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Nicholas Roerich, Defender Cloud Archer, 1937
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"The psychological experience of a separate self sense is the root of all sin [meaning 'to miss the mark']. ... It is the anxiety, the sense of separation, loneliness, or alienation -- and all the negative feelings that flow from them -- that are really the inspiration of seeking what we imagine as happiness, wherever it can be found, without being concerned about the consequences. ...
"What would be the proper response to missing the [mark, the bullseye] if you were an apprentice? Obviously, try again. ... In other words, to allow the divine energy to work through us through the preparation that has been done through many, many failures."
Thomas Keating
Heartfulness: Transformation in Christ
($6 USD; available as hardcopy and digital PDF)
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Q: I am 76 years old and belong to a recovery program. ... I practice twice per day for 20 minutes and have done so for over two years. My problem is I don’t seem to be getting any deep “messages” from my subconscious. I’m sure I have a lot of garbage in my subconscious. I wonder if you can help me.
A: Read the full question and Mary's response here.
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Have questions? Submit your questions about your Centering Prayer practice or other contemplative practices, the spiritual journey and the contemplative life to any of our contributors by emailing pamela@coutreach.org. The full archive of Q&As can be found here. |
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Embracing Life: The Welcoming Prayer
An UPDATED e-course facilitated by Mary Dwyer, Dave Dierig, Cherry Haisten, Mary Lapham, Jim McElroy, Logan Jones
November 4 - 29, 2024
$75 USD
Partial scholarships with special registration are available here
Full fee registration here.
The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to the presence and action of the Holy Spirit--the Divine Indwelling. Through the Welcoming Prayer, we consent specifically to what we experience in our bodies as we react to what happens to us and around us in daily life. The Welcoming Prayer helps us greet these automatic reactions with compassion and replace them with more measured and loving responses.
Join us to learn, deepen, or renew this practical and profound prayer. This live e-course includes video teachings, three emails per week, step-by-step instructions on the Welcoming Prayer with a guided audio version to assist your practice, a one-hour live Zoom call, and an online forum for comments and questions.
Please register here.
image courtesy of elpopophoto
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"Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic — A Dialogue with Cynthia Bourgeault and David Frenette.”
Tuesday December 10 via Zoom
1-2pm Eastern Time (6pm GMT, noon CT, 11am MT, 10am PT)
Free; $25 suggested donation
This event will be recorded
Cynthia Bourgeault’s new book, Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic, is a much-anticipated portrait of Thomas Keating's remarkable evolution during the last decades of his life into a fully realized modern-day Christian mystic. The book has received rave reviews from Richard Rohr, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Rami Shapiro and more. The book is available for preorder on Bookshop (for those who prefer independent booksellers) or here on Amazon. It will ship on November 26, 2024.
On the auspicious day of December 10, the 56 th anniversary of Thomas Merton’s death, Cynthia and David Frenette will meet together on Zoom to discuss the book, the parallel lives and vision of Keating and Merton, and evolution of the Christian contemplative journey into unitive and nondual consciousness. This discussion celebrates the continuation of these teaching and practices in each of our lives and on behalf of the world.
Please register here for the Zoom link. Please donate here; donations of any size are greatly appreciated and will be shared with the presenters.
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“The idea of non-duality appears in many of the Christian mystics, in the sacraments, and in the liturgy of the Church. It needs to be more clearly emphasized in our times insofar as this term is the one that is being used in inter-spiritual circles today. In non-duality the separate-self sense is greatly reduced and even disappears. Everything that happens is the direct experience of reality. It is being able to lead ordinary life without thinking of oneself. When you look at a tree, it is a tree and not you looking at a tree. …
“… Christian non-duality then is this increasing merging of all our interests of body, soul, and emotions into the Body of Christ, the New Creation, who through the Spirit has given us the guidance of the Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit.”
- Thomas Keating, That We May Be One: Christian NonDuality |
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Hosted by Pastor Tia Norman, friend of Contemplative Outreach and Centering Prayer Facilitator
On February 22-23, 2025, the Black Contemplative Prayer Virtual Summit brings together black spiritual teachers and thought leaders to explore prayer, activism, and community.
In contemplative community, diversity is essential. By providing a platform for Black contemplative speakers and teachers, this first of its kind summit will center Black voices offering the wider contemplative community language and tools that may help in our efforts to include, invite and diversify the conversation on spiritual growth, transformation and practice.
Early bird registration is only $99 until December 15th. Registration is open to ALL and may be done here. This event will be recorded.
