Author
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Topic: How to Pray Effectively?
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iAmThat Knowflake Posts: 1082 From: USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 28, 2005 01:09 AM
OK I have this thing going on and I would like to dump it on this post.To pray is to commune with our creator. So how best do we commune with our Creator? Well lots of brows would have been raised already because I said creator and not creators? The one is in the Unity and the multiplicity. Just as any number can be expressed with 1. So let me be very simple and get a dump of main thing that I ran thru my mind. It is said that we must pray as if our prayers was already answered. I have always wondered about this and did my best to pray in a meaningful way. Sometimes my prayers were answered and sometimes it wasn't. May be its waiting its delivery and I must have patience In times of despair the only strength that we have is our faith and hope. And it is the faith that gives wings to our prayers and sends it to our Creator. So how do we build this wing. How do we commune in a powerful way with the Creator? As I go back in time, I have tried to identify when was the prayer instantly delivered and when it took forever or was never answered. The more I thought the more obvious it became that we have lost the wisdom of praying in the right manner. Once Humans knew how to pray and now we are ignorant. It is one of those things where a child gets a toy, he enjoys it and after a while he would not bother to play with it. No matter how much he had enjoyed it in the first place. I was reading about how this magic was lost from our prayer life. I would try to post the author. Now different people pray differently. But lets divide and conquer on the components of the prayer.
A prayer has essentially three components: 1. Thought : Its the main substance of the prayer. And when one communes with the universe, this primary component is never missed. 2. Emotions: How intense is our prayer. Just as when we watch broadway and our facial expressions changes, we laugh, and then cry. When every word is spoken in our prayer, do we express the same emotions? 3. Feeling: We have given definition to our communion by taking the main substance Thought and married it wih Emotions and created a feeling in that process. Some prayers has only thoughts. The emotions and therefore the feeling is cut off. Some has thought and emotions, but the intensity of the emotion and therefore the feeling lacks.
Now that we have expressed our communion in a language. How does one pray?
Lets imagine that there is a cancerous growth in your body. So when we begin our prayer: 1. We spend the most time in gratitude. Thanking God for giving us the opportunity to see this day. We thank him for the food he has provided. We remember the hurts others have caused us. We acknowledge of things that affects us. We acknowledge our present condition of our body. We feel the pain or experience it in every cell of our being. In essense we ponder over our past and instead of cursing. We thank God. Its important not to condemn, no matter how adverse the situation. Or no matter how much you hate the just elected senator In doing so you are hating the things that was created. The more you avoid it, the more will be given to you. The conditions could become extreme so be careful. (Ideally this is where one must spend 80 percent of their prayer time) 2. Then in the closing whatever we wish for, we feel it. One important thing to remember is that all that exists is already there. You must choose what path you would like to take. For example, if the cancer growth is hurting your body and you are unable to walk for example. We feel what it means to walk outside in the garden, and breathe fresh air. We feel what it means to be strolling on the fresh green grass with bare feet. Thats it. You have created for yourself a world you want to live in. Remember how Yeshua had to say loudly "Lazarus. Wakeup.". It was punched with power. You don't have to be loud because you are only communing with the creator. You must be silent, go to a quiet room where you have privacy and commune with an intensity. Yeshua had a greater problem that of bringing a dead person to life and he wanted to demonstrate to people the power of every spoken word. So he spoke loud and said the sacred word. OK. This is the first edition and I am really tired to go back and edit what I said. May be manana IP: Logged |
lotusheartone Knowflake Posts: 1885 From: piopolis, quebec canada Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 01:17 AM
IamThat, It must be simple, tooo many words, you lose at least half the people who were reading, I felt this complicated things. Look within, for your spiritual compass, the internet is a dark abyss, filled with alot of meaningless things. And many untruths...Love and Light in your search IP: Logged |
iAmThat Knowflake Posts: 1082 From: USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 28, 2005 01:24 AM
Hi Lotus, Its my thought process and dump of it not borrowed from the internet. Is that what you knew and said its crap Its a technique that one may read and their prayer would become more effective. I was only sharing with people my prayer/communion life. It would seem long initially, with this guide the inner light would shine which is the real goal. I am not saying something different than you. There is a bridging of the ancient wisdom and science as we know today. I would try to explain it tomorrow as I promised for myself a good nites sleep. Reader may post any question they have. I would wait and watch this thread. Its fun to share and learn, as always. -IAT
