The Question of Prayer
Posted: 9 June 2012 Filed under: christianity, God | Tags: spirituality 5 Comments »I was reading over at Ask Mormon Girl, and the question she was addressing was about prayer. And it made me think about how challenging I feel the idea of prayer can be.
When someone asks for prayers, or mentions a death/illness/difficult time I often offer to keep them in my thoughts, or send positive energy/light their way. Because for me, that’s more comfortable than saying “I’ll pray for you.” There are a number of reasons…one is that it would be dishonest – rarely do I speak concrete prayers, and I can’t remember the last time I specifically prayed FOR someone. I also think that prayer can feel very transactional – if I pray, then such and such will happen. And that’s not the way that I feel like the universe works. And as a reiki practitioner, my training tells me that the energy will go where it’s needed, and that when we ask the universe for energy, it should be for the greatest good of the person we are treating – which isn’t always what they want it to be.
I think it’s hard to think of prayer that way, but it’s realistic – if I hold someone in my heart, send them energy, pray for them, whatever I want to call it, I shouldn’t be the one to decide what they need and ask for that. It’s about putting out the thoughts/energy/idea that I hope that whatever is for their best overall good will come.
“In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” ~Gandhi
I don’t like formal prayers either. I do think that they serve as good focusing/meditative tools for people who don’t think in terms of energy, or who are less willing to step outside the practices of their religion. When people offer me prayers, I appreciate it, and the positive energy that it involves, even though I don’t pray and I’m more likely to think in terms of positive, healing energy.
“pray unceasingly” equals a consciousness of prayer which is one with All That Is or God
Expanded consciousness is unceasing, unconscious prayer!
Newheaven – That’s certainly one way to look at it. Thanks for visiting my blog!
I don’t normally pray, exactly, but I do take a moment to hold them in the light. In high school, one of our classmates was in a car accident and we had a morning service where we held her and her siblings in the light (a Quaker tradition, I believe). Ever since then, I’ve found it to be an incredible way to “pray” for someone.
Thanks Leigh. I feel like that’s sort of the way I think of “praying” for someone – I just never put it in those words before