When we pray we are attempting to align our thoughts, hopes and aspirations with something greater than ourselves.
This spiritual T’ai Chi is just like physical practice.
As we strive to incorporate principles that help us to improve our focus and eliminate distractions, our prayers may then become more powerful and more effective.
Through practice praying, our “prayer muscles” become stronger and our technique may evolve.
Mechanisms of Prayer
These thoughts may aid one to become more effective regardless of what beliefs one has about how prayer works.
Some examples of the wide variety of possible mechanisms by which prayer may be useful to us are the Traditional view, in which we ask for help from an all powerful deity, the Psychological view, by which prayer may be seen as us communicating with our unconscious mind and thereby unleashing an enormous potential that may be found within ourselves. (Not necessarily “Religion”, and acceptable to agnostics, athiests, and others not accepting the possibility of their being a part of something larger than themselves.)
A third option, the Pragmatic view, might consider the possibility that the focusing of one’s attention through prayer, without necessarily positing any spiritual or psychological mechanism at work, might lead one toward manifesting words and/or actions that might facilitate the achievement of the prayed for goal or request.
Anyone Can Pray
These common sense reasonings seem to suggest that prayer might be useful and productive even for those who do not believe in it.
Examples abound of prayer producing positive results, although as Barrett Eagle Bear used to say, “Tunkashila always answers prayers, but sometimes the answer is no.”
In addition to the actual real-world effects that prayer may sometimes produce, other benefits include such things as Giving one hope, and Producing a feeling of accomplishment.
Sometimes the most depressing situations are those which we can’t do anything about, but we can always pray.
Many times, Prayer may Bring people together and offer an opportunity for group support and participation.
Group prayer is one of those times when the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of the parts.
(Thanks and appreciation to M. A. For her example of Prayer in Action!).
Powerful Prayer
(Be careful what you wish for.)
Something that I was told when I started praying in the Sweat Lodge many years ago may be useful for you. I offer it to you with a caveat that you do not take it lightly.
When we pray for change, sometimes this requires things of us that we may find difficult. (Be careful what you wish for).
To make your prayers more powerful, you might add the phrase, “I am ready”.
Again, be careful with this.
Something that you ask for that might occur comfortably over a period of months or years might produce some very challenging and difficult times for you if you pray for this to happen right away.
For example, a prayer for long life and good health was answered by my needing a treatment that was hard on my stomach, and forced me to change to a much healthier diet.
This probably added 20 years to my life.
Again, be careful what you pray for!
Namaste (The light within me Honors the light within you),
Daniel
