Does your imagination wander during centering prayer? Mine does too. Some days, I’m praying along then I happen to think about that peanut butter sandwich that I had for lunch, which reminds me of peanuts, which reminds me of George Washington Carver, which reminds me of carving, which reminds me of wooden elephants, which reminds me of the pink elephants from Dumbo…wait, wasn’t I supposed to be praying?
Sound familiar?
So, what can we do? Well, I think there are a few things that help.
First, cut yourself some slack. The mind and imagination are wonderful things. They’re thinking. That’s their job, and it’s great! The point of centering prayer is not to empty your mind, so don’t try. You are trying to discipline your attention — to focus on God for these few moments, but your mind can keep right on thinking.
Second, use your prayer word. It’s not magic, but it is there to remind you – gently – where your attention should be. Say/think it as often as you need to in order to pay attention (although don’t aspire to say it constantly – it’s not a mantra). If you’re still having an absolutely frustrating time with distractions, then try the next suggestion.
Third, if your prayer word does not seem to be helping today (or any day) and/or you’re a very visually focused person, then try to get your imagination to work for you rather than against you. Visualize your flow of thoughts as a swiftly moving stream. Then, imagine yourself wading into them. Stand there for a moment, then begin to sink beneath the surface. In your mind’s eye, continue sinking until you reach the bottom. Now, the constant stream of your thoughts is flowing overhead, but you are on the bottom of the river bed where it is dark and still. Lock a heavy weight on to your ankle to keep you down there, and imagine that the weight is shaped as your prayer word. Each time, you feel a “tug” to the “surface” that weight keeps you anchored. At the end of the prayer time, you can unlock the weight and float to the surface.
Finally, again, don’t be too hard on yourself. Every prayer time is a learning opportunity. It is not “success” to have thought of nothing during a prayer time, and it is not “failure” to have struggled with your thoughts. Being there is important; doing there is not.