Mystic Quest to Center

I was recently honored to be published in The Braided Way, an online journal that explores spiritual practice from various faiths. This unique journal allows readers “to explore sacred experience and wonder in forms that resonate with personal spiritual needs and sacred institutions.” A couple of years ago, I became acquainted with Centering Prayer. My essay reflects on that experience. Many thanks for reading!

I sink into a green armchair next to window overlooking a row of bungalows in my Chicago suburb. Before picking up my cell, I glance outside to see if a pair of cardinals are again feasting on the earthen colored seedpods clinging to a nearby bush. No sign of these scarlet beauties. …To settle myself, I take a couple of deep breaths and enter a shared silence. We are gathering, as we have since the pandemic began, to join in Centering Prayer. it is not conversation, but rather communion we seek.