Morning Prayers & Ponderings…

I’m catching up on some reading and prayer this morning. Prayer literally means “to beg.”  There is a lot of begging going on these days around me, a lot of people are having a hard time.  So, as is my daily practice, I am settling in soon to pray, to meditate and to be more in touch with the Divine presence I believe is always whispering sweetly around me.  But, as the Maharishi said, “the winds of God’s grace are always blowing, but it is up to us to raise our sails.”

This morning I was catching up on 4011 emails and came across this nifty prayer from another blog and would like to borrow it.  But, like most things I read or am inspired by, it wandered me down a path of thinking my own convoluted, not-quite-fully-caffeinated-yet thoughts.  I mean, can you really borrow a prayer??  Can you borrow the earnest entreaties of another, can you take the intentions and hopes of another and mix them in your own internal soup and make it your own?

I would like to think so….I’d like to think on those days when it is hard or scary or sad, on the days when I am so tired or overwhelmed, on the days when it’s too much to do anything but just trust it’s all gonna be ok…those are the days we probably need to borrow a prayer the most.  Today I’m feeling good, great in fact, so I’m simply being the conduit for the prayers of others and trusting that like all good things, they move into the collective to water the fertile soil of our souls.

Pema Chodron describes being overwhelmed as “horrified anxiety.”  That’s probably the best definition I have ever heard.  There is a lot of that going around lately…just about everyone walking in my door is in a state of flux, transition, overwhelm or grief.  There seems to be something powerful moving in the collective as the old washes away and the new rolls in…like all tides, it brings things with it and this is no different.  Whatever is happening in the collective these days is deep and it’s hard on folks.   If you are having a rough time, know you are not alone…

We are all having interesting ups and downs with the change.  The water element is still pretty out of whack and there is a lot of transition for people.   For those who aren’t into the elements, the bottom line is that water is the element of emotions, and so when it is out of balance then the emotional state of humans also tends to be out of balance.   In these times, I find it helpful to remember that Divine Peace and Love dwell in and around all of us, and that we can trust the process of life… that we can move through life knowing we are safe, Divinely inspired, protected and guided, that we are safe and all is well.  In the words of St. Julian of Norwich, “and all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well…”

So in this time when there is a lot of prayer borrowing going on, I’m going to pass on some of my own favorites, as well as borrow from others who are in the habit of sending out prayers.

The wonderful folks  at The Virtual Abbey listed this prayer on July 25, evidently taken from A New Zealand Prayerbook, and I love it.  So I’m taking it directly from her blog…

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Lord, it is night.

The night is for stillness.

Let us be still in the presence of God.

It is night after a long day.

What has been done has been done

what has not been done has not been done;

let it be.

The night is dark.

Let our fears of the darkness

of the world and of our own lives

rest in you.

The night is quiet.

Let the quietness of your peace

enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace.

The night heralds the dawn.

Let us look expectantly to a new day,

new joys, new possibilities.

In your name we pray.

Thanks be to God.

I can’t say it any better than that.  So today, let us look expectantly to this new day, to new joys and to new possibilities.  If you need a prayer, feel free to borrow one.  If you have a prayer, feel free to share it…no prayer is ever held for long and certainly never goes to waste.

I’m off to raise my sails.  Have a great day.

Peace and blessings,

T 🙂