Beyond Listening to God, a Relationship With Abba.

From Contemplative Outreach:

 

An 11th Step Prayer Practice for those in 12 Step Programs

1) Twenty minutes of Centering Prayer twice a day is recommended.

2) If you notice slight physical or emotional pain arising during the prayer, pay no attention and return ever so gently to the sacred word.

3) It is suggested that you join a weekly Centering Prayer Group or find others in recovery willing to meet on a regular basis, to support one another in this practice.

About 12 Step Outreach

The 12 Step Outreach program of Contemplative Outreach was established to offer Centering Prayer to people in all 12 Step fellowships as an 11th Step prayer/meditation practice. We help individuals and groups establish contemplative prayer practices through workshops, retreats and formation programs. Thomas Keating’s recent work, Divine Therapy and Addiction, reflects on the wisdom and the legacy of Alcoholics Anonymous and all 12- step programs. The practice of Centering Prayer has parallels with other spiritual traditions.

The Method of Centering Prayer ***

We are 12-step people who practice Centering Prayer as our 11th step practice and pass it on to others in 12-step recovery.

www.cp12stepoutreach.org

The purpose of 12-step outreach is to support one another in the process of spiritual transformation through Centering Prayer and our 12-step recovery programs.

Many people are already practicing Centering Prayer and find it very helpful in their recovery. 12-Step Outreach offers retreats and introductory workshops that teach this method in more depth.

“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we Understood God--The 11 Step.

You can find information about workshops and retreats offered by 12 Step Outreach at www.cp12stepoutreach.org

For those who live by the 12 Steps found in AA, Al-Anon, SCA, OA, DA, NA, GA, and other programs, a Centering Prayer practice can be a key support system in the process of recovery and transformation. Centering Prayer can help deepen our application of the 12 Steps generally, and the 11th Step specifically, through daily immersion in prayer and meditation. We believe that, when applied as a daily supplement to the 12 Steps, Centering Prayer opens us to the deepest dimension of spirituality.

This pamphlet was put together to help those searching for emotional and spiritual sobriety. Centering Prayer is a method for doing the 11th Step to improve our conscious contact with our Higher Power. “Sought through prayer and meditation” deals with our own personal effort to communicate with a Higher Power. Many people in 12-Step programs have deepened their relationship with their Higher Power with the method of Centering Prayer. This is about you and your God “as you understand God.” It is not an attempt to change the instructions given in the Big Book but to support and supplement them.

The http://cp12stepoutreach.org website keeps a list of 12 Step Centering Prayer Groups and 11th Step Meditation Meetings and you may find one in your area. We provide information for starting 11th Step Meetings in various formats that follow the traditions of our 12 Step program.

Thomas Keating, OCSO is one of the founders of Centering Prayer and Contemplative Outreach, a spiritual network that teaches Centering Prayer and provides a support system for those who practice it. He is the author of many books and recorded presentations on Contemplative Prayer. The practice of Centering Prayer, and the spiritual, historical and psychological basis of it, are described and elaborated in several of Thomas Keating’s works, including Open Mind, Open Heart and Invitation to Love