A Book of Everyday Prayers

Remember:
If you want to make progress
On the path
And ascend to the places
You have longed for,
The important thing
Is not to think much
But to love much,
And so to do
Whatever
Best awakens you to love.

St. Teresa of Avila

My Dear Friends,

            . Many people have asked me how to pray and meditate. Some people have grown up without coming into contact with a prayer. Some genuinely want to know how to pray, but were never instructed.  Other people have grown up without a formal spiritual or religious practice.  They neither believe nor disbelieve in anything “supernatural” or Divine. It is just something that does not concern them very much. Church is uninteresting, spiritual readings are boring, and thinking about spiritual matters is not even in the realm of possibility.

This is all well and good, for awhile. However, sometime in life, the faint stirrings of the Divine begin to rumble in the soul. Usually, these “stirrings” occur when big emotions begin…intense love, sorrow, grief, gratitude or fear. When you first begin to know that love is happening in your life, your entire system rearranges itself. You want to sing and dance and play and laugh, you feel so very young, even if you are not. You want to say “thank you” to Someone or Something for bringing this great gift into your life, and you do not know whom to thank.

            Once these rumblings of the Divine start, they do not easily go away, no matter how much you try to ignore them. People have all sorts of reasons for ignoring the Divine callings: they are just too busy, their life is too hectic for prayer, they don’t know where to look for answers, and they just do not know what to do. There is a genuine need for some spiritual devotion, but perhaps nothing seems to quite “fit”.

            There is also the small matter of not knowing exactly how to pray. What is prayer? Whom does one pray to? How does one begin to pray? Where to start?

Prayer is, very simply, communication with the Divine.

What or Whom is the Divine?

            Every person has his/ her own concept of who or what the Divine is. Some, perhaps most of us, picture the Divine as a bearded old man on a throne.  Sometimes beneficent and loving, at other times, judgmental or severe, He rules with absolute authority. Our society has fostered an image of fear and insecurity in its image of the Divine. God is a male and only a male. God is white and no other color. God is old, and has never been youthful. God has never fallen in love or fathered children, or played with a baby or a puppy. Our God is only for our Western culture, no other culture’s belief is quite authentic. God has strict rules which must be followed exactly, or else. Prayer must follow a specific format, or else. And God never, ever laughs.

            Other peoples in the world have a much different image of the Divine. The Divine is a male called God. The Divine is a female called Goddess. The Divine has a thousand names and a thousand forms. The Divine is an idea or a thougthform or an energy with no name. Some cultures have dozens of images for the Divine. Divine forms are found in trees, and storms, clouds and stars. A blessed and holy spirit watches over every part of hearth and home, forest and farm, river and lake and stream. The Divine is in every thing and every creature. The Divine may be shaped like an animal, or combinations of animals, or unearthly creations, such as dragons and fairies.  

Prayer can flow spontaneously from the heart in songs or poems, or in sacred acts of dance and ritual. Prayer can be formalized and exacting. Prayer can be actions, words, thoughts and feelings.

            I do not think we shall ever know exactly who or what is the Divine….we can only know that it does exist, and that it loves. The Divine is love. You must choose the image of the Divine that best suits you and your heart. Being with the Divine is an intensely personal experience.  When something is unimaginable, our mind tends to find a way to shape it to fit our thoughts. Personalize your vision of the Divine to fit your heart.

How to pray.

Basically, prayer is communication. In regular daily conversation with casual friends, you talk and the person you are with listens. Then you listen, and the person you are with talks. Hopefully, your companion will actually hear what you say.  In deeper, more meaningful conversations, such as with your spouse, you share ideas, feelings, laughter and tears. You share your heart and soul with the one you are with. You look into each others eyes. You look into each other’s real person. You see the other as a whole and complete being, and in learning and discovering the other, you learn and discover a great deal about yourself as well. And the more you know, the more there is to know, the more you want to know. It is like falling in love. It is falling in love…..in love with the Divine. Prayer is total communication.

            Some prayer is a little one sided. Words asking for stuff: “Dear God, I’ve been good. Can I have that new car now?”  “Dear God, I promise to be good. Please smite my enemies.” “Dear God, if you get me out of this mess, I promise never to do that again.”  It is prayer at its most basic.

            Formal prayers might be next in the progression: the Our Father, the Hail Mary, Rosary, Mala beads, novenas, St Francis’s prayer…..there are so many prayers, written by so many wise souls to choose from. Select what pleases you, what feels good and natural to you, and say them as often as possible.

