives the history and theological foundation for the practice, and helps identify and overcome common obstacles. Beginners, as well as seasoned practitioners, will gain inspiration, rich insight, and practical knowledge of a contemplative prayer practice that can open you up to deep experiences of inner healing and peace.

St. John of the Cross for Beginners

St. John of the Cross for Beginners
Author: William Meninger
Publisher: Lantern Books
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2014-08-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1590564642

Fr. William Meninger guides the reader through two basic works of inner development, The Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Dark Night of the Soul, by St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) . He unfolds for modern readers the essence of these classical texts, section by section. St. John of the Cross for Beginners is for anyone entering or considering the Christian path of inner work or wishing to go more deeply into one's path of development.

Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer
Author: Basil Pennington
Publisher: Image
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2010-12-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0307759393

The practice of prayer and meditation in modern Western Christianity is rooted in the Eastern tradition of early Church prayer as well as the wisdom of early Church fathers. In Centering Prayer, M. Basil Pennington, the author of the highly acclaimed Daily We Touch Him, returns to these roots, offering contemporary Christians a new approach to ancient prayer forms. Pennington combines the best of the Eastern spiritual exercises (such as the Jesus Prayer) with a spirituality for today's world. Addressing the obstacles that discourage people from praying well, he explains how to relax for prayer, how to listen to and be directed by the Other, and how to handle the pain and distractions that can stifle attempts to communicate with God. Centering Prayer has sold more than a quarter million copies since it was first published in 1982. In this eminently practical book, simple, inspiring instructions will help readers find the comfort and the guidance they seek through prayer.

On Divine Therapy

On Divine Therapy
Author: Thomas Keating
Publisher: Lantern Books
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2012-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1590564014

Father Thomas Keating is the founder of the Centering Prayer movement, based on the retreat into the "inner room" mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 6:6, where the individual is able to meet God. From the book Manifesting God, Father Keating explains the process of divine therapy and the process of purification in contemplative prayer.

Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit

Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit
Author: Thomas Keating
Publisher: Lantern Books
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2000
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9781930051218

Thomas Keating has spent more than fifty years in sustained practice and devotion to the spiritual life. The results of this creative, humble activity are now summarized in this remarkable book, Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit. As Father Keating says, the spiritual journey is a gradual process of enlarging our emotional, mental, and physical relationship with the divine reality that is present in us, but one not ordinarily accessible to our emotions or concepts. The spiritual journey teaches us, first, to believe in the Divine Indwelling within us, fully present and energizing every level of our being; second, to recognize that this energy is benign, healing, and transforming; and third, to enjoy its gradual unfolding step-by-step both in prayer and action.

The Way of the Prisoner

The Way of the Prisoner
Author: Jens Soering
Publisher: Lantern Books
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2003
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9781590560556

Centering Prayer is a modern adaptation of the ancient practice of contemplative prayer, a process of inner purification and an opening of the mind and heart to God. In this remarkable book, Jens Soering, an inmate in a Virginia prison, tells how Centering Prayer and its corollary, Centering Practice--contemplative prayer in action--enable him to survive the daily pain of prison life. Through a moving true story of personal redemption that shocks and inspires, Soering shows how we can all transform our crosses, our prisons (literal or metaphorical), into the means of our salvation.