On Wednesday at noon, my church offers a half-hour of minimally guided Centering Prayer. Typically, the pastor or other church leader begins and ends the session in the sanctuary with a chime of a prayer bowl. Those gathered, ranging from 3 to 9 persons, sit in silence with eyes closed. We may use the quiet time however we most need, with the intention of being centered internally. For me, that means it is an invitation to connect with God through reflection on and release of my longings, joys, hopes, and hurts. Sometimes I spend the bulk of the time focused primarily on one issue that is pressing on my mind (i.e. concern over a loved one's health, worry over finances, stress over the state of our country and deplorable leadership, etc). Other times, I have no pressing issue on my mind and I show up to the session empty and open. Especially on those occasions, I have encountered or received an image, word, or thought during the prayer time that helps frame the rest of the day or week. Meeting God in silence and intention, with the support of community, has helped center me in God's love for me and my work. Even though it can be a challenge to remain still and the time can feel like it's dragging, this prayer practice has been a gift smack dab in the middle of my day and week, and I miss it when I am unable to attend.
Second, a few weeks ago I started taking a pottery class. The first session was awful. My hands and thumbs hurt, I came home with clay everywhere including my hair and glasses, and I was discouraged that I couldn't seem to work with the clay in a cooperative way. I kept messing it up when I tried to make the assigned cylinder. Basically, I couldn't make anything pretty! What I have come to appreciate after a few more sessions is the importance of... wait for it...CENTERING.
The first thing we do after sitting down at the wheel with our wedge of clay is throw it down and center the clay on the wheel. The success of everything else depends on this first step. If it's off-center, we can't properly open the inside. One part of the cylinder's wall will be thin and the other thick, and eventually the structure will collapse. Experienced potters can center pretty quickly and effortlessly. For novices, it can take several minutes which feels much longer. While it may be trying on one's patience and physical abilities to keep hands firmly placed around the clay and thumbs on top while it is spinning, the centering practice is necessary in order to do more challenging things with the clay layer such as open it and "raise the wall" which refers to lengthening the sides of the cylinder.
It doesn't take much probing to see how the two practices of prayer and pottery are related. It's not only clay that functions better and more fully once centered; it is also humans: Mountain Chaplain in particular.
Daily I give thanks to God that I AM HERE -- alive on planet Earth at this time in world history, but also that I am specifically working and living where I am in the mountains with my beloved partner and animals. I don't remember the last time everything felt this aligned. I recall feeling similarly excited by God's guidance in my life and call at the beginning of both my church positions, so I believe there is something to the so-called "honeymoon" period in a new ministry. But I think my current sense of alignment also has to do with the renewed practice of centering which for me means intentional engagement in activity and thought which connect me to God, my fullest self, and the world.
I thank God for new guides and learning in this art, and I hope to maintain and seek out centering practices when these opportunities end. TBTG
