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I was listening to a conversation, somewhere a week or so more back and two people were discussing prayer. Their discussion centered around one or both stating that prayer was asking for something. My reaction surprised me, although it was not out of place in a world empty and devoid of genuine understanding in a world where, words are constructed and defined from the building blocks of meaningless language as English.
Anyway, I was struck at the myopic understanding of the concept and how a truer meaning of the concept was being destroyed by the dance of personality/egos attempting to communicate with each other on such a profound topic.
Prayer is not asking for something, far from it; although prayer can be used to ask for ‘something’. If the standard definition of prayer is not ‘asking for something’ then what is prayer and more importantly, what is the meaning of prayer and/or what is prayer used towards?
A movie from 1971 almost portrays a resemblance of prayer: Fiddler on the Roof. I am almost sure if you watch the movie, you will get an idea of what one side of prayer might look and sound like.
Prayer is a Dialogue, a dialogue that if repeated, creates a flow like an opened window opens circulation to move the stale air of confinement, allowing the Soul’s flesh vessel to ‘breathe’ uncontaminated air. A dialogue between who to whom or what to what or all of the above?
I am not referring to what is sometimes mistakenly taken to mean a dialogue, like, the thoughts created by a communication between different areas of your brain, you listening to various areas of your brain. The awareness I am pointing toward is more nuanced than the easily distinguished (for some) and recognized thought-banter spoken of above; its is a cultivation of a repeated and intentional (volitional act) dipping into a flow that already exists that requires use of neural pathways that may be unused and latent in the flesh.
You cannot digital-ize or text your way to this state of consciousness. It can be developed, just as handwriting can assist in coming to realize a flow because of the fine motor control that is needed which establishes a form of concentration. It can be developed, just as working with a sacred language whose letter you are inscribing has a noun and number entwined to reflect a characteristic of consciousness and cosmic energy and means so much more than just a meaningless vowel or consonant sound attached to a letter sterile of anything.
This is the most important Dialogue that you can establish in this lifetime other than learning how to listen to ‘other’.
This Dialogue can be visualized as a conversation between you and ‘God’, but is more likely to establish a dialogue between your erroneous material construct and your Soul. This Dialogue can begin equilibrating the flow of your consciousness between you as Soul and your incarnate illusion/ego of a separate self. The small self is differentiated, only appearing to itself to be separate.
Rev. David Strickler
Copyright © 2015 by W. David Strickler
