Prayer

[Lefty Dave]

Greetings friends and neighbors
I have been wondering about prayer recently...wondering who we pray to , what we pray for and if anyone is listening? All my life I have said a prayer at the beginning of and the end of my daily journey...mostly never ask for anything but guidance to do the 'right thing'... though sometimes I ask for whoever is watching to keep an eye on someone who I feel needs watching over...either for health or welfare of same...

Lately as I read more opinions as to our beginnings and our direction it occurs to me that it just may be we have been and will always be 'on our own'.....nobody's listening, no one's watching...or they would have slapped us silly by now for the madness we perpetrate on each other...

Anyway, I thought I'd toss this out there and try to get some input from my peers.

Care to give your ideas here?...it would be helpful....!

Blessings

Dave www.leftydave.com

[Celine]

Great Thread topic..

I do not pray.. I talk, converse...commune ...

Nothing ritualistic persay ..just very intimate

[Rhiannon]

same here... i dont pray.
to be honest i wouldnt know who to pray to in the first place...
but if i did i would pray to receive one of those mugs that keep your coffee hot for hours... ;)

[Thodin303]

I guess I do something similar to prayer. I ask for help in a meditative state. Just a recent example; I was having trouble writing a paper for my "history" class, so I meditated and asked for inspiration to write the paper I envisioned, but was just having trouble writing. The next day the rough draft that took me 9 hours to write, was transformed into a much better paper about 3 hours. :)

[Rocky_Shorz]

one thing I have noticed about people is when they pray, it is a form of meditation where it quiets the mind so people are open to hearing a response...

The communications are going on continuously...

just listen...

[conk]

Pray to yourself. As an integral part of the whole (God, The Field, The Divine, Consciousness, Awareness, The Ether, The Fabric, whatever) you are a co-creator of your reality and existence. You are participant and observer, yin and yang, positive and negative.

[Peace of Mind]

Hi, guys...
To me, it probably depends on how you look at it. I meditate and talk to the universe constantly. You have to let it know how you feel in order for it to take action. The key is to be very specific, the universe always responds, but most people aren’t sure of what they really want. Praying to another unknown being is just another form of disempowerment, imo. I’m sure there’s a supreme creator but my beliefs is that the creator is and has always been a part of us. It gives itself what itself thinks it wants.

Most times you’re tricked to think your needs and wants are genuine, but they are taught to you by the people you giving your power to. Praying for guidance, wealth and health for you and others is great, the intention is what makes it manifest. You have to know you are God and act accordingly, without fear. You’ll have problems creating anything when you have doubt and/or expect something else to do it for you. Miracles are normal occurrences, the recipient is just not aware of his/her power and the amount of will he/she put into their thoughts. Ask you shall receive…but be very detail in what you want. You are what you think you are, there really isn’t any other simple way of saying it.

Most scriptures are flawed translations of Sumarean text and they all have the likelihood of being tampered with. When the bible has been revised time after time you just have to wonder what is being changed and how inaccurate it really is. I think the story of Jesus is real but the way it’s told is more of a fairy tale. What sticks out to me the most is the predictions of the second coming….which I strongly believe the second coming is us and it is now. Jesus is in every one of us (as mentioned in the scripts), we just have to have the courage to believe in us and our unlimited abilities. I’m seeing a rise in consciousness everyday and this rise reaffirms my position on whom we really are…sleeping giants waking up on the wrong side of the bed. We just need to clear the guk from the eyes and regain our senses…it’s been a very long slumber, so the grogginess and confusing is quite logical.

Peace

[Teakai]

I heard this saying once which I thought was pretty cool. It went:
Prayer is when you speak to God
Meditation is when you listen.

