”For contemporary teenagers, too, developing soulcraft competence is more vital to their personal development than math, science, or business know-how. Most teenagers sense this and most would prefer this knowledge. Most of their teachers, however, don’t have a clue about pathways to soul. Few of us learned these things as teens or in college.” Bill Plotkin in Soulcraft, p. 116.
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- Meeting St. Francis and St. Clare on Good Friday March 31, 2024
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- In Search of a Larger Self: Combining the Enneagram with Spiritual Practices in SSS June 8, 2020
- “Sit in Your Cell and It Will Teach You Everything:” Supporting Student Well-Being During COVID-19 May 13, 2020
- Release, Receive, and Return: Using Labyrinth-Inspired Spiritual Practices during the Coronavirus Crisis February 19, 2020
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- Individualizing Psychospiritual Growth: Matching Enneagram Types with Spiritual Practices December 26, 2019
- The Courage to Deal with Negative Emotions: A Welcoming Prayer Approach November 17, 2019
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Tag Archives: Centering Prayer
Fire and Water: Centering Prayer and the Yearning for God
Introduction Can you have too much desire for God? This is the question that has been circulating in my mind during the summer holidays. Two weeks ago—June 28 to be exact— I wrote a note to a fellow traveler on … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Centering Prayer, inner awakening, kinesiology, spiritual practice
6 Comments
The Tao Becomes Flesh: Seeking Divinity in the Dark
The “Christ Temple” at Tao Fung Shan retreat center. Logos and the Light Probably the most memorable passage from my youth about God, Jesus, and the nature of reality was from John 1:1-5, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, … Continue reading
Posted in inner awakening
Tagged Centering Prayer, cynthia bourgeault, Wisdom Tradition
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The Benefits of Meditation Five Years On: A Personal Reflection
Richard and Suzanne Friedericks and myself traveled to Assisi, Italy five years ago to do a spiritual retreat with our teacher Cynthia Bourgeault. Looking back on that time, I can now recognize the significant turning point in my life that … Continue reading
Posted in inner awakening
Tagged Centering Prayer, compassion, cynthia bourgeault, meditation, mindfulness, spiritual practice, wisdom
7 Comments
What’s Wrong with Christianity? Reflections on a Buddhist-Inspired Christian Retreat
This is the majestic Christ Church in Dublin, Ireland, one of many architectural treats from Europe’s Christian heritage that I enjoyed this summer. However, with so many European churches feeling more like museums than vibrant centers of community life, my … Continue reading
Stop, Breathe, and Be: Re-Envisioning the Practice of Prayer
“The Sanctuary,” a retreat center in Dublin, Ireland, provided the venue for my recent Mindfulness in Schools Program “Dot B” workshop, a secular mindfulness training course which paradoxically provided me with a new understanding of prayer. We did some of … Continue reading
The Role of Inner Awakening in Compassionate Action: The Worldview of Wisdom Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault
“In my own efforts to live the gospel I have found that it is virtually impossible to reach and sustain that level of ‘perfect love’ without a practice of contemplative prayer . . .. Ordinary awareness always eventually betrays itself … Continue reading
“If You Will, You May Become All Flame:” Teachings of the Christian Desert Fathers and Mothers with Cynthia Bourgeault
Our central image of the 4-day retreat: below the flame is a desert mother holding a scroll that reads, “Light the divine fire within yourself.” (See end of the piece for a close-up of the image.) “There were few ‘doctrines’ … Continue reading
“Opening of Self to the Divine Presence:” An Introduction of Centering Prayer for Students
“The goal in Centering Prayer is not to stop thoughts altogether, but to develop a detached attitude toward them. Fighting your thoughts is useless; releasing them is blessed.” – Cynthia Bourgeault, The Heart of Centering Prayer Dear students, The biggest … Continue reading
Wisdom Jesus and Centering Prayer Retreat with Cynthia Bourgeault
Our HKIS group of retreaters and friends with Cynthia Bourgeault at the end of a spiritually enriching day on May 1st at Tao Fung Shan in Shatin. This entry shares my introduction of Cynthia on the day of her presentation, … Continue reading
Posted in inner awakening, Uncategorized
Tagged Centering Prayer, cynthia bourgeault, Tao Fung Shan
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Centering Prayer and the Call to Wisdom: A Personal Reflection
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart [bhakti], with all your soul [raja], with all your strength [karma], and with all your mind [jnana].” – Huston Smith’s forward, p. xiii in American Veda by Philip Goldberg. Introduction I … Continue reading
Social Conscience and Inner Awakening 