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lotusheartone Knowflake Posts: 1885 From: piopolis, quebec canada Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 01:32 AM
IAmThat, I'm so sorry, didn't mean it that way, but we are all guided by our higherSelf, and all pray in an individual way. Take it from me, noone, wants you to tell them how to pray. It's a journey within each soul, just trying to help, it doesn't feel good, when they come after you, and ask you to explain. Haven't you read my thread, Picture a Perfect World, Please!Love and Light IP: Logged |
iAmThat Knowflake Posts: 1082 From: USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 28, 2005 01:40 AM
Dear Lotus, Do not worry. I have expressed in the past at LL, that I would use this site as a Journal of my own walk. Sorry, you are newcomer and I never got to convey it to you. I always do put a rider in the bottom that "thoughts expressed are my own". Sometimes I feel no need to because some people know me here. But thanks for reminding. People may like it, people may not. Well atleast they know what I think and thats important I believe. I would never subscribe to people's thinking with out instrospecting it in my own way and expect the same from others. Well now I am really gone to bed...its getting verr....y late... -IAT
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Ayumi Knowflake Posts: 135 From: Registered: Jan 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 01:53 AM
Iamthat thank you for posting this and sharing your ideas. It really helped me think about how I manifest in my own life, and how often I out of fear (I'm not sure of what, maybe a fear of really opening myself up to my true emotions about something?) will block off the emotional part of a prayer, thereby making it incomplete. The intention is there, but I'm too afraid to really feel it, maybe because if I want it too much I'll drive it away. I don't know. But I wonder about the whole idea of thankfulness for what you have in order to receive more, because although it makes sense, I also fear that I'd end up taking an easir route and just being content with what I have.... I dont know, it IS late and I'm kind of rambling! But I like your thoughts and I also am always trying to find the truth in everything. IP: Logged |
lotusheartone Knowflake Posts: 1885 From: piopolis, quebec canada Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 01:54 AM
A-men- A-woman to that, and sorry again, it's just when we get so close, well you know...Love and Light IP: Logged |
sue g Knowflake Posts: 3558 From: ireland Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 28, 2005 05:28 AM
Wouldnt it be another soulution to think about what you write Lotus, as opposed to having to keep apologising, I feel it takes away the power of "sorry"...........just a thought girl Love and life xxx IP: Logged |
juniperb Knowflake Posts: 5812 From: Big Dipper Registered: Mar 2002
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posted August 28, 2005 09:42 AM
IAT, how wonderful to see you and your inspirtional thoughts again! I humbly use Jesus`s words to reflect the manner of Prayer he taught us : Matthew 6:8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13 (NKJV) 8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11. Give us this day our daily bread. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. This Prayer is to the Creator, direct . Jesus`s Intentions and Needs are made perfectly clear. IAT, I would say Intention, Heart aligned with Mind, and Faith would be the Prayer to wing it`s way to our Creator. Thank you for inspiring me! Blessings, ------------------ If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. ~James Herriot IP: Logged |
Lei_Kuei Knowflake Posts: 175 From: Window Between World Registered: May 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 11:42 AM
I believe I carry a god within, his memory resides in my and in everyone else too Therefore when I commune with the creator, I converse with "it" in my mind because I know thats where is hiding... "It" is a clever one indeed and always has a kind word to share with me or some sound advice, when I choose to listen I do not pray to god, I talk to "It" as I would my friend! As regards giving thanks to "it" and such, I do not agree... an entity such as god holds no ego and needs no gratitude for its actions, the same then can be said for condemning him as I have done many times... When I threatened him with my own death he did not get angry, he done the opposite, he gave me a hug! I could tell god everyday from no until the rest of my life that "I hate you" and it would hold no grudge... What would happen is that I would be cutting myself off from the divine within and choosing to ignoring it and so perhaps my life would degrade in some way and then you could say that this is because I hate god... Right, but god does not hate me! Then should I wake up one morning and say.."Ok man, I'm sry (apologizing is not for gods benefit for he docent need an apology but I need to apologize to myself for denying myself the basic right of being able to commune with god)... lets start over It would be as if I never turned away at all for such a friendship cannot be scared unless you choose to see a or feel a scar for it is only an illusion created by your ego... not the god within! These are my feelings anyways... and each to their own!
