Tranquility Tuesday ~ I Say A Little Prayer for You ... And Me

I am a 60s/70s sort of gal (though not too hippie-ish!) and one of the songs that always touched my heart was by Dionne Warwick, "I Say A Little Prayer for You." It's a sweet song about holding someone in your heart as you go through your day.

I believe in prayer—in all its forms. And there certainly are many of them. I believe prayer works.

And, as I recall, the last time I talked about prayer was during the 28-Day Meditation Challenge in January. Sylvia Boorstein, my jewel of a teacher, was here. She reminded us that every time we turn ourselves toward the Sacred, we are engaged in prayer. This is part of what she said:

Whatever particular meditation practice we do, we are ardently hoping, indeed praying, for a peaceful and compassionate heart, for our own well being and for the well being of others. The very act of stopping to reorient ourselves—which is central to all meditation and prayer practices—and to focus our intention for the good, is a prayer.

I know all of this to be true. Yet, sometimes I feel the need for petitionary prayer. A real ASKING for guidance or assistance. Or for help in shifting my energy when I am off out of sorts. Do you? 

What's so puzzling to me is that if we believe wholeheartedly in prayer and we know that it works, why do we forget to do it? (You know from reading here that I've often referred to this phenomenon as "spiritual amnesia. :-)

Often when I "sit" or converse via phone with a directee/mentee about a pressing issue in their lives, I ask if they've taken it to prayer. 9 times out of 10 they'll pause, then say, "I guess I forgot all about that." I understand, because I do too.

Sometimes prayer is the only thing that we can do. It is our only course of action when we are in a "dark night of the soul," or have received bad news. Or we're simply struggling with the day-to-day burdens of everyday life. Sometimes the best thing I can do is surrender to life as it is and say, "Help me."

Who am I asking for help? I'm not always sure. More often than not it's a wise, enlightened being—someone who is "God" personified. (Mary, Jesus, the Buddha—even the spirit of my deceased father, on occasion.) These, for me, are representations of living in perfect alignment with Love, with All-That-Is, with all that is right and true, as I know it in this moment. When I pray in this way, it is not a form of "worship," but a sense of igniting my inner spark of divinity (when it's dimmed) and joining it with theirs, with the Universal heart, sourced in compassion and wisdom.

Here's a short point of reference on petitionary prayer as I understand it. Perhaps it will soothe your spirit today or jump-start a nice discussion here. 

Prayer is an outpouring of the substance of our souls.

As we petition Source, 

our words flow,

pouring out our heart's desire,

the water of our being.

We empty our vessel and, in so doing,

allow the Divine to fill it again with sweet nectar

to quench our spiritual thirst.**

Today, I'm singing along with Dionne Warwick, saying a little prayer for you ... and for me ... and for all of us. 

Now, does your heart have anything to say?

~~~~

** Excerpted from Awakening the Spirit Within.

p.s. I'm taking the 30-Day Lovingkindness (Online) Retreat with Sylvia Boorstein through Spirituality and Practice dot com. 

I can hardly wait for it to start on March 15. It goes through April 19. It features weekly emails, exercises, audios, 3 live teleconferences and a dharma practice circle. All for only $49.95! What a gift from one of the world's most respected and beloved teachers of Lovingkindness pratice. Perhaps we'll meet each other there! Click here to learn more. 

  
(Prayer image courtesy of www.utexas.edu)