Forms of Prayer
There are many forms of prayer. Here are four basic forms: Verbal, Non-verbal, Meditation, and Contemplation, and Communal and Private.
Verbal: These are the traditional, religious prayers we say. These include spoken prayers, such as, the Christian Our Father, or the Islamic Salah prayers. These prayers are recited communally (at church, mosque or temple or with a family) or in private. These are excellent prayers which “fill the gaps” at times as they help us to pray in the following ways:
Adoration (Praise)
Contrition (“I’m Sorry,” Please forgive me.”)
Thanksgiving (Basic Gratitude)
Supplication (asking for things, such as a healing, relief, etc.)
Non-verbal
This is a somewhat non-traditional way of praying. It’s praying without words. Sounds strange? Let’s look at these prayer forms.
Some of these prayers are Centering Prayer, Meditation and Contemplation.
Centering Prayer: This is an ancient prayer form traced back to the thirteenth century book, The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an anonymous author. In the 1960s, Fr Thomas Keating, OCSO, a priest and Trappist Monk, brought this prayer form to the modern world through his talks, conferences and books.
Centering Prayer may lead to Meditation and Contemplation. While using Centering Prayer, a person may quiet the mind and allow the Divine to speak to your heart and mind. In this prayer form, the Divine acts can act as the Divine Therapist who heals the inner wounds so one may be more open to listen to the Divine.
Meditation: This prayer form is extremely ancient; it is possibly as old as humanity itself. No religious or spiritual tradition can claim meditation as it is own, but every religious and spiritual tradition uses meditation. Spiritual traditions use prayer beads or Catholic rosaries to enter into mediation. Meditation is a way to thinking about something intently with the hopes you will enter into communion with the Divine. You can meditation upon a book, talk, scripture story, or verse and gain new insights into it. Then, you may apply these insights into your spirituality and life and how you act and treat others. Lectio Divina (“divine reading,”) or Visio Divina, (”divine seeing”) are excellent ways to enter into a meditative state.
Contemplation: In this prayer usage, “contemplation” does not signify someone spending much time thinking, and thinking, and thinking about a topic as is depicted in Auguste Rodin’s statue, The Thinker. Contemplation is an excellent way to enter into union with the Divine by using your thoughts and feelings as a springboard to divine union!