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SAVE THE DATE
“A Rising Tide of Oneness: Unity Consciousness for a World in Bits and Pieces"
Day-Long Symposium
Garrison Institute in Garrison, New York
March 7, 2025
A day-long symposium to explore and celebrate the spiritual legacy of Fr. Thomas Keating: Trappist monk, enlightened spiritual master, founder of the Centering Prayer movement, and a pillar of contemplative inter-spiritual dialogue. The symposium will weave together teaching, practice, panel discussions, and provocative immersion sessions as we dive deeply into Fr. Thomas’s prophetic vision of Oneness as both an inner state of consciousness and an outer pathway of planetary healing.
Optional Retreat to follow, the evening of March 7 through the afternoon of March 12, co-led by Cynthia Bourgeault and David Frenette.
Go here to add your name to list to be notified when registration opens.
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SAVE THE DATE for United in Prayer Day, which has been moved to March 14-15, 2025.
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A Journey of Many Parts
by Elaine Walker, Ireland
"I have walked 11 different Camino routes in Spain since 2012. It is a path I am compelled to do, although I often don’t always enjoy it! I just feel closest to God on any Camino path. It’s a journey of so many parts, a bit like Centering Prayer. I start off with all my head “stuff” and an awareness of the heaviness of my backpack. I carry all of the stress that I should have left at home. The question is always, “Why am I doing this?” ... Read more here >>>
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The full archive of community articles can be found here. If you would like to share your reflections and experiences about the contemplative life, please email your submissions to Pamela Begeman.
image courtesy of Diane Walker
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The gift of Centering Prayer for me is ...
... is the realization that we are Living suspended in God’s Love and Mercy.
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... discovering the Beauty of silence.
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... a place to drop my body armor, and allow every cell in my body to breathe freely the essence of Being.
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... my compass always points to God.
- Submitted by four Centering Prayer practitioners
Please share your one-sentence nugget
on the gift of Centering Prayer in your life here.
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Recordings from the 40th Anniversary Conference in September are now available.
You may find the edited playlist of recordings here.
This playlist includes videos shown during the conference. In addition, edited videos of presentations and breakout rooms including Q&A sessions will be added as they are completed.
If you would like to donate to support the conference offerings, you may do so here.
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The Contemplative Outreach YouTube channel offers a treasure of free videos of shorter and longer lengths.
Recently added:
Images that Accompany My Prayer, with Abbot Joseph Boyle (64 minutes)
From the Circle of Friends retreat of 2012 and not previously available to the public, Fr. Joseph Boyle offers a practical but deep talk for people who want to understand what prayer is about. Interspersed with stories and personal reflections, he describes how prayer is a relationship with God
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NEW
A daily companion to awaken your practice of Lectio and Visio Divina
Illuminations of Love
Words of Thomas Keating, OCSO
Illustrated by Meridith Schifsky
With full color illustrations and wisdom from Thomas Keating, this beautiful booklet is meant to be a companion for Lectio and Visio Divina. Meridith Schifsky curated and illustrated this book in honor of Thomas Keating and as a gift to Centering Prayer practitioners. 63 pages with 30 images.
$20 USD for hardcopy
$10 USD for digital PDF
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More in-person retreats are being posted on the Contemplative Outreach event calendar each week, as well as one-day retreats, workshops and online offerings. Check back often for updates.
Go here to browse the calendar.
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Under the Community section of the Contemplative Outreach website, you may find U.S. contacts, a link to the Extensión Contemplativa Internacional website, links to all international contacts and websites, and more.
If you are looking for a Centering Prayer group, you may wish to join Meditation Chapel. Read more here on how to get started.
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You can now self-manage what emails you receive from Contemplative Outreach when you click the update your preferences link in the footer of this email be;pw. Those in the mainland US can also mange postal correspondence. You'll then be sent a confirmation email (check your junk folder), which will allow you to edit your communication preferences.
Using the link below you can self-manage your subscription to:
1. This Monthly e-Bulletin with practical supports for the contemplative life.
2. A quarterly email, The Voice for those who volunteer their service among, with and for our community.
3. Infrequent emails specifically for those interested in Enrichment opportunities and events.
4. Finally you may wish to subscribe to the free Word of the Week which is emailed each Sunday. It includes an online forum and two live Centering Prayer groups with Lectio Divina and sharing.
To self-manage what emails you receive from Contemplative Outreach simply click the update your preferences link in footer of any email you receive from us and check the communications you wish to receive or uncheck to stop receiving. If you prefer to receive a paper copy of the bi-annual Newsletter or Donation Request mailings by postal mail, please provide your mainland USA postal address.
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