Vernon & Mary Joyce Dixon
Centering Prayer and Self-Surrender:
Praying When It Feels Like No One is Listening
May 18-20
2 Nights $120 ($60 deposit) Dana
In a world seemingly filled with selfishness and violence, faced with personal problems which rob us of serenity and self-esteem, it often feels like God is either absent or just doesn’t care. Centering Prayer can restore our equanimity by bringing us to a point of self-surrender in the present moment. Practiced regularly, it reclaims for us "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding." (Philippians 4:7)
Teaching no religious dogma, and affirming its solidarity with contemplative practices throughout the world, Centering Prayer offers a path to the direct experience of God through a method of meditation based upon ancient Christian monastic mysticism, and enriched by Eastern meditative traditions. It welcomes people of all spiritual practices. Christians who may have been alienated from the religion of their birth will find that this open, non-judgmental, self-surrendering approach to relating to the Divine offers them a new and more inclusive place within their own spiritual heritage.
This silent weekend retreat will include brief instructive talks on the method of Centering Prayer, its place in Christian history, and the healing effects that it can produce with consistent use. There will be extended periods of meditation using the method of Centering Prayer. The retreat is open to beginners as well as veteran meditators.
A. Vernon Dixon M.D. and Mary Joyce Dixon M.Ed. are a husband and wife who were in the private practice of psychiatry and psychometry, respectively, for many years before retiring to pursue a deeper spiritual practice. After studying the mystical practices of many spiritual traditions, their practice became Centering Prayer, a meditative method in the Christian contemplative tradition. The Dixons are trained and certified by Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. They have presented introductory workshops in LA, NC, and GA, as well as at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. They lead Centering Prayer Intensive and Post-Intensive retreats for Contemplative Outreach-Atlanta at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. Vernon and Mary Joyce are also third-degree Reiki practitioners who are active in their church and in various peace, social justice, and environmental causes.
Here is the daily schedule of the Dixons 2006 Southern Dharma retreat. The 2007 schedule may be different.
6:00 Rise
6:45 Two 20-minute Centering Prayer Periods
8:00 Breakfast in Silence
9:00 Fr. Thomas Keating video - Discussion
10:30 Break
11:00 Three 20-minute Centering Prayer Periods
12:30 Lunch in Silence
1:30 Individual Meetings with Leaders/Free Time
4:30 Three 20-minute Centering Prayer Periods
6:00 Dinner in Silence
7:30 Conference/Discussion
8:30 Retire