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juniperb Knowflake Posts: 5812 From: Big Dipper Registered: Mar 2002
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posted August 28, 2005 11:53 AM
These are my feelings anyways... and each to their own! Amen sister. Feelings, thoughts and beliefs have a wonderous place in the Human life! I do concede Truth to Jesus over my "I" that our sins and errors are to be presented to the Creator for Merciful forgiveness. If "I" didn`t, that would be denying the validity of the Christs message, yes? Blessings ------------------ If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. ~James Herriot IP: Logged |
let ther b light Knowflake Posts: 72 From: bombay, india Registered: Aug 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 12:00 PM
hey all im new here. im not as knowledgable as all of ull. but i wud really lik to know a few things as it will affect a lot of important decisions sdat i wish to make. im a hindu. n our basic way of prayin is in temples(which have idols).i hav been told by born again christian friends that idol worship is wrong. and that itit is lik prayin to the devil. i really need to no if this is true. i am not at all in peace. my boyfreind is a hindu and has told me dat if i dont stop goin to d church(i started goin a couple of months bak) he'll be very uncomfy wid it n even tho it wud really hurt him,he wud break up wid me since he does not wantus to hav hav conflicting faith.please help me. i really dont no wat to doIP: Logged |
lotusheartone Knowflake Posts: 1885 From: piopolis, quebec canada Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 12:09 PM
I believe all the religions, basically have the same story, so therefore, One God, One Creator, he/she is One. No matter what religion, we are still praying to that One being. I'm sure, in the beginning, which is really the end, it's all the same. We all knew this Creator, and we will Know them again. As we did then.Sounds crazy, but that's how I see it. Love and Light and Understanding IP: Logged |
let ther b light Knowflake Posts: 72 From: bombay, india Registered: Aug 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 12:16 PM
hey lotusheartone thanks fr ur input..........so does dat mean dat it is ok fr me to indulge in idol worship??????????i mean ppl around me seem to be fiercely against it.........and i am really scared. i feel lik this last one week was lik hell i felt ther r bloks around me i was totally confused.and i cud not mak sense of anything. i still am quite confused. but thanks anyways
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DayDreamer Knowflake Posts: 1394 From: Registered: Jul 2003
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posted August 28, 2005 02:56 PM
I pray to only One Creator. The Creator of the Universes. Not to any of the Creator’s creations. I believe the idols or gods may have been some sort of beings, spirits or whatever that lived before us or that still exist but can’t be seen with the human eyes or on this planet...well not to our knowledge. These idols may have helped humans in some way, but I think that can be akin to a human helping another human being out. You don’t pray to the person that helped you out. You may be grateful to them. But all things come from One Source...where constant genuine praise should be directed. That’s what I believe. IP: Logged |
iAmThat Knowflake Posts: 1082 From: USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 28, 2005 03:12 PM
Ok time now for the science behind this technique of prayer. Again these are my thoughts. So do not take it to heart. Just suck any wisdom you may find and build your own beehive as I do with some of the other intelligent people out here What is reality? Is it what our eyes sees? Well our eyes can see a lot more? Imagine a camcorder recording an outdoor scene? Its lens sees things as they are and when its captured on a tape and replayed, the observes sees things as per their ability to see things. With his/her own judgement. Ok so its clear now that even though brain is processing information at a rapid rate. We only are aware of a fraction of its processing power.We only see what we believe is possible. So now that we have defined reality, how do we experience its mystery? Lets go back to science. Time is a mysterious dimension of our current existence with so little known of it. Our brain has only the sense of past and not of future. Well time does not have only these two directions vix past and future. There's a third aspect of time which is called Vertical time ...................Possibilities (Vertical time).................... ................... ^................... ................... |................... ................... |.................... <------------------------------> Past.........Now.............Future Figure: Dots added for proper indentation only. It is the path that you choose of all the possibilities that exists already.
When the big bang occurred, the parameters or variables were already defined. All the possibilties that may exists were created for us. The experience that you feel is the path you choose amongst these possibilities. Your past may have been failures. Its ok to ascertain that. We all learn by mistakes. Its not ok to curse it. Because it was an effect of your own cause. You here now because of the path you have walked this far. When you ascertain this past aspect, you are unchaining yourself from past. It sets you free to move ahead. At this point I will tell you a secret. Do you remember Yeshua, sweating blood a day before his crucifixion in the garden. He was praying with that thought and emotion and intensity. By doing so he didn't wanted to change the next day, he wanted to be the lamb and he had already planned out leaving his divinity in the hosts. Well its a separate mysterious discussion by iteself. What is given to you at any moment is NOW which shapes your future reality. There is no rule on how you would shape your future. Your creator already knows of all the possible things that you would choose. One important thing to know is that there is no rule on how you define your reality. (Remember, all things that you chose is already determined). With this faith and a prayer, you may move mountains. Do you remember how Jacob had a dream of a ladder in heaven and he saw people ascending and descending it. Well those people are us. God has already created the heaven and earth and set a ladder. Some climb up and some fall down. So we have now discovered that that what happens outside of us is a direct result of what's happening inside of us.
