Spirit • Values • Learning • Stewardship • Voice
Words, music, and photographs for a positive, calming start to the day —
a short, comprehensive prayer, meditation, contemplation, or reflection, as you prefer.
"Morning Prayer 2019" captures the essence of the practical spiritual learning and growth work of the Institute the author leads. Without sound, the video can stand alone as a visual meditation.
This guided prayer represents a step on the path of forming a morning prayer that serves as a foundation for beginning one's day. It also represents a step on the path of forming a prayer community. As such, this prayer puts forth a perspective on the contents, purposes, flow, and spirit of prayer, a perspective that will evolve through individual and community thinking, experience, suggestions, and dialog.
As you follow the words, you may decide to leave the music track audible or to silence the sound. I myself usually chant all the words, but reading aloud or silently are options.
When there is an ellipsis (....) at the end of a sentence or phrase, supply your own words for the relevant names or events, personalizing the prayer. This makes the words of this prayer serve just as a framework; your life and the life of the community you care about become the true focus.
This prayer contains elements that will be both familiar and unusual, representing a way of thinking that has evolved through the years in my own practice about what communication, thoughts, and focus might get the day off to a good start.
Built around one tradition of the elements of prayer — praise, thanksgiving repentance, and petition — it expands the ritual to:
1) include a comprehensive greeting,
2) add an "existential" feature, acknowledging the lived joy and sorrow that is a reality in our individual lives and in the community, whether near or far,
3) share focus areas for our vision as co-creators of our lives through visualization leading to action, and
4) conclude with an affirmation for our commitment to actively engaging in the world for the rest of the day, being fully present in the moment with the people and experiences we encounter.
This prayer is constructed on a view of prayer as dialog, versus meditation or contemplation, that — as necessary and valuable as they are — do not necessarily have such specific aspects and beings of creation in mind, at least not in a structured way.
This morning prayer is shared here publicly as a way to inform people of some ideas about prayer practice that will be relevant to endeavors I am embarking on. Perhaps this will appeal to some people, if only as a staring point for discussion; perhaps others will conclude that this way of thinking is not at all for them.
In the perspective followed here, we, individually, are both radically alone in the Universe and are also completely enmeshed in a wide variety of relationships of seen and not seen beings, matter, and energy. We are unique creators of our existence and we are, at the same time, in constant dialog with objects and beings with whom we share the Universe, locally and beyond.
In this prayer, we are attentive to beings and aspects of Creation that are often overlooked, at least consciously. The perspective on God herein is of a few very special super beings who advocate and intercede for us humans with the Divine and also protect us from, and ameliorate, what would be blinding, even burning, direct contact with such Divine brilliance, overwhelming love, and unfathomable intensity.
Blessings.
A five-video sequence when more time is available:
Morning Prayer
Flow
The Beatitudes (Arvo Part)
Waves, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
The Deer's Cry (Arvo Part)
The six videos in this playlist provide a more immersive experience.
In the Beatitudes, don't be put off by the archaic language and political/ecclesiastical translations. The message is anything but passive meekness. It is about existential reality, courage, authenticity, true power, and fortitude.
In The Deer's Cry, don't be put off by the repetition of the name of Christ throughout, if that is not your religion or you have no religion. Substitute what works for you and your experience: the Universe, divine enlightenment, self-awareness, good spirit(s), or the like.
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