Meditations
New Video Series — Focusing: Listening to the Wisdom of the Body for Healing
June 2, 2020
By Kathy Keary
The focusing method honors the wisdom that lies within us and speaks to us in a way that can be felt in our bodies. This is known as a felt sense. This felt sense alerts us to what needs our attention. By reverently caring for this bodily reaction, a natural life-enhancing process is nurtured.
Focusing: Listening to the Wisdom of the Body for Healing 2
June 1, 2020
By Kathy Keary
Part 2 of 3 Parts. The first article in this series introduced you to “focusing,” a tool spiritual directors use to help directees identify and care for emotions by paying attention to one’s body. This week we take a more detailed look at the specific steps involved in focusing.
Focusing: Listening to the Wisdom of the Body for Healing 1
May 27, 2020
By Kathy Keary
Society teaches us to suppress our feelings and to distract ourselves from our emotions rather than to care for them. If you found a way to listen to the wisdom of your emotions as revealed in your body and care for them in a life-giving way, would you try it?
Using Our Bodies in Prayer
May 26, 2020
By Kathy Keary In our series on contemplative living, an element that stands out is that prayer goes...
The Fruits of Contemplation
May 19, 2020
By Kathy Keary
Six months after incorporating centering prayer into my day, I noticed a shift in my inner world. I felt a calm — a sense of peace that found its way into my response to life. This is the fourth part of my four-part series on centering prayer and contemplation.
Contemplation: Going Deeper into Silence
May 13, 2020
By Kathy Keary
In our last two articles, we explored the sacred symbols of the word, the breath, and the image. Over time our use of a sacred symbol will diminish. We will no longer rely on it to take us to a place deep within where we commune with the living God. In Part 3, we go deeper into the silence.
Contemplation: The Use of Breath and Image in Centering Prayer
May 11, 2020
By Kathy Keary
In our introduction to centering prayer, we discussed using the sacred word as a method of expressing our intent to be open to the indwelling presence and action of God in the deepest center of our being. We now turn our attention to other sacred symbols: the breath and the image.
Contemplation: Communion with the Divine
May 6, 2020
Kathy Keary begins a four-part series on centering prayer and contemplation. Kathy gives us a step-by-step introduction to this Christian practice that can be traced back to the 14th century.
Eyes and Heart Wide Open: The Practice of Contemplative Photography
April 23, 2020
By Kathy Keary For years I have captured the beauty of nature on my camera. As I look through my pho...
Adding Your Own Color: The Contemplative Practice of Art Journaling
April 20, 2020
By Kathy Keary
A natural desire to create resides within us. Art journaling is a contemplative practice that utilizes this innate longing.