As a child I had a very consistent, clean & clear conscious contact with God. I lost that over time due to alcoholism. My next sincere prayer happened when I hit bottom. I was on my knees on the floor in so much mental anguish that I hurt physically. On July 31, 1974, on the floor, I promised whatever God there was that if it would stop me from hurting so bad, I would do anything I could to establish a better relationship with it. The next day I went to my first AA meeting and have been clean and sober ever since. How's that for answered prayer!
I began praying in a way that has changed my life forever 12 years ago. It is called affirmative prayer. I learned it as part of my spiritual practitioner training. There are 5 simple steps:
1. Recognize God - give praise, recognition and thanks to what you know of spirit in your life
2. Unification - unify yourself as part of this one spirit
3. Realization - affirm what you want to experience/create
4. Thanksgiving - give thanks to spirit for creating what you want to realize/create as if it is already done (it is done)
5. Release - now let the prayer go. Trust the universal wisdom to create it.
Those are the steps. Try it. You can write the prayer out and say it out loud.
My prayer life has evolved from a blubbering painful request to some unknown God for help to a great faith and trust in an all-knowing, all-loving presence that is all-good and indwells me and you.
What has greatly supported this evolution is the 12 step program. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of working the 12 step, I woke up to a desire to be more and to do it with a greater joy that I could share. That desire has lead me to become a licensed spiritual practitioner.
To evolve is to be more present here and now. To evolve is to be fully awake and aware of the fullness of this moment we have right now. Take a moment, get as still as you can. Know that as you give your attention to the God of your own understanding it will evolve you to the next level of expansion in your unique and authentic expression of life including your prayer work.
2 comments:
Thank you for your post. I am going to write down the steps to pray righteously (not in a religious sense). I am so blessed to have come across your blog, I learn so much from it. I need every bit of spiritual info in my spiritual journey.
To me it means developing more of an awareness, a better understanding, as we 'wake up' in our recovery. And it has to do with being more in the present, with that, we see God working in our lives today. My first conscious contact was when I became aware of His presence in my drinking/drugging career, times when He intercepted, or intervened. Later I became aware of Him in my life this very minute...for that I have to be more focused, & in today. He's always been here, I just wasn't doing my part, I always thot He was light years away. I was the one who was light years away, I didn't have a personal relationship till I came into AA & sobered up. I have to do this 'one day at a time', develop my conscious contact, by being present, & following directions. That's what it means to me.
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