Contemplify Podcast Episode Summary
Episode: Peter Traben Haas on Prayer as a Practice of Centering, Abiding, & Radiating
Host: Paul Swanson
Guest: Rev. Dr. Peter Traben Haas
Date: December 18, 2024
Episode Overview
In this thoughtful and deeply personal episode, Paul Swanson welcomes Rev. Dr. Peter Traben Haas, author, pastor, and contemplative, to discuss prayer as a practice of centering, abiding, and radiating. Their conversation weaves through Peter’s unfolding spiritual journey, the profound impact of his recent move to Telluride, his evolving relationship with esoteric and biblical Christianity, the meaning of Advent, the significance of place and nature, and the creative and intimate power of written prayer. They also reflect on vulnerability, humility, and the universal capacity for contemplation—offering practical wisdom for listeners seeking to deepen their own contemplative practice.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Living in Telluride: Place and the Soul
[02:05 - 08:59]
- Peter describes his new home in Telluride, Colorado, as “heaven on earth,” emphasizing how its natural beauty sustains and inspires him.
- Quote: “I feel like my soul is looking at my soul.” — Peter Traben Haas [02:41]
- Contrasts his previous life of long commutes with the slowness and ease of walking everywhere, which fosters a deeper spiritual pace.
- Shares reflections on mountains and oceans as spiritual metaphors, and mourns the closure of St. Benedict’s Monastery, expressing his hope for Telluride to become a gathering place for contemplatives.
- Quote: “The mountains are like the ocean in a certain sense. They’re vertical waves. The ocean’s… this horizontal vastness, and the mountains are vertical vastness.” [06:35]
- Observes how COVID shifted demographics, bringing new life and young families to his church community.
2. Spiritual Journey and Integration
[09:28 - 22:14]
- Peter traces a major transition since his last Contemplify appearance in 2018.
- Details his period as pastor at the Church of Conscious Harmony (CCH) in Austin, blending contemplative Christianity with Gurdjieff’s “Work” teachings.
- Describes a powerful, unexpected inner rebuke during a seminary retreat, questioning his integration of esoteric traditions with Christianity.
- Quote: “I received like a gut punch... an inner rebuke… Who do you think you are eviscerating Christianity in the name of contemplative process?” [12:28]
- Ultimately chooses to return to a more biblical/Christ-centered spirituality, viewing previous attempts at integrating universalist or esoteric approaches as “ultimately a dead end.”
- Quote: “People are embarrassed by Jesus so that we’ve retreated to this universal Christ. But I’m telling people, it’s a dead end. Ultimately, it’s a dead end.” [17:47]
- Emphasizes the need for integrating biblical foundations with contemplative experience moving forward, and feels renewed energy and joy.
3. Abiding, Centering, Radiating: A Biblical Model for Contemplation
[22:14 - 26:45]
- Paul and Peter discuss how everyone holds contemplative potential, citing hunters sitting for hours in deer stands as an example.
- Quote: “Everyone is a contemplative in my book, they just may not know it.” [23:33]
- Peter rejects elitism in contemplative circles and moves toward a threefold biblical model:
- Abiding: Being with Christ.
- Centering: Anchoring one’s life in that relationship.
- Radiating: Letting transformation flow outward into the world.
4. The Significance and Practice of Advent
[26:45 - 33:35]
- Peter unpacks the cosmological and existential meaning of Advent, especially its resonance in the northern hemisphere before electricity.
- He urges listeners to experience the season by sitting in stillness and watching the changing light at dusk, symbolizing our dependency on divine and physical light.
- Quote: “If the sun didn’t come back, we’d be dead. Life as we know it would be dead… Solstice at wintertime is this total moment of recognizing our contingency upon light—not just physical light, but spiritual light.” [29:50]
- Recommends a practical Advent exercise: watch the changing light for two hours at dusk once a week during the four weeks of Advent.
5. Nature, Vulnerability, and Contemplative Prayer
[36:25 - 44:47]
- Peter discusses how nature and its vulnerability shape his prayers and life awareness:
- Finds solace, renewal, and a sense of the sacred in nature.
