Invitation to Love 20th Anniversary Edition: The Way of Christian Contemplation [Paperback]

The 20th anniversary edition of a best-selling spiritual classic by one of the founders of the Centering Prayer movement.

Invitation to Loveprovides a road map for the journey that begins when Centering Prayer is seriously undertaken. A follow-up to Father Thomas Keating's best-sellingOpen Mind, Open Heart, this is a practical book, articulating the stages of the process of spiritual growth, and outlining how we might develop a deeper relationship with God and move from contemplation to action.

Pointing to some of the recognizable landmarks on this journey, as well as to its ultimate destination, Father Keating addresses common questions regarding contemplative practice: How will it affect my life? Where does it lead us spiritually? What obstacles will I encounter along the way? How does it work?Invitation to Loveestablishes a dialogue between the insights of contemporary psychology and the classic Christian spiritual masters, providing a solid conceptual background for the practice of Centering Prayer.

Twentieth anniversary edition of a best-selling spiritual classic, outlining the stages of the journey that begins when Centering Prayer is seriously undertaken.Father Thomas Keating was known throughout the world as an exponent, teacher, and writer on contemplative prayer. A Cistercian (Trappist) monk of St. Benedict's Monastery, Snowmass, Colorado, he founded the Centering Prayer Movement and Contemplative Outreach.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1The Emotional Programs for Happiness
2The False Self in Action
3The Afflictive Emotions
4The Human Condition
5Mythic Membership Consciousness
6Attitudes Towards God
7Mental Egoic Consciousness
8The Four Consents 52
9Bernie 58
10Anthony as a Paradigm of the Spiritual Journey
11The Night of Sense: Freedom from the False Self
12Special Trials in the Night ol³§