Chapter 4: The Use of the Sacred Word

This chapter goes into much more detail than my previous post did about the use of the sacred word. There are several kinds of mental activity that present themselves when we begin to do centering prayer. The book cites the following categories, and goes into detail about each of them:

1. Ordinary Wanderings of the Imagination
2. Attractive Thoughts
3. Insights
4. Self-Reflection
5. Unloading of the Unconscious

To battle with these intrusive thoughts the book suggests Four Rs:

1. Resist no thought
2. Retain no thought
3. React emotionally to no thought
4. Return ever so gently to the sacred word

The key is when any kind of thinking occurs, to "let it come and let it go." I had been doing it all wrong. I had been emotionally reacting to many of my thoughts, actively resisting thoughts, and returning with too much force. I tried the four Rs yesterday and what I thought was only a five minute time of centering turned out to be 20 minutes. Wow! It was great.