- Reflects on humanity's increasing recognition of environmental vulnerability in the age of instant global communication.
- Acknowledges his own growth in respect for indigenous traditions and the humility required to live in coherence with the earth.
- Quote: “The native traditions really show me how to live in harmony and coherence with nature. And it’s very humbling for me and probably most Westerners.” [43:44]
6. The Power of Written Prayer & Approaches to Practice
[38:02 - 54:54]
- Peter describes the origins of his Centering Prayers books as an outgrowth of his personal morning prayers—often sparked by scripture, nature, and silence—and shares how the creativity of written prayer emerges from deep abiding.
- Both Paul and Peter note a shift from exclusive reliance on spontaneous prayer to an appreciation for the depth, perspective, and community found in written prayers.
- Peter observes how prayer reveals theology, personality, and spiritual maturity, arguing that both written and spontaneous forms have a place.
- Quote: “Prayer reveals people’s theology and personality more than if they were drunk.” [47:57]
- Quote: “I don’t feel like—I’m not that smart, but I feel like it’s very… fruitful, like the Spirit was working… it's what abiding does. It makes people fruitful in every season of their life.” [41:46]
- Encourages listeners to allow vulnerability, honest devotion, and even foolishness in prayer, referencing the “prayer of the heart” in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.
7. Emerging Projects and New Invitations
[57:44 - 61:18]
- Peter describes the launch of his new program, “A Year in the School of Jesus” (in-person and online), which explores spiritual theology and the teachings of Jesus for today.
- “Let’s gather together... and talk about these ideas. Building a spiritual theology from the teachings of Jesus. What would the teachings of Jesus mean today if he were here?” [58:44]
- He is also beginning work on a spiritual autobiography, mining his journals to reflect on how biography is theological for him.
- Expresses excitement about being open to serving wherever his contemplative leadership is needed.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
“I feel like my soul is looking at my soul.”
— Peter Traben Haas, describing Telluride [02:41]
“Who do you think you are eviscerating Christianity in the name of contemplative process?”
— Peter Traben Haas, on his inner rebuke [12:36]
“People are embarrassed by Jesus so that we’ve retreated to this universal Christ. But I’m telling people, it’s a dead end.”
— Peter Traben Haas [17:47]
“Everyone is a contemplative in my book, they just may not know it.”
— Peter Traben Haas [23:33]
“Solstice at wintertime is this total moment of recognizing our contingency upon light — not just physical light, but spiritual light.”
— Peter Traben Haas [29:50]
“Prayer reveals people’s theology and personality more than if they were drunk.”
— Peter Traben Haas [47:57]
“Being known, being loved, letting someone else in—if there is a destination, well, it’s certainly a rest stop along our journey… in the spiritual journey, that’s the Presence.”
— Peter Traben Haas [52:53]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:05 – Introduction and guest welcome
- 02:05 – Peter’s move to Telluride, the spiritual quality of place
- 09:59 – What’s become clearer: Peter’s shift from esotericism to biblical integration
- 17:47 – Reflections on esotericism, the “universal Christ,” and returning to Jesus
- 22:14 – Abiding, Centering, Radiating: A biblical contemplative framework
- 26:45 – The spiritual and liturgical wisdom of Advent
- 38:02 – The genesis and practice of Centering Prayers
- 44:47 – Nature, vulnerability, and spiritual humility
- 47:57 – The revelatory nature of personal and written prayer
- 57:44 – New projects: “A Year in the School of Jesus” and spiritual autobiography
- 62:15 – Closing playful exchange: pairing the episode with champagne or hot chocolate
Tone and Style
The conversation is warm, honest, reflective, and at times poetic. Both speakers treat vulnerability and change as spiritual gifts, inviting listeners not just to think but also to feel alongside them and experiment with prayer, nature, and seasonal practices in their own spiritual lives.
For more information:
- Peter’s church and contemplative programs: christchurchtelluride.com
- New program: A Year in the School of Jesus
- Show notes and resources: contemplify.com