Making Your Time Special

There are two aspects that make my morning, pre-dawn prayer appointment special: ritual and an Evidence Altar.

First, a deep love and appreciation for ritual nurtured as a Catholic kid raised in a loving and every-Sunday-go-to-mass-family. Candles are lit along with incense from my last VisionQuest trip and sometimes a new CD of music is played…or there’s just exquisite silence. (Of course there are coffee break interruptions along with Tigre the Cat who seeks my attention to throw him a twig so he can fetch it and return it to me, over and over…) And I sit in the same place, almost at the same time, and with the same intention: to pray. Ritual gives the morning a calm rhythm.

The new visionary is encouraged to tap into whatever rituals might enhance this time, making it a special appointment that you will now always keep with yourself, whenever and wherever that is to start or end your day.

Next, it’s a delight to look at my Evidence (Prayer) Altar. Your home altar can alter how your feel about prayer. A friend’s donated Duncan Phyfe library table (with a drawer set underneath a western window) serves as this sacred space. Every month at the New Moon, the altar is freshened and renewed—some items remain from the month before and others are added that have crossed and blessed my path. Because I study and love to share my passion of feng shui–the art of conscious, balanced placement in a space– there’s always something living on this altar. (My favorite is a blooming orchid plant~) It is here that cards and notes from friends and family are placed as evidence, even printed copies of emails that have inspired me along with confirmations that my visions are coming true! Eventually, all this paper goes into the “I AM LOVED DRAWER.” It is all concrete evidence that my prayers are being heard, even if I don’t always like all the spiritual emails I get!

For the new visionary, your Evidence Altar can be anything from a shelf on a bookcase, to an end table or coffee table, or something even more formal like a dedicated space like mine. Remember, your Evidence Altar can alter your prayers~

What about Real Life Happening?

So what happens when speed bumps happen in your day like the unexpected bill, phone call cancelling your coaching appointment, or perhaps news of a friend who’s in the hospital? That’s part of real life. Over the years, I’ve disciplined myself to go to prayer with the help of someone else because in the moment of this news, I’m often an emotional puddle of upset, overwhelm, or anger. My first action step is to call Silent Unity, an interdenominational, Christian-based affirmative prayer ministry; they’ve offered comforting prayers for over 120 years at 1-800-Now-Pray. (It’s also free and programmed on my cell phone.) You could also call a friend or loved one—maybe you belong to a church and they have a chaplain ministry.

For example, I lost my cell phone while at my daughter’s college. I called the college office where I’d been and they didn’t have it. They offered to call my cell number and see if someone answered. A young girl did and she immediately hung up. This was good news to me! My phone wasn’t lost. It was just with someone else temporarily. I then called Silent Unity asking for a prayer that this young girl would return the phone. And through a series of actions, she did within three hours. Imagine!

Gandhi goes on to say that, “Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening.” It is in this heart-filled daily structure that everything and everyone who crosses your path can be allowed, accepted and blessed as being exactly what was needed to move you and your vision forward, or even backward. Every breath, action, and thought you take is really a prayer. That’s why I agree with Gandhi that, “It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”

Opening Hearts to Inspire Action:

• Create a special place in your home for you to start or end with prayer enhanced by an Evidence (Prayer) Altar.

 

• Write gratitude and gratitude-in-advance lists every day; if you don’t have time, try the “ABC Gratitude Game;” go through the alphabet and give thanks for something starting with the letter “A”, then “B”… and then repeat this for what you give thanks-in-advance for in the coming day.

 

• Treat yourself to prayer inspiration; for decades mine have been: DailyWord.org (New Thought) Positive Christianity.org (Christian) and; Beliefnet.org (Interfaith).

 

• Find people for on going prayer support

Next blog: The Second Heart-Chamber Pathway: Patience