Centering Prayer, with Cynthia Bourgeault 2

Bourgeault provides her own helpful summary in her Epilogue (p. 161-167) of this in-depth-yet-practical guide to reawakening our life of prayer and spiritual practice. I'm going to combine a few of her 12 points to summarise still further into just six:

1. Possibly via a "sacred word" in a designated timeframe of perhaps 20 - 30 minutes of centering prayer, this is a model of surrender of oneself via gentle release of all of one's thoughts as they occur. Bourgeault connects this to the famous kenosis (emptying) of Jesus as described by Paul in Philippians 2. Earlier in the book, the author importantly mentions that the release process is very gentle.

2. Establishing some kind of inner "breathing" in this surrender (?) means that "good" and "bad" meditations are done away with. Some will involve more thought-surrender than others. It also involves "releasing the passions and relaxing the will".

3. Over time, the sense of self steadily relocates itself outside the insatiable attention draw of thoughts, a new "magnetic centre" that expands out of meditational times into a more contemplative and larger and deeper self. This doesn't do away with the "egoic" self. Training and moving out of it is all part of the process. This GPS (God Positioning System!) realigns our outer and inner self, the inner being characterised by "your yearning for God and God's yearning for you". Bourgeault connects this new centre with the authentic heart of our person, a deep connection with God's own true heart.

4. This is the goal: to nurture this heart. It differentiates centering prayer from other prayer methodologies which are more focussed on clarity of mind in favour of a singleness of heart.

5. This is not preparation for relationship with God, but relationship with God itself with real psychological outworkings. Divine therapy - centering prayer encourages psychological healing as unconscious emotional baggage is slowly released.

6. The earmarks of this journey are "compassion, humility and a growing equanimity". The whole approach creates enhanced inner harmony. A key word for Bourgeault in this book is "consciousness", and she reminds us of it here: growth toward "unitive" consciousness.

While I hope this super-brief summary might be of help, I highly recommend reading the book cover to cover for yourself. Some of Bourgeault's teaching on Centering Prayer can also be accessed via YouTube (Part 1 here), and she also works with Fr. Richard Rohr.

NB: I have omitted one of Cynthia's own bullets completely. I also failed to fully grasp her description of one of her stages of the meditative process whereby we locate the thought, emotion, passion, tension etc within our bodies in order to prepare for its release. I believe this can only be achieved adequately via experience.

Centering Prayer, with Cynthia Bourgeault 1

IT WAS LIBERATING to me to read this book. I am usually very critical in all I read but I find so little to fault here in the deep, practical pages of Cynthia.

A few things that may alarm conservative evangelicals: this book will not be judgemental toward other faiths but will attempt (in my view, successfully) to situate contemplative prayer firmly within the Christian tradition. Secondly, Cynthia manages to anticipate worries about this alternative approach without a defensive tone and without portraying centering prayer as the be-all-and-end-all of prayer. And she will certainly not advocate a babbling word-loaded time of prayer ("pummel my spirit with Truth").

I will shortly provide a summary of her book, itself a summary of her own message summary that she provides at the end of her book. But first, it's really worth pointing out the necessity of this summary. You know how some books basically divulge their message in a nutshell and slowly unpack that nutshell for the rest of the book? I don't know about you, but I don't always feel very motivated to finish that kind of book. Every single chapter of Cynthia's book brings something fresh, is loaded with humorous stories and is instilled via a non-professional and accessible style and vocabulary. The irony is that some of her own summary points at the end do overlap, which gives me a small sense of purpose for my following post on this book: provide an even more condensed summary. Coming Soon, as they say! (here)

Psalms: God's keys for oneness/presence

Some of you might know by now that since I had the amazing opportunity to do a spiritual retreat in April (please consider doing this!), that I have become ever increasingly infatuated with the Psalms. My basic pattern is to read through the Psalms, and when I come across passages that speak to what it means to be an integrated human, capable of being truly present within themselves, their relationship to God and others, I write it down. That’s right, with a good ol’ fashioned pen. As I do this, strange things go on within me. I find myself engaging in similar wrestling to what I sense the Psalmists went through. Sometimes, huge, vaulted “atria” of self-space well up, and I sense the intra-connectivity within me develop. I then sense crushing disappointment when it becomes me-centred again, suddenly lacking in power. Then I realise that the perfect and outside “other” that is God himself is to be worshipped and honoured with all that is within me, and gives my self shape. Quite a roller-coaster I can assure you.

I’m up to Psalm 119 at the moment. The plan is to release here on the blog, and maybe elsewhere too, a Psalms reading plan. 

Firstly will come the easy part, entitled: PSALMS: GOD’S KEYS FOR PRESENCE. This will include an introduction and the suggested readings for each day.

Secondly will come the longer part, entitled: PSALMS: MEDITATING GOD’S KEYS FOR PRESENCE. This will include the simpler version as well as some meditative thoughts.

I’m pretty excited about it. Of course it would be tempting just to get going on it quickly and ditch the physical pen, but I also enjoy the discipline and the sense of positive mounting tension.

It is such a great place to meditate. Here’s something that literally just jumped into my brain while pondering Psalm 119: This morning I thought of a friend and his (sometimes) inauthentic and slightly-nervous laugh. My soul, unprepared, is not blessed or well equipped to handle such multiplicity of signals, which don’t fit in with the one-mindedness drive of the Psalms. Things to remember:

• The good intentions and desire to connect
• I’m equally if not more capable of such symptoms
• The path to depth is sometimes through the shallow.

But what response? Do I partake? Do I isolate my friend in his nervous inauthentic moment? Or can I even take quick responsibility for causing an inauthentic moment in the bridging process, with a gracious smile for instance? I like the third option.

Please also check out my post on responsibility, humility and Jesus here, which I think is relevant to this discussion.

Reaching down

On the back of my car, there is the symbol of the Christian fish. You might think that I stuck it on in a hurry because it isn't level, for it is swimming downward...

For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth. (Psalm 57:10-11)

I whisper, exhort, encourage, shout and implore my own heart to hear that message from the psalmist that God's love to me and to us and our families will not fail. There is depth, permanence and stability in the psalmist's spirit as he sings, writes or whatever he is doing as he first utters these things.

I return fairly often in my mind (or at least this morning) to the truth of the "benefit" of developing a richer and more profound spirituality through prayer and meditation. To me, it feels more and more that God created us with a need to go deep. I put "benefit" in quotes because the word makes me think too much of some kind of superficial gratification without those quotes.

Reaching down to God - and not just up or out - helps us become deeper more profound individuals, but the benefits are for all: for our families, our friends, other seekers, our communities and so on.

See also Mike Mchargue's axioms about faith.

See also my report from my recent family experience with a small orthodox assembly on Sunday of Pentecost (yet to be written)