The ‘letting go’ during centering prayer is meant to be continued the rest of your day. What do I mean by this? I mean we should never attach to thoughts and emotions that are not productive. They hinder us from the accomplishment of the tasks that we need to complete each day.
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When I am worried, I let it go. When I am anxious, I let it go. When I am frustrated, I let it go. When I am afraid, I let it go. It is okay to acknowledge these emotions but they will often stop us dead in our tracks. We need to let them go so we can move on.
I realize that there are thoughts and emotions that we need to deal with. They seem to return to us. We attach who we are to them. I do not suggest to ‘let go’ means to repress them. I simply suggest that we let them go so we can move on with our day.
Later in the day we can deal with our thoughts and emotions. For example, if we are worried, anxious, frustrated or afraid, we might need to talk to a friend about our feelings. We can vent. A long walk or workout at the gym can also be helpful. These are all healthy ways to work through our emotions and thoughts. They can aid us in the healing process.
Go Further
Cynthia Bourgeault, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice
David Frenette, The Path of Centering Prayer
Carl J Arico, A Taste of Silence: Centering Prayer and the Contemplative Journey
Silence and the Spiritual Journey by Contemplative Outreach: The purpose of our historical lifetime is to provide us with space for the upward journey of evolution into vertical time and our assimilation of the eternal values that Christ brought into the world. This journey consists of everything from great touches of God (consolations) to the Dark Nights.
Lectio Divina Heart to Heart – Listening and Living with God by Contemplative Outreach: The ancient practice of praying the Scriptures is being rediscovered and renewed in our time. Known as Lectio Divina (Divine Reading), it is one of the great treasures of the Christian tradition of prayer.
The Gift of Life by Thomas Keating, Mary Anne Best, Susan Rush: This course will explore the gift of life in all its phases, even those of diminishment and death, as phrases of evolution and transformation in and through Christ. It is based on the recent DVD series with Fr. Thomas Keating, The Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living.
Sounds True has titles by teachers and authors such as Thomas Keating, Cynthia Bourgeault, James Finley, Richard Rohr, David Frenette, Parker Palmer , Adyashanti , Eckhart Tolle , Michael Singer , Jon Kabat-Zinn , Marianne Williamson to name a few.
Contemplative Light offers courses on contemplative practices (Christian Meditation, Centering Prayer, The Examen, Lectio Divina, The Jesus Prayer), the Christian mystics (ancient and current) and spiritual writing. Peruse their wonderful offerings.
Prayer-Bracelet: Authentic Orthodox prayer ropes and bracelets are handmade by monks in the Orthodox monastaries reciting a prayer for every knot they tie. Peruse their prayer ropes and bracelets that are all handmade, provided by several orthodox churches around the globe.
The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis – Fr. Rohr gives us a six-session learning course that explores: the surprising richness we discover through simplifying our lives (without taking a vow of poverty); liberation from our self-limiting biases and certitudes; contemplation and action, two key steps toward communing more deeply with the Divine; and more.
On Encountering the Wisdom Jesus, this brilliant author and dynamic Episcopalian priest presents her first full-length audio course about rediscovering the Master of Wisdom. Twelve immersive sessions cover: the parables as wisdom tools; Jesus’s teachings about kenosis (or self-emptying: a path as radical today as it was 2,000 years ago); Jesus as tantric master; Centering Prayer, an approach to meditation as Jesus lived it, and much more. The early Christians, teaches the Reverend Cynthia Bourgeault, were afire with the spirit of Jesus, inspired fully by his teaching of a total transformation of consciousness. How do we reclaim that fire today?
Centering Prayer Course: A Training Course for Opening to the Presence of God – Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice that can move you toward a profound relationship with the Spirit of God within. It is a way of praying that opens the door to the Divine Indwelling—the ground of our being. With Centering Prayer, Father Thomas Keating and his colleagues Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Father Carl Arico present the first online course in this method for deepening your intimacy with God and ultimately consenting to the presence and action of the Divine in all aspects of your life.
Thomas Merton’s Path to the Palace of Nowhere: The Essential Guide to the Contemplative Teachings of Thomas Merton – Now James Finley, who for six years lived, prayed, and studied with Brother Louis, as Merton was known at the Abbey of Gethsemani, shares with us the gifts passed on to him by this towering figure.
The Teachings of Meister Eckhart: An Invitation to Experience God in Every Moment: The 13th-century mystic Meister Eckhart was the most brilliant Christian scholar of his day, but he was also legendary for the way that he opened listeners to the direct experience of God during his public talks. Today, his written wisdom remains alive as ever, ready to illuminate us. James Finley, one of today’s best-known teachers of the Christian contemplative tradition, invites us into Eckhart’s insights in the same way that this luminary teacher delighted in sharing them—through the spoken word.
“My experience—from the depths of depression to the heights of joy—has taught me that the path toward wholeness takes patience and passion,” teaches Parker Palmer. With An Undivided Life, you will receive his timeless wisdom and guidance to help you discern, trust, and follow your authentic self at home, in your work, and in the world. We all yearn for a life that is whole—where “soul and role” are aligned and our innermost wisdom guides us in our actions. Perhaps no one has explored this topic more deeply than bestselling author and distinguished educator Parker J. Palmer.
Hi Rich , after reading your post i wondered if you’ve done any work with the welcoming prayer. This prayer was developed by Contemplative Outreach as a companion to Centering prayer.It is also referred to as “consent on the go” In the past , my letting go was always repression which assures that the negative energy is going to be recycled .With welcoming prayer i welcome God’s presence and action in whatever I’m experiencing in the moment therefore freeing that energy up for better use . Its helped me alot.
Patrick – About 2 years ago I attended a full day seminar on it by the Contemplative Outreach. I had forgotten about it. Excellent idea. I must add the Welcoming Prayer to my site and perhaps do a post on it too. Thank you for reminding me about this wonderful practice! I must also incorporate it into my day too.