With the power of faith and prayer of our faith we would all keep climbing up Jacob's proverbial ladder and not fall down. Hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did sharing it. Ok now back to answering some of the earlier concerns in a different post. Keep on coming. I learn myself by my own mistakes.
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iAmThat Knowflake Posts: 1082 From: USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 28, 2005 04:38 PM
Namaste Ayumi, Fear is of things that we know not. When we know, the fear leaves us. We are transformed. This does not mean that we be adventurous and face unneccessay effect of our cause. We must strive to be always be in a communion with our creator or creation. Keep passive our mind, because our mind is that force which always tries to expand and brings us new miseries when it goes wrong. There is really nothing that is not given when you ask in faith. I could not understand what you have asked for. We must understand the superficiality of things and ask of that which is real and not which seems real. Namaste Juniperb,
I always say two prayers daily. One is what Yeshua taught, with a small paraphrase that I am not comfortable in sharing now, and the other one which I have discovered in my own Journey. The reason being I do that is because a lot of wisdom was taken from western bible by the Roman emperor. I feel its not wise to take it literally. Namaste Lei_Kuei. Indeed to know self is to know God. When I say thank God. I really meant not to curse it as most people do. Sometimes its better to say a good thing than to say something bad. And gratitude is always good. When you condemned God, he has infinite patience and he would not retaliate. As I said before, we are one with God. Before creation He and each one of us were all without form. He then first created light and ........blah..blah ...story of creation.... and he placed his spark with in us so that he could enjoy the creation. When the duality of exists/not exists/, Hate/Love, God/Satan, Ego/Love, Vice/Virtue, Evil/Good, etc...cease to exists you break away from the illusion that you speak of and are at one with creation. You are immortal and achieve until a given Age all that you may want to achieve. At the end of the age....(ok lets leave this as its a seperate discussion). Namaste Let There B light,
I will tell you a secret in the Kaballah. The name of devil is Jehovah written backwards. I am planning to explore this wonderful mystery and holding myself from making any comments on this important mystery. There is absolute Good and absolute evil. And just as there is a hierarchy of Gods , man has said there is an hierarchy in the hell. To me, evil is absense of good. Demons to me represent divine egos which I must remove from myself. Regarding idol worship. There was a Muslim king who taunted a human brahmin on idol worships. This learned man went to the emperors court and saw a painting of the emperor. He went and spat on the picture. The king got offended. He then told, that how much hurt the devotees get when they try to imagine the formless God in a form that of a idol. The king bowed before him and acknowledged his folly.
Knowledge is everywhere around us. But only a book has a form of the knowledge. So for the early initiates, idols are like ideals. Once they have a power of concentration, they may discontinue idol worship. Everyone has spark of divine in their self. I would say, start servicing the least brothers and you are indeed doing that service to no one but our creator. Namaste DayDreamer, Very well said.
