A Few Words about Prayer. Just a Few.

Without exaggeration, the exact number of blogs I have written just might be 9 trillion.

I have written one blog a week, 52 blogs a year for….at least ten years? Fifteen? Conservatively it might that be 520+ blogs?

And stay tuned!  We are conjuring up a Blog-a-Log, an indexing of the past year’s blogs, to ease your access.  More about that down the road a bit.

But for today—I ponder—why have I written so little about prayer?  Because it is so personal?  Because prayer lives in a tender and personal niche of my heart?  Because it’s hard to universalize?  Something so specific to me in my moment, how can that be generalized and offered to you?  Why would any of that stop me?

Okay, whatever.  Here goes.

What I personally/me/Aruni understand about prayer:

• Prayer does not change reality.
• Prayer softens our grip on it.
• Prayer is fluid.  It is alive.  Its form changes all the time.
• Prayer is a lifeline to something bigger than the events of the moment, something larger than our personal droplet in time.
• We cannot possibly pray wrong.  There is no wrong in this realm of spiritual connection.
• As prayer is offered, something is received and returned.  This is the truth of it.
• Prayer reminds us—we are not alone.

My prayer life has gone through wild and wacky phases.  When I was newer on the road of willfully developing contact with that that isn’t me, I had more formalized, more rigid routines of prayer.  Eventually that willful practice softened into a less formal path.

My dogs taught me so much about praying.  Lucy Doodle and Zac Joe Doodle, oh, they would take their time on our walks.  Smelling every blade of grass.  Examining each tiny leaf.  I had such limited patience for their perusing through the woods. 

One day, after much frustration, I stopped.  I got a grip.  On myself.  And asked the question:
“Why am I rushing?  What so important at home?”

I realized, aghast, that I wanted to go home and meditate.

Well.  That stopped me.  How about now, right now?  How about here, right here?

And I started to walk with Lucy.  With Zac.  With prayer.  With repeated phrases.  With affirmations.  With chants.  With mantra.

Not slow-motioned meditative walking, good for the program room.  But regular-paced, my-paced, your- paced, our-paced, walking with repetitive words.  Good for walking anywhere.  Everywhere.

Let them come.
Let them go.
Let them change.
Let them flow.
Lucy and Zac changed my prayer life 
And
Opened me up to the fluidity of my own movement.

I love repetition.
It quiets my mind.
It quiets my anxiety.

Try it!

Try walking mantra.
Walk with a regular gate—at work, at the store, at home.
Grocery stores, Home Depot, all.
Bring a repetitive phrase to your movement, to the moment.
Savor it.
It can accompany us everywhere.
It’s a prayer revolution,
Off the cushion,
Off the yoga mat,
Behind the lines.

---

Anne Lamott in her book, Help, Thanks, Wow—the Three Essential Prayers says:

So prayer is our sometimes real selves trying to communicate with the Real, with Truth, with the Light. It is us reaching out to be heard, hoping to be found by a light and warmth in the world, instead of darkness and cold. 

~~~

Well-said, Anne Lamott.  Thanks for one of the best book title on the planet.

And
Here’s a song.
This song, right here.  Right now.

I believe prayer is asking for help, asking for something to stand with us.
To be there.
To join us.
To connect.
To help.
To share.

Here is Playing for Change with Stand by Me, truly a prayer in music:

~~~

Dear Friends,

With gratitude,
With possibility,
With hope.

May all beings be blessed
By the words we share,
By the prayers we offer.

Dear Folks,
Be kind to yourselves.

All blessings,
Aruni