The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to God’s presence and action in our physical and emotional reactions to events and situations in daily life. If Centering Prayer is practiced for one hour of the day, the Welcoming Prayer is for the other 23 hours. It is a “letting go” in the present moment, in the midst of the activity of ordinary life. It helps to dismantle the emotional programs of the false-self system and to heal the wounds of a lifetime by addressing them where they are stored - in the body.
This online retreat consists of 12 emails which contain or direct you to the retreat content:
A daily Centering Prayer practice is recommended for taking this online retreat.
Four Weeks: August 5 – 30, 2013
$49.95
4 CEHs for chaplains available.
For more information and to register, go here.
Here are comments from previous participants:
“This retreat has given me the opportunity to return to the Welcoming Practice, and I welcome that! It has convinced me of how essential this practice is to my primary intention: to increasingly embody a deep sense of "reconciliation with what is" so I can embody a peaceful presence that benefits my surroundings and those in it. I find the Welcoming practice an essential "missing piece" to spiritual practice because it is an embodied practice rather than a mental one and keeps you grounded and connected to incarnated experience rather than attempting to escape, deny, suppress or reject it. I have found the Welcoming Prayer to be profoundly "embodied" with dramatic energetic experiences at times. I intend to use this practice for the rest of my life.”
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“What has been a big help for me is the thought that this practice is analogous to healing frostbite. When my digits are frozen, they are numb and unfeeling. I feel little to no pain. But they are near dead. Yet as they begin to thaw, the pain can be quite intense. Many of us have deeply frozen parts (I sure do!), and as they defrost, it can feel like things have gone backwards in a very vicious way. That is a misperception. The rawness we feel, especially early in this practice, does reflect some phase of healing. Even if we've been practicing for years, there will always be deeper frozen organs to thaw out. One other thing is that I consider the Welcoming Prayer a very advanced practice. It models Jesus' way. His greatest healing and gift happened after the Garden of Gethsemane, when he was essentially "passive." All of His healing, feeding the masses, raising the dead, etc., are little compared to this deep presence and acceptance. I am definitely no master or guru, but in my opinion Welcoming Prayer is a simple but very mature nondual practice.”
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“Years ago I had gone to a chiropractor who said that the only other person that she had worked on who had tense shoulders like mine had been hit by a truck. Of course she was joking but trying to make a point. Today it finally dawned on me that I am still holding everything in my shoulders and neck. To be able to see that I have all that going on in me and instead of ignoring it begin to welcome it and in doing that welcome the presence and action of God in me, is becoming a freeing sensation and suddenly is making so much sense. I am looking forward to practicing all day long — on the go!”