The big question of course remains - What. Is. God?
:-)

[Lefty Dave]

Cool.
Thanks for all your responses...Teakia...God. is. All that is.(Great saying, by the way). Peace of Mind...I think all books since Enuma Elish, Popol Vu, Vedas...have all been corrupted and yes, we've been in a fog for 5000 years !!! Conk...yes! The closest I can come to "GOD" is within...RockyShors...I never have gotten a response from a prayer...(maybe the answer is NO!)
Thodin, Rhiannon Celine, you don't pray...which is making more and more sense to me, but it's hard to break old habits...
what bothers me most is never having felt as if I received an answer. Just who would be listening? And why?
...asking to be guided to do the creators' will every day...for over fifty years now...and never getting an answer or reply...one might question if anyone's on the other end of these prayers.

[Snowbird]

As a former and now recovering Christian, prayer is no longer an option. In times past I prayed to God outside of myself as I followed religious guidelines.

I just now finished eating lunch, and where I used to ASK for a Blessing on the food, I now BLESS the food with intentions that it be used to nourish and replenish and heal my body. I also THANK the Universe for providing food for those people who BELIEVE that they have none. Can I help them be fed? Yes, I can and do.

Who do I talk to when I Bless and Thank? Me and you and All and all those Brothers and Sisters in our vast Universe(s).

We really are All One.

[Thodin303]

Lefty Dave,

I just listened to your song, I Waited for Salvation Long Enough and I think you got the answers you need right there. Great songs by the way! Maybe you can find a way to quiet your mind and find the inspiration to write some new songs from your blossoming new perspective.

[witchy1]

Hi Lefty Dave, well for me its not what I would consider a prayer - if there is something worrying me I generally meditate to the "ancient ones" and I always include my hope for others that they be shown wisdom and insight to see themselves as they truely are. Otherwise I tend to chat away all day in my thoughts to some-body - not really sure who it when I think about it, but its comforting.

[neptuneforce]

here we gather in this in this distorted panic to pray for healing & growth
I pray for my boss who is from Korea that his family is safe & can sleep at night
I pray for those who are cold & worried that they find that warm torch of hope
And I pray for my housing situation & education that 2011 will bring me safety

¤=[Post Update]=¤

grace & thanks avalon

[Zook]

All good responses. Many thanks to everyone.

For myself, I used to pray in the ritualistic manner given to me by my mother as was given to her by her mother. I still observe the Hindu rituals when I am requested to do so. Once in a while I say a prayer at the space allocated for prayer. I live with my mother in the house my late beloved father purchased in the 70's. She prays everyday, and sings songs in telugu (in the allocated prayer space). She writes the songs herself. When she visits either of my sisters, I am left alone in the house. I try to give continuity to Mom's daily morning prayers by praying in my own small way once a week in the allocated praying space. The ritual is simple, I place fresh fruit (two bananas or two apples or two oranges or one each in a pair); I burn two incense sticks; and I pray for all the people in the world. I thank our Creator for all the blessings we've received in the past; I thank again for all the ongoing blessings we are receiving in the present; and I ask our Creator to guide us in the future towards goodness, kindness, and happiness ... and to guide us so that all of us may live together in love, peace, and harmony. I ring a small bell three times before I start my prayer; and three times to conclude it. My hands are held in prayer during the prayer. When Mom comes back, she resumes her daily morning prayers; and I resume my non-ritualistic way of prayer. Outside of special days, the non-ritualistic form is what I adhere to.

My non-ritualistic way of prayer is quite simple. I try and abide goodness, kindness, and happiness. For me, each act of goodness, kindness, and happiness ... is an instance of prayer in itself.

In short, non-ritual to ritual ... actions to words. And both are equally valued. If any person from another religion requests that I join in for a ritual prayer in their convention and way, I try and oblige them as best I can. If you ask me, I'll celebrate Christmas with you; Hanukkah; Ramadan; etc. ... or simple Buddhist chants and meditations.

:typing:

[Carmody]

The bell is important. It is now there due to ritual-repetition, but it is important and was originally important. Resonance is important. It breaks the static characteristic of the 'aether' and opens the doorway. That is the function of the bell, to the best of my knowledge. The shape of the 'note' that comes off of a bell is 'critical function' in pressure wave-shaping, this is how it opens the door. This a big part of the prayer bowls in the corners in the Tibetan monasteries. Spiritual access.

The human voice has the same capacity. It modulates the mechanical aspects of the phasing of the body.

