copyright Bela Johnson, published in The Maine Eagle, April 2001

Why do we pray? For some, it is a habit learned in childhood. For others of us, it might be a way to demonstrate faith on a daily basis. Still others rarely pray except when they are in deep trouble. (Chances are, you are familiar with the divine bargain, "Get me out of this trap, and I promise I'll pray every day, be a good person, whatever. Just help me!") Yet in the past year, I have been strongly moved to practice daily prayer and meditation as tools to clarify my INTENTIONS. I have been strongly moved to suggest that clients do the same. There is so much chaos in today's world that prayer and meditation can provide an anchor in this sea of confusion. And daily practice is not only a way to let our desires be known in a concrete way, but a means of deeply experiencing and feeling our connection to Great Spirit.

To define intention, I would have to include not only desires, but thoughts, words and deeds. For all of us operate through our intentions, whether we know it or not. Focusing our intentions on a daily basis may involve prayer, meditation, or both. The differentiation that is often made is that prayer is considered ASKING and meditation, RECEIVING guidance from Source, from the Divine.

Each morning after I have performed basic chores (including taking a shower which clears my head from the night before), I sit down, in view of Nature, and breathe deeply. In drawing in breath, I intention drawing in the presence of both Heaven and Earth, of the Divine Feminine as well as the Divine Masculine. Looking out my window at the trees and the sky, I can't help but feel gratitude for living amongst such beauty. As I feel this gratitude, I experience my heart opening and my racing mind relaxing. The thoughts that begin to surface come slowly, and I don't deny them: thoughts of people in less fortunate circumstances, family members who have lost their way or are facing difficult challenges, then finally, and not necessarily sequentially, my own concerns and fears. After joining Great Spirit in blessing each person I "see," I sit somewhat as an observer, not judging but simply allowing myself to feel a certain "charge" or "pull" from each subsequent image or feeling. (Remember I have a gift of vision, so I personally see images. Not everyone does, and there is no "right" or "wrong" way to pray, meditate, or experience perceptions.) Some images or feelings are almost like fantasies, fleeting and void of substance, in the way that they do not feel real for me, personally. I ask the Divine, then, for Its blessing. I open my heart in all sincerity to receive clarification if needed, or to release these wayward energies which some might term "psychic debris."

Feelings or images that are heavier or more substantial remain with me longer, and I close my eyes and breathe in a grounding color, such as earth-red, through the top of my head and down through my body, into the earth (think of house electricity moving into a grounding rod planted in the earth). Grounding settles the jangling energy of fear. Now I can more clearly differentiate between a fear-driven feeling and a clear-hearted one. Now I can more clearly express my INTENTION for a particular concern, which I silently express to the Divine. This is the "asking." When one image no longer registers or when the intensity of a feeling begins to subside, the next image or feeling emerges. All the time, I am experiencing a pulsing throughout my body, a feeling I have come to know as the presence of the Divine. (Again, perceptions will differ, from person to person.) As I continue processing feelings and images, this pulsing becomes stronger, and I feel fuller and lighter at the same time. This lightness increases as I clear out the denser, fear-based vibrations. (Repetition increases the speed at which this can be accomplished.) Then I finish my sitting time by asking that I be the best person I am able, and that I may more clearly see any control dramas I am engaging in. For me, the process of becoming clearer and allowing more space for the Divine to reside in me is very much about surrendering personal control or egocentric will. I then scan my personal horizon for anything I have missed and slowly open my eyes, turning to view Nature through my window, once again. Sometimes I think it helps to go outside for a short walk, to "get my feet back on the ground," but if this is too time-consuming, I simply visualize myself with feet planted firmly on the earth.

This is the most powerful form of prayer I can imagine, and one which takes me, on average, about fifteen minutes each morning. And while it seems difficult to allocate yet another block of time for anything in our busy lives, such daily practice can bring us into harmony with Source, providing more ease and less frazzle throughout the day. Making time for intentional practice may even leave us feeling less tired and more energized, almost like we have recaptured more hours in the day. Try it for a week, and see for yourself!