Illumination

We are channels through which Spirit illumines the world.

Today is a special day. It is Silent Unity's annual World Day of Prayer. I believe I've written a bit about Unity in the past. Unity is a non-denominational Christian organization that focuses on positive spirituality. Among other activities, they publish Daily Word, a little booklet with a word, an affirmation, an inspirational meditation, and a Scripture quote, for each day. Daily Word has been an important part of my life for at least three decades. I'm not big on organized religion, but Unity's messages of life, hope, courage and order really speak to me.

The message at the start of this post is the affirmation for today. It is the focus of prayer for millions around the world. And when I read it this morning, something deep inside me said, "Yes! This is a core truth. And this is what I want to be, a channel broadcasting illumination to everyone with whom I have even the most fleeting contact."

One of the ways I make my living is teaching. I strive to illumine my students. My lectures and quizzes hopefully open their minds to new ideas. The labs I run are designed to let them practice new skills. However, illumination goes beyond intellectual knowledge. I try to serve as a role model for them: to be there to listen, when they have questions; to highlight the importance of giving one's full effort to a task; to reiterate the need for honesty and ethics. Most of all, I want to let them know that I care about them, their success and their future happiness.

In my relationships, it helps to be reminded that I want to broadcast generosity, warmth, patience and tolerance. It's so easy to take out your own frustrations on the people around you. The message focuses my attention on the fact that my words and actions have the potential to encourage, soothe, heal and comfort others. Who wouldn't want to do that?

Finally, it may sound odd, but I like to believe that my erotic writing also qualifies as a spiritual pursuit. I write about pleasure, love and joy - all manifestations of Light. Even when my tales include BDSM activities, they are intended to lift the spirits of my readers. In fact, for me, BDSM offers unique opportunities for transcendence. Surrender to a dominant, total trust - these have a good deal in common with the way I want to approach my Higher Power. (This is the theme of Sacred Exchange, the BDSM anthology I edited in 2003.)

Today's message reminds me that I touch the lives not only of the people in my physical sphere, but also anyone who happens to pick up my stories. Whoever you are, wherever you may be today, I send you Light.

Prayer

Now that's an odd topic for an erotica author's blog, isn't it? I write steamy fiction that sometimes breaks taboos. What does that have to do with prayer?

Well, I wanted to talk about prayer because paradoxically, it's only since I've joined the erotic romance community that I've felt comfortable even mentioning the word. Most of my friends in the real world would raise their eyebrows if I told them that every morning, I spend ten to fifteen minutes praying. If I told them that I meditate, that wouldn't be viewed as too odd. But in fact what I do is much closer to prayer than meditation.

First I read the day's message in Daily Word, a publication of Silent Unity (www.unity.org). Each day this little booklet offers a word, an affirmation, a few paragraphs to serve as a meditation guide, and a Scripture quote. Today's word, for example, was "Good" and the affirmation was "God is all, and God is good".

Next, I sit quietly and try to open my mind and heart, focusing on the word and what it means to me. Sometimes I'm given new insights, not directly related to the day's topic. Today my attention was drawn to a sentence in the meditation text: God's good flows effortlessly. I was planning to spend much of the day writing and was feeling pressured about how much I could accomplish. This sentence helped me to relax and let go of some of the tension.

After I've spent a while seeking personal insight, I turn to a mental list of other people for whom I'm praying. Often, I can see how the day's word applies to their situation. Sometimes, I simply envision them surrounded by light, or laughing, filled with joy.

This is the part of my morning routine that is closest to what other people call prayer. However, I'm not really petitioning some Higher Power to give them what they need. Rather, I'm trying to use the power of imagination to see them as the perfect children of Spirit that I believe we all are.

I read somewhere once, "Prayer doesn't change God. It changes us." This captures pretty well the way I see things. I believe that so-called "reality" can change depending how we look at it. Prayer is about changing our perspective, taking a higher view, and recognizing the intrinsic order of the universe.

Anyway, in the romance community, you don't have to be embarrassed talking about prayer. People often post requests for prayer on the chat lists to which I subscribe. I've done so myself. I suspect that many of my fellow romance authors and readers have a more orthodox view of prayer than I do, but that doesn't really matter. We are united in our belief in the efficacy of prayer, however we define it.

I know from experience that prayer works. I've seen what I'd at least call miracles - both large and small. It's a comfort to be able to talk about this, to write about it, and not be the butt of mocking laughter.

I want to thank the romance community for this freedom.