I cannot go through the whole path of logic here, it is not germane to the thread. But, I hope you understand that I just used science to put God and Eternity in you, and your house. I can explain that, It's just a very long explanation. I just thought it would be interesting to say That science can see it, as well.

[Hughe]

I only prayer for the world peace and human freedom nothing else
We don't need to ask for other beings to help or save us.

All the amazing technologies and sciences had been kept under secrecy so long.
It's outrageous situation when you look at how much money and resources each nation spend every year.
For example, suppose South Korea cuts down 50% of defense budget, unemployment and poverty will disappear within one year.

Because once there is no war, and we can work together for peaceful Earth, I bet within 10 years, we all live in a paradise.

Without the real world peace, we will suffer and remain subordinate beings.

IMHO, the Green peace should change movement direction to the real World peace.
Would they ask for military machines to cut down emission?
Have they ever thought about the pollution created by millions of war machines world wide?

It's a complete joke.

[RedeZra]

Prayer is Communion with God - the Infinite consciousness - who knows us better than ourselves

the more heartfelt the Prayer the more God yields to fulfill it ; )

[The One]

Sorry to some members who will feel this a bit harsh

Just checked out your website. So are you albums free if not then when did free advertising become available on this forum.

[Pamela]

I do believe someone is listening. At age 18 I had the most amazing response to prayer and from that day on I KNEW there was a higher power who cared. My true story..

"My father suffered a heart attach my senior year in high school. He lived through it thankfully but was unemployed for many months afterwards recovering. Being that he was self-employed it was a great financial loss to our family. I knew I needed to get a part-time to job to help our family. We lived in a small town where many competed for open job positions. I put in applications everywhere I could think. No luck. One night prior to going to sleep I wept and prayed in earnest that I had done my best to find a job to no avail. I put it out to God to please find me a job. I still remember the intensity of the prayer. The very next morning my mother came and woke me telling me I had a phone call. The very first sentence that was spoken was, "Pam, I heard you needed a job." My knees buckled and I sat on the floor in utter disbelif. I got the job. I never asked who told them I needed a job, because I knew.

[Agape]

All good responses. Many thanks to everyone.

For myself, I used to pray in the ritualistic manner given to me by my mother as was given to her by her mother. I still observe the Hindu rituals when I am requested to do so. Once in a while I say a prayer at the space allocated for prayer. I live with my mother in the house my late beloved father purchased in the 70's. She prays everyday, and sings songs in telugu (in the allocated prayer space). She writes the songs herself. When she visits either of my sisters, I am left alone in the house. I try to give continuity to Mom's daily morning prayers by praying in my own small way once a week in the allocated praying space. The ritual is simple, I place fresh fruit (two bananas or two apples or two oranges or one each in a pair); I burn two incense sticks; and I pray for all the people in the world. I thank our Creator for all the blessings we've received in the past; I thank again for all the ongoing blessings we are receiving in the present; and I ask our Creator to guide us in the future towards goodness, kindness, and happiness ... and to guide us so that all of us may live together in love, peace, and harmony. I ring a small bell three times before I start my prayer; and three times to conclude it. My hands are held in prayer during the prayer. When Mom comes back, she resumes her daily morning prayers; and I resume my non-ritualistic way of prayer. Outside of special days, the non-ritualistic form is what I adhere to.

My non-ritualistic way of prayer is quite simple. I try and abide goodness, kindness, and happiness. For me, each act of goodness, kindness, and happiness ... is an instance of prayer in itself.

In short, non-ritual to ritual ... actions to words. And both are equally valued. If any person from another religion requests that I join in for a ritual prayer in their convention and way, I try and oblige them as best I can. If you ask me, I'll celebrate Christmas with you; Hanukkah; Ramadan; etc. ... or simple Buddhist chants and meditations.
:typing:



I think that since people gave up on rituals..they lost some of their mental biorythms, and many are obsessed with their OCDs , and other types of neurosis.

The time of letting go..is an offering.. It became such a spasm of this society to let go off things voluntarily..