-IAT IP: Logged |
lotusheartone Knowflake Posts: 1885 From: piopolis, quebec canada Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 28, 2005 05:16 PM
iAmThat, Thanks, that was wonderful, you have a way with words, and I can learn from you.Love and Light IP: Logged |
sue g Knowflake Posts: 3558 From: ireland Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 29, 2005 04:43 AM
Why complicate things - I heard a woman say once, every morning, she just gets down on her knees and prays ............aaahhh that really touched me.........I do the same xxIP: Logged |
sesame Moderator Posts: 996 From: Oz Registered: Nov 2003
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posted August 29, 2005 07:54 AM
Well, great thoughts one and all! I feel compelled to say a few things.IAT, first of all, I think we are very similar in completely opposite ways You say things that make me see them differently, but I think differently from what you intend. It's like a pun - the words within the words. Initially, I understand what you're saying about prayer, but I can't help but think of the fundamentals - that God knows what you want before you ask. Then why pray? If you follow the three things and ask for something the creator knows you cannot handle, then should you still get it? That is the question. So, why pray and spoil the best thing She can do for you? I like what you say though, about meaning the prayer etc. I just think the creator doesn't need it so much. Maybe you are paying for self justification of sorts? I mean, you Know within yourself what you are asking, and by praying, you hear your needs expressed aloud. You hear your own intensity and hence spur on to make great things. You get my drift? Please don't take this in any way negatively. lotusheartone, you are a breath of fresh air. I honestly don't mind your way of communicating and apologising - that can be a very humble way of learning. And teaching. In the end, I see a LOT of positivity in you. And young energy IP: Logged |
sesame Moderator Posts: 996 From: Oz Registered: Nov 2003
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posted August 29, 2005 07:57 AM
Ayumi, contentedness is bliss. And yet, it can feel like stagnation. A thought keeps floating through my head recently "You either swim or sink", well, today I thought, "What about floating?" I love to float and look at the sky.sue g, you rock. juniperb, this is the thing, if "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him" then why ask? I guess the prayer is more for others, but then our Father knows what others need too, right? I don't understand what you said about "I"? Lei_Kuei, very cool words. Have you read Conversations with God? let ther b light, Welcome! My answer is that all is OK. My question is on the reverence of Idols. I mean, what would happen if they were destroyed? I think that worshipping something tied to the Earth is close sited only because it is of the Earth and hence impermanent. I don't think there is anything wrong with idols as objects to help in focusing towards God. I think this is their purpose? I mean, what is a church or alter? Anyone heard of a cross? These are very much idols, but they are Christian, and hence I can't help but think the bible was against other idols to remove competition, so why do we where crosses? To help us focus energy. To remember that we live for higher purposes, hopefully not to remember the torture an innocent went through. I think you need more communication with your boyfriend. I don't want to think that you're forced to do something you don't want to, but at the same time, if you go along, you could learn more about what you want to do and see where the relationship takes you. Best of luck with it. DayDreamer, have you seen statues of Min, from Ancient Egypt? Ignoring his phallus, I was thinking more of his enormous smile. It just seems so infectious. Of course, he was a fertility God, but that grin was insane! Lastly, IAT, about time, I think we live in the present and need the past to understand the consequences of our actions - to better our future. It's all one, but it's not the same To go back in time is to say our consequences don't matter. I don't believe in "the Big Bang", have you read about the Steady State? Anyhow, I love you all, Dean. IP: Logged |
iAmThat Knowflake Posts: 1082 From: USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 29, 2005 02:24 PM
Namaste Dean,You do not ask for it? To ask is an insult. Its there already. You feel it. Heres the core of the technique. Its important to remember that the word pray is not so intimate as the word commune. You must feel what its like to have your desires fulfilled. Theres a big difference. Well I would like to address your other concerns in time. I would wait for others to respond on what they see. If no response then I would add my own piece of mind. Everyone, great questions. I enjoyed it. Helped me to evolve myself. -IAT
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lotusheartone Knowflake Posts: 1885 From: piopolis, quebec canada Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 29, 2005 02:30 PM
Sesame, I see you much more tact then me, lol, I agree with you, universally, we are all tuning, so to speak, I listen to the music of the spheres, very humbly, they have alot to say. And speak through all of us. We are all sisters and bothers, we all need to help each other. OK, well there I go again. I don't want to preach, maybe we need to focus on LOVE. Love is ALL...
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sue g Knowflake Posts: 3558 From: ireland Registered: Sep 2004
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posted August 29, 2005 02:47 PM
Hi DeanHow are you? Thanks for your kind words!! Are you having a good summer, mine is fab, lots of social stuff, I am doing music, singing, enjoying the irish sun and generally living, lovin and rock and rollin....... This thread is a bit "heavy" for me but I just wanted to pop in and say hi! Love Sue xx
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Lei_Kuei Knowflake Posts: 175 From: Window Between World Registered: May 2005
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posted August 29, 2005 03:30 PM
Lei_Kuei, very cool words. Have you read Conversations with God?Sesame: Heh... your the second person to ask me if I have read those books when I made a similar comment about praying/talking to god lol... I was actually In a book store a few weeks before the first person asked me about this and I heard that book calling to me for some reason (this happens alot with books and me )... Well I didn't buy it because I was actually looking for a present for a friend of mine! Next time I hear it calling me when I walk past I shall put it under my arm and run with it hehe... (ps: stealing is bad LOL) Sue, do you mind if I ask where it is in Ireland you are living? I'm in the South East but Ill soon be back in Dublin when college starts! Where ever it is you are its dose indeed sound like you are having lots of fun... is it a mystical fairy land hidden from my view hehe... Well I have not been having a particularly fun summer due to heart break argh... some other nice stuff has happened though, but heart break puts a massive damper on things IP: Logged | |