Centering prayer is something that always catches me by surprise. It is focused on the internal repetition of a verse or mantra for a set period of time. So, I was attending centering prayer in a group and focused on listening to a reading that had some really great material. Whoa, as soon as the bell rang and it was time to center my mind spun-out all over the place for a few minutes. When I returned from this little excursion I could not remember any of the verses and the only mantra type thing I had in my head was the melody of a song. This experience was somewhat disordered (as it always seems to be) so the next day I tried it again. Attentively listening to scripture in order to remember it for the prayer period. And, there was a verse that came for a couple of minutes until I forgot the context and was distracted in an attempt to recall the message of the reading. Ultimately in the end of both of these accounts I went back to counting my breath. One of the biggest distractions for me during meditation and centering prayer is what other people are thinking, or how many other people in the world are doing this very thing at this very time. As if the answers will arise out of the ashes of my mind. I don't think so. What I do experience in this is the fluidity of the present moment as I marvel at how many thoughts must travel through our mind at any given time. Okay, well ramble-on. The song melody that came to me was "Space Between" by Dave Matthews and I offer the video to you.
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