The time to be me ..and feel well about it because me too belongs to the invisible circle of wisdom ..

When I was young, we used to live in mountain hotel for timbeing, all family. There were cute little mountain mice there with long tails,
I used to feed them secretly .

I forgot where it continues..


:sleep:

[xbusymom]

I used to pray to Jesus for many years, and got a few good parking spaces at the grocery store, or unexpected relief from a bill or two, but for the most part, my prayers went unanswered except for the ones that I took action on. When my son asked me "If our boss is Jesus, and his boss is God, then who is God's boss? and etc. up the chain of command...??"

And that got me thinking... except for the intangible comfort from the invisible presence of higher trans-dimensional beings, what HAS prayer gotten me?

then I did a tally of what happened when I prayed to a certain personage vs. when I prayed to 'the higher self' for the BEST FOR ALL CONCERNED.

since then I have come to the conclusion that 1) there are beings (guardian angels, and the like) that help and guide your feelings and help you to solidify your intentions so that you can meditate and send forth thought energies that will return to you with like-minded circumstances and incidents...
and 2) that if you can
A) PRAY to the 'highest self' (which would cover any deity),
B) decide what action is needed to fix your situation,
C) set your intent 'FOR THE BEST FOR ALL CONCERNED' ,
D) say thanks and believe that it is already accomplished (and release the energy field to set up any and all situations to benefit everyone that has even an inkling of a connection to my situation)
- then you are the source-connected being helping to create your own future events... (in that sense- you are a god-in-training)

... and what I found happening with option #2 is that - looking in hindsight of the MIRACLES that transpired, all people got a win-win-win scenario...

I have come to believe that all of creation is from the consciousness of living energy, being re-transformed moment by moment, into whatever manifestations from thought-directives you intend for others and yourself...

so that is what I do now...

[truthseekerdan]

I enjoyed reading a while ago -- "Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer" (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Lost-Mode-Prayer-Blessings/dp/1401906834/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291610631&sr=8-1) by Gregg Braden.
Was a good reading for me about to discover the 'hidden power' of prayer. I was brought up in a christian belief, and did not know enough about how to pray...

Book description:

“There are beautiful and wild forces within us.” With these words the mystic, St. Francis, described what ancient traditions believed was the most powerful force in the universe—the power of prayer. For more than 20 years, Gregg Braden, the best-selling author of The God Code, has searched for evidence of a forgotten form of prayer that was lost to the West following the Biblical edits of the early Christian Church. In the 1990s, he found and documented this form of prayer still being used in the remote monasteries of central Tibet. He also found it practiced in sacred rites throughout the high deserts of the American Southwest.

In Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer, Braden begins by describing this ancient form of prayer that has no words, or outward expressions. Then for the first time in print, he leads us on a journey exploring what our most intimate experiences tell us about our deepest beliefs. Through case histories and his personal sharing, Braden explores the wisdom of these timeless secrets, and the power that awaits each of us, just beyond our deepest hurt!"

Also just found this video presentation by G. B., however, only watched the first part. Enjoy!

Y1KHhd2za7Y

Playlist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1KHhd2za7Y&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL)

[Lefty Dave]

To THE ONE...yes, you can listen free to any song on the website...blessings

[xbusymom]

I enjoyed reading a while ago -- "Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer" (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Lost-Mode-Prayer-Blessings/dp/1401906834/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291610631&sr=8-1) by Gregg Braden.
Was a good reading for me about to discover the 'hidden power' of prayer. I was brought up in a christian belief, and did not know enough about how to pray...

Book description:

“There are beautiful and wild forces within us.” With these words the mystic, St. Francis, described what ancient traditions believed was the most powerful force in the universe—the power of prayer. For more than 20 years, Gregg Braden, the best-selling author of The God Code, has searched for evidence of a forgotten form of prayer that was lost to the West following the Biblical edits of the early Christian Church. In the 1990s, he found and documented this form of prayer still being used in the remote monasteries of central Tibet. He also found it practiced in sacred rites throughout the high deserts of the American Southwest.

In Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer, Braden begins by describing this ancient form of prayer that has no words, or outward expressions. Then for the first time in print, he leads us on a journey exploring what our most intimate experiences tell us about our deepest beliefs. Through case histories and his personal sharing, Braden explores the wisdom of these timeless secrets, and the power that awaits each of us, just beyond our deepest hurt!"

Also just found this video presentation by G. B., however, only watched the first part. Enjoy!

Y1KHhd2za7Y

Playlist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1KHhd2za7Y&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL)

This is great!, and in later parts (there are 15 parts) he states that he came upon a confession that the ancient prayer methods (and 45 other books of the bible, along with other supporting reference documents) have been taken out of the bible on purpose 1,700 years ago, the bible rearranged and condensed, because the council of that time didn't think we needed or be able to understand that information- the bible's book of revelation is only a condensed version of these removed texts. He mentions Nostradomas, Edgar Cayce... etc

EDIT:
I am up to part 9: He states that prayer is to our quality of life as water is to a seed:
(prayer is the activator)

[Lefty Dave]

#

"The endeavour to change universal power by selfish supplication I do not believe in."

Thomas Edison

#

"If you pray for rain long enough, it eventually does fall. If you pray for floodwaters to abate, they eventually do. The same happens in the absence of prayers."

Steve Allen

#

"Prayer is of no avail. The lightning falls on the just and the unjust in accordance with natural laws." Robert Ingersoll

#

"Nothing fails like prayer."

Anne Gaylor

#

"When people expect God to plan their lives for them, and protect them, they tend to lose their motivation to guide and control their own lives."

Charles W. Faulkner

#

"Men have never fully used the powers they possess to advance the good in life, because they have waited upon some power external to themselves and to nature to do the work they are responsible for doing."

John Dewey

#

"I do not pray. . . . I do not expect God to single me out and grant me advantages over my fellow men. . . . Prayer seems to me a cry of weakness, and an attempt to avoid, by trickery, the rules of the game as laid down. I do not choose to admit weakness. I accept the challenge of responsibility."

Zora Neale Hurston

#

"To say grace, knowing that people on this globe are starving, indicates a highly selfish acquiescence in the arrogantly supposed favouritism of the almighty. A really decent god-believer, far from giving thanks for the food and good health and fortune enjoyed by himself and his family and close friends, would surely curse God for his neglect of the hungry, the sick and the tormented, throughout the world."

Barbara Smoker

#

"I pray every single second of my life; not on my knees but with my work. My prayer is to lift women to equality with men. Work and worship are one with me. I know there is no God of the universe made happy by my getting down on my knees and calling him ‘great.’"

Susan B. Anthony

#

"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray."

Robert Ingersoll

#

"It is best to read the weather forecast before praying for rain."

Mark Twain

#

"I prayed for freedom twenty years, but received no answer until I prayed with my legs."

Frederick Douglass

[Loren]

Prayer Is meditation. Meditation is Prayer.To move aside the ego chatter and live in a state of prayer is to live in a constant state of thanks and grace,the ultimate goal.

[BrianEn]

It's just a matter of finding what resonates with you. In my own life a simple prayer of gratitude keeps the ego in check. What I have doesn't come from me, but is borrowed from from a loving higher power that won't abandon me. I try not to ask for material stuff. If I do ask for something it'll be something I need. The last thing was for the perfect place for me to live. Then I found this apartment. It's not too big nor to small. It came with a place to cook and my own bathroom. Can't ask for much more than that.
Somedays prayer is a tool for survival. When things are too much for me too handle a good fox hole prayer can help.

[steve_a]

Hi Lefty Dave,

Great subject. Prayer. Does it work? Is God listening to every whim and mercy when we abuse this thing that we call religious prayer? Remember, for the most of it we are so egoistic that we end up asking for things in prayer, "Save us", "Help us", "Come on God, do us a favour". It's all, us, us, us. I reckon hardly anyone prayers just to say how's it going, or asking how God is feeling today (probably very mighty!).

