Today, September 10th, is the Unity World Day of Prayer.
That might seem like an odd thing to discuss on the blog of an erotica author. However, although I'm not active in any established religious organization, prayer and meditation are an important part of my life. Spirituality and sexuality are closely linked for me--that's a personal perspective that I often bring into my writing.
So I begin every day with perhaps ten minutes of silence, inspired by the Unity publication Daily Word. I've subscribed to this little magazine for forty years. Each day it offers a word and a related affirmation, as a jumping off point for personal spiritual exploration.
Sometimes while I'm mediating (or praying, or whatever...the labels are not important), I'm inspired with a new affirmation which feels particularly relevant to me personally. A few days ago, the following popped into my mind:
I am growing toward the Light.
That's such a perfect expression of how I feel about spiritual life (and life in general). I've made mistakes (we all do). I have days where I'm grumpy and frustrated and don't appreciate all my blessings. Overall, though, my life is a progress toward greater understanding, compassion, gratitude and joy. The light of Spirit attracts me the way the sun attracts a plant, gently pulling me in the direction of greater good.
The affirmation for the day of prayer is:
As I pray, I connect my highest thoughts with my deepest faith.
I like this. Because for me prayer is a connection. It links me in thought with the ones I love, for whom I pray each day. It binds me to my commitment, often forgotten, to live a life of kindness and celebration.
You, my readers and my colleagues, are part of that connection. I pray that you have health, happiness and above all, love, today and every day.
~ Lisabet
2 comments:
Weird day for me. In 2 classes I subbed for, co-teachers led a discussion on the significance of September 11 with classes of kids who were 1 or 2 years old when it happened. They had no clue. How did their parents never tell them anything or discuss it with them?
I cried during the 7 minute video that had been put together by some of the other teachers. Images of the places involved before and after the attack, pictures of people who were there...people who had lost loved ones, and the ones they lost. I hurt for all of humanity at that moment.
Then, an hour or so later, I subbed alone in a class where a young man asked if he could go somewhere quiet to pray, since he's Islamic and it was one of the prescribed times. Since he's new to the school, I told him yes, thinking it was what I should do. A few minutes later he returned, saying he'd been told he had to wait until after school.
I was struck by the many Muslim students in the school for whom this is, as it is for the other students, "just another day." I'm not saying anyone should walk around with sackcloth and ashes. Just the opposite, I feel gladdened to see Muslim students getting along with their peers. That's how it should be, in the land of the free and home of the brave. We all belong here. This is a nation quilted into whole cloth, from many pieces from all over the world. We are a grand experiment, and one that has never been tried before. Will the natural human tendency to xenophobia tear us apart? Or can we survive? Only time will tell.
Kids don't know about 9/11? That's appalling. Of course I was recently talking to a woman my age who told me kids today don't know where food comes from. They don't realize that fruits and vegetables are grown on farms or that meat comes from animals. I found this hard to believe, but apparently her daughter's a teacher and discovered an abyss of ignorance.
I've always thought that praying multiple times per day could strengthen one's connection with the spiritual -- if one did so willingly and sincerely, rather than just to follow rules. From what I gather, though, Islamic ritual and prayers are highly formulaic. And they're enforced by irresistible peer pressure.
Post a Comment
Let me know your thoughts! (And if you're having trouble commenting, try enabling third-party cookies in your browser...)