LAW OF THREE (20) Centering Prayer and The Three States of Attention

LAW OF THREE (20)   Centering Prayer and The Three States of Attention

Jesus Christ - the Anointed - from His conception on, and which is present in every person from the very moment he or she appears and starts being alive. To the extend that we open ourselves to this anointing, we become "Christified"... transformed in an Alter Christus. Javier Melloni

CENTERING PRAYER AND THE THREE MODES OF ATTENTION.

During the practice of Centering Prayer our attention may be lost in unclear thoughts; engaged with a particular thought; or open and receptive and undistracted by thoughts

When lost in unclear thoughts we are unaware of our own presence. We are, as it were,  scattered by a cloud of foggy or incoherent thoughts (lost attention).

When actively engaged in thinking about a particular issue, or imaginary conversation,  we visualise ourselves as participants in the conversation (active attention)

In the previous two cases our attention is either lost or actively engaged. But there is a third mode of attention: attention open and receptive. Receptive to what?

In the method of Centering Prayer we start with the intention to be open to God's presence and action within. It is an actual fact that almost immediately after sitting to pray we forget our original intention and our attention gets lost in thoughts. We are not exercising our open and receptive attention" as we intended at the beginning. Once our attention is lost or engaged in something there is nothing more on our part that we can do. Help is needed.

Help comes every time we suddenly remember that we have forgotten our original intention. At this instant we are being awaken by something that does not come from ourselves.

The sudden instant that we are "reminded" that we had forgotten our original intention to consent to God's presence and action within is the very instant of the entering of the 3rd force. At this point we can renew our intention to be receptive.

Every triad is an act of cooperation. The Law of Three is the Law of common consent . Thus we consent to God's presence and action.