Children are taught that they must pray every day and be good. This doctrine makes a little prayer almost banal without real meaning behind it. For example do soccer players who enter in the football field giving a Hail Mary really expect to win every match and perform well? And if they lose? Praying a little to win the lottery, is that a valid prayer?

It's been said that when we pray we must do so behind a closed door. I think that prayer is not so much as a tool for us to use in asking for Godly favours, but a way to make us spend a couple of minutes to think about who or what God is. That way we can determine if he's the real deal, or not.

Best regards,

Steve

[Bill Ryan]

Hi Lefty Dave,

Great subject. Prayer. Does it work? Is God listening to every whim and mercy when we abuse this thing that we call religious prayer? Remember, for the most of it we are so egoistic that we end up asking for things in prayer, "Save us", "Help us", "Come on God, do us a favour". It's all, us, us, us. I reckon hardly anyone prayers just to say how's it going, or asking how God is feeling today (probably very mighty!).

Children are taught that they must pray every day and be good. This doctrine makes a little prayer almost banal without real meaning behind it. For example do soccer players who enter in the football field giving a Hail Mary really expect to win every match and perform well? And if they lose? Praying a little to win the lottery, is that a valid prayer?


Very very valid points.

When we pray, and our prayers are 'answered', we're doing this ourselves - almost certainly at a high, unconscious level.

No Supreme Being would care about a soccer game or the lottery or (probably) whether our physical bodies live or die. They MAY care about our learning.

I say this totally as a metaphor. The Supreme Beings are us - every one of us. One of the keys to getting ourselves out of this mess on Planet Earth is acknowledging who we all really are.

[astrid]

The trick to prayer is to pray with gratitude as though the thing u are praying for has already happened.

[meeradas]

The trick to prayer is to pray with gratitude as though the thing u are praying for has already happened.

Try willing this! [= forget it]

[meeradas]

Praying a little to win the lottery, is that a valid prayer?

That's somebody having a vested interest in making a deal.

[Gone002]

when i pray i never pray for myself i always pray for my family,friends and the dead. i let others pray for me as i pray for them.

[conk]

Prayer is simply sending out an intention. Intend for an outcome and resonate with that intention. As long as you turn it over to God and distance yourself from it, then it will manifest if it was meant to. Sometimes our prayers are not answered because the collective intention was stronger than the individual prayer. All we can do it state a desire and stand back and see if it fits with the universal scheme. Our intentions do have energy and power so do not give up. To make the prayer strong, make it from the heart. And express gratitude! Without thought and intention there would be nothing.

[Sol Va]

Prayer is as varied as the people who do it. Some empty their minds, some feel their heart, some ask for help, some bring in gratitude, some chant, some take a walk in the woods, some get on their knees, some contact their higher selves, some reach out for contact outside themselves, some write a poem. All are valid, all are in the realm of the positive, and most are healing.

[Arrowwind]

How to pray without paying to the shopkeepers, to the over lords, to the vast array of controllers and entities.

determine what is needed to prayed about.
See this situation as it could be for the highest good of all
allow yourself to FEEL how this would be in your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual body.
If this is still what requries prayer
Affirm that this is reality
Give gratitude to the universe for its infinite creativity.
so be it.

[cjhepburn]

This subject of prayer has always been of interest to me. I grew up not knowing we actually had a choice so church, God and prayer were a given and not to be questioned. Naturally I questioned it, like everything else, and after many years realized I needed to move on and ask deeper questions. Prayer was whatever I wanted it to be and could be used in any way I wanted. There were no prayer police.

I've never had a prayer answered, nor have I seen an UFO, but I still feel the need to say thank you at the end of a long day, and look forward to meeting our distant brothers and sisters, if they exist. I don't recall a God ever taking notice of me, saving me from a bad lunch let alone the many bad decisions I've made in my life. However, I can't begin to count the number of wonderful things that have happened unexpectedly, and exactly when I needed them to happen.

Some how, some way, we are all connected and what we do, say, think and feel, is shared by everyone around us. So saying a prayer seems to be a lovely way to begin and end that universal connection. No expectations, demands or overly dramatic pleas.