[EDnote: this is a new age practice that has become prevalent in the churches. Search "centering prayer" on the alta vista search engine and you'll see how widespread this really is. Dangerous stuff. (Ed Tarkowski)]

High above the Loop's La Salle Street financial district, there is a little-known spiritual oasis that caters to world-weary worker bees.

The Upper Room prayer and meditation center, hidden away on the 30th floor of the One North La Salle Building at the opposite end of a long hall from a law firm, is a place where workers of all faith traditions can find serenity and sanctuary, if only for a lunch hour.

For the last 16 months, the Upper Room has offered noon "centering prayer," a method of meditation that has its roots in the early Christian monastic tradition and recently has gained popularity among Roman Catholics and many mainline Protestants.

Those praying choose a word that is sacred to them and focus on that word while remaining silent and still, listening to their inner voices.

Last Friday, eight men and women--most of them Protestant or Anglican--gathered in the Upper Room's clean, bare sacred space and took seats in upholstered office chairs arranged in a circle.

In the center was a single candle on an earthenware stand. Soft lighting made the dove-gray walls glow warmly. The room is bare but for a pastel-colored Southwestern print on one wall, two Oriental screens, a few plants and a white audio-visual unit that blends into the surroundings.

The refuge-seekers sat feet flat on the floor, eyes closed, hands draped loosely in their laps, some with fingers upturned as if to catch the peace they had come to find.

For the first few minutes, soft cello music fills the room, and then, silence.

The only sounds in the room are the soft breathing of the participants and a low hum of traffic on the street so many stories below. But in this setting, the ebb and flow of cars are almost like waves lapping at the shore, car
horns like the calls of gulls flying overhead.

After nearly 30 minutes, the cello music again begins, as those praying slowly emerge from their meditative state, stretching their legs, moving their heads from side to side, yawning.

"We thank you," one woman says, barely above a whisper.

"Oh, that was good," another says.

On Wednesdays and Fridays throughout August, the centering prayer session is followed by a light lunch and a short educational program on holistic subjects, such as aromatherapy or whole foods.

Next month, noontime centering prayer will be followed by yoga on Thursdays.

When Suzanne Morgan, a licensed architect, real estate broker and certified liturgical design consultant opened the Upper Room in April 2000, she wanted to create a spiritual escape in the middle of the Loop's hubbub.

"The purpose was to create a place in the middle of the business district for people who work in the Loop to come to a quiet place to get away from the stress of work," Morgan said.

The Upper Room is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m., with centering prayer at 12:10 p.m. Morgan, who runs the meditation center as a ministry more than a business, charges $5 for one session or $25 for a monthly pass. . . .

Guidelines for centering prayer

* Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.

* Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word.

* When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

* At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

SOURCE: The Upper Room SOURCE: The Upper Room [Bible Prophecy Research ttp://philologos.org/bpr