Tag: affirmations

Teach Us to Pray

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Voice of the Mystic: Part 6

J Douglas Bottorff

 Though we often associate prayer with religious dogma, it’s a fundamental human practice, not confined by such boundaries. We engage in it whether we are aware of it or not. When we are aware, we can think of prayer as a dialogue with the universe, a powerful tool for personal transformation. This isn’t about appealing to a distant deity; it’s about cultivating a relationship with the boundless source of energy that animates all things, including ourselves.

The first step to understanding prayer is to acknowledge it as a two-fold process of releasing and affirming. We make a conscious effort to release the negative energies that cloud our spirit: the fear, the doubt, the anger, the resentment that binds us. Visualize these emotions dissolving, flowing away like stagnant water, leaving behind a sense of lightness and clarity. Imagine a dark, murky pool, choked with weeds, slowly clearing, the water becoming crystalline, reflecting the sun. This cleansing allows us to turn our expectations to the positive.

This affirmative turning is an intentional mental and emotional acceptance that greater good is now unfolding for yourself and for all concerned. If you can’t be specific about desired conditions, you can be specific about how you want to feel when your issue is resolved. Envision the emotional outcome you wish to experience. You want peace, harmony with others, and the abundance of those things and conditions that you associate with success. Perhaps you see yourself radiating joy, surrounded by supportive people, your goals effortlessly manifesting. Hold this vision firmly in your mind and heart, allowing the feelings of gratitude and fulfillment to permeate your being. This is proactive engagement with the energy of the universe.

The power of effective prayer lies in faith. As the saying goes, “Whatsoever you ask for, believe that you have received it.” Feel the reality of your desires already fulfilled. This isn’t about wishful thinking; it’s about aligning your energy with the vibrational frequency of your desired outcome. This unwavering conviction is the engine that powers the prayer. See yourself already living the reality you desire, feeling the joy, the satisfaction, the sense of accomplishment. The universe responds to the vibrational frequency you emit, and faith is the key to tuning your frequency.

Prayer changes us. It refines our consciousness, expands our awareness, and aligns us with the universal flow of life, love, power, and intelligence. It reminds us of our inherent power, our connection to something greater, and our ability to shape our own reality. Embrace the practice of prayer, not as a ritual, but as a profound act of self-discovery and empowerment. Allow it to be your constant companion on the path to a more fulfilling and authentic life.

The Prospering Power of Love

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For our loved ones, we want to know that love is drawing to them that which is for their highest good and dissolving that which is not. If we hold this principle as the action of love, we can apply it to virtually every area of our life.

When we think of prosperity, we tend to think of finances. While a prosperous life certainly includes finances, we should not confine prosperity to just one area. Freedom from fear and worry, for example, is a prosperity demonstration. If we want to resolve a fear, we affirm love draws to us that which lifts us above our fear and dissolves all negative emotion that feeds the fear.

Our faculty of imagination is a wonderful tool that allows us to see beyond appearances, to dream our dreams, and accept that greater good is unfolding even when we do not see it. The imagination can also blow things way out of proportion and create imagined problems that, in reality, exist only in our own mind. A prosperous life is one that is free of the terrors generated by our negative imagery. We apply the principle of love by bringing our imagination under control. Regardless of what seems to be going on, we affirm that love is now drawing to us that which is for our highest good, and dissolving that which is not. What greater prosperity affirmation could we make?

To add a bit of intrigue to our prayer, we imagine the all-knowing mind of God as love is doing this perfect work. Solutions we have not even considered are set in motion. We not only visualize greater good unfolding, we do it with the anticipation of pleasant surprise. My imagined solution may be good, but what if I let God do the choosing? As Jesus said, it will come back,

“…good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Luke 6:38

Though we use the month of February to focus on love, we know the principle is working through us at all times. This moment is the time to tap the prospering power of love.

Desire, Expression, Attraction

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Much has been written about the so-called law of attraction. This usually involves techniques of setting one’s intention on a positive mental and emotional environment that will draw success and riches. On the other end of the scale, there are also spiritual disciplines that consider desire as a negative trap inside the maze of materiality. Expression, as we’ll consider it here, is often the piece that is overlooked.

Desire can be a two-edged sword, especially when it is disconnected from its spiritual source. In short, we desire more in life because our spiritual essence continually calls us to rise above restrictions we have accepted as normal to the human experience. At the root of all desire is our need for freedom. If we connect freedom with the acquisition of things, we may get the things but not the freedom. This is where expression comes into play.

Expression is the actual experience of the freedom we desire. Is it possible to experience freedom when there are material restrictions in place? This is the question we are challenged to answer. We are called to look beyond what we think of as material solutions to our desire for freedom, and we seek to experience freedom itself. We turn from material appearances and release attachment to specific outcomes until we express internally the freedom we desire. This inner experience and expression of freedom is the governing influence of the law of attraction.

We do not invoke the law of attraction. Like gravity, this law never ceases to operate. We work with gravity by achieving balance, setting objects of value in places they will not fall and break, and by putting aerodynamic wings on our airplanes for lift. We do not invoke the law of gravity; we cooperate. Likewise, we become internally that which will reflect externally as the types of conditions we desire. Freedom within attracts conditions of freedom without.

Desire should not be suppressed; it should be understood. At the root of all desire is the soul seeking greater expression. As we let the light of the soul shine, the natural law of attraction becomes our friend.