            The next step in prayer would be to pray from your heart. Just talk to the Divine, as if He/She were sitting next to you on the couch, holding your hands. After you are finished, just sit, with your heart open, and listen. We cannot hear the words of the Divine if we never stop talking. We need to sit in stillness, in silence. The technical term for this is “meditation”. You can sit and focus on your breathing, or a word. That seems to help in calming and stilling the mind. There are many great books and CD’s on meditation to deepen and refine your skill at meditation. But meditation is nothing more mysterious than quieting the mind to feel the presence of the Divine. It is challenging, difficult, easy, scary, wonderful, peaceful, annoying and the best gift you can give yourself.

            You can easily begin a daily practice of five minutes with the Divine. Put it on your calendar, just like your other appointments. You have an appointment with the Divine every morning, and every evening. Just five minutes. Sit in stillness. You can make it a formal time, with a special chair, fresh flowers, a candle and incense. Or it can be just your quiet time, alone with the presence of the Divine. You cannot do this wrong. It is perfect for you every time.

            Another favorite method of daily prayer is what I term the “super seven.”  Find seven things to be grateful about each and every day. Share them with your spouse at dinner, or write them down in your gratitude journal. Write them on your bulletin board. Sing them in a song: “I am grateful for the blue, sunny skies. I am grateful for my wonderful spouse. I am grateful to live in a clean, safe environment.” Daily gratitude will transform your life.

            Gratitudes each day form a basis to live life from a spiritual perspective. They are little rituals to help us live in a state of remembrance of whom and what we are. We are spiritual beings. Our purpose in life is remember, seek and know the Divinity in ourselves and in all creation.

            I often write about “putting feet under your prayers”. This means, simply, to make your every action as prayer. Making dinner can be a prayer, so can cleaning the house, doing your everyday work, walking the dog…..any action performed in a mindful and reverent manner is a prayer. The Zen Buddhists have an expression: “before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water.” You do the same actions you have always done, but now, they are performed with an entirely different attitude.

Reverence, respect, holiness and mindfulness replace indifference, unconsciousness and neglect. Learning to practice prayerful action is a powerful way to connect to the Divine.

             Use whatever prayers and rituals you need to help you reclaim your Divinity. A brief prayer upon arising or your morning meditation will start your new day aligned with peacefulness. Blessing your food, giving thanks for its nourishment will transform your relationship with it. Complete your day in thanksgiving, and rest peacefully. Included here are a few prayers that I use. These prayers are from different faiths, cultures, traditions and times. Please feel free to change the words to suit your own personal needs. Create new prayers. Pray from your heart. And as St. Teresa so eloquently wrote: the important thing is not to think much, but to love much……

A prayer to begin the day.

Mother Goddess Father God,
Thank you for the joy of preparing for a new day.
Bless me so that all I do, I do well.
Let me see every one as my sister and brother.
Let me love our Earth my home.
Let all that is done, be done for the good of all.
Blessed be.

 
Prayer before Meals:

Creator,
Thank you for this meal and the time together to enjoy it.
Bless all who had a role in bringing it to our table.
May this food nourish our bodies well.
May our time together be fulfilling.
Blessed be.

Prayer for children:

Creator Dear,
Bless all children this day,
Keep them safe and warm and happy.
Keep them fed and secure and healthy.
Let them be secure in the knowledge
That they are loved beyond measure.
Keep them in Your Love.

A prayer at the close of the day.

Mother Goddess, Father God
Thank you for the gift of completing this day.
Let me forgive and bless myself for that
Which did not go well.
Let me rejoice in all that did.
Bless my sisters and brothers,
Known and unknown,
Human and animal
Mineral and plant
That all may find rest and solace
In your warm night time
Embrace.
I give you my heart.
Blessed be.

Prayer before turning the car on:

Dearest Goddess, bless my car, myself, my passengers
As I begin this trip.
Bless my fellow travelers
As we begin our days’ commute.
Keep us mindful, and alert
Courteous and wise.
Return us to our homes and families safely
Thank you.

Prayer before using the computer

Creator,
Bless this time of work and play on the computer
With wisdom and peace.
Thank you.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Prayer to the Goddess

I am a child of the Universe.
She puts her almighty protection around me.
I am free from accidents, death, sickness.
I am shining with golden light from top to toe.
I am her chosen protected child, and she is my shield.
The winds shall aid my progress.
Water shall cleanse me from fear,
Fire will purify my doubts
And the earth shall nourish me to health.
All is well, all is well, all is well.

                                                                 Zsuzsanna Bupapest