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How to Pray
Praying is very much a meditative process. Those who pray the deepest are able to interiorize their consciousness. They can concentrate so intently on the words and feeling of their prayer that their energy flows inward, away from the outer world, and into a calm, concentrated state of communion with God.
So the posture that is recommended for meditation is also best for prayer. Some religions advocate bowing the head in prayer. While this is without question a position of humility, it’s not conducive to deeper and more alert prayer. The meditation posture allows the free flowing of energy up the spine to higher spiritual centers in the body.
Sit still with the spine straight, your head upright, and your hands on your thighs or in your lap with the palms up. Close the eyes and raise them gently, without straining or crossing them, to the “horizon” of the eyebrows.
Keep your eyes uplifted during prayer, as though you were gazing at the point between the eyebrows—a high spiritual center in the body. This point is where the eyes naturally go to when a person is in superconsciousness. Raised eyes have the added benefit of keeping you awake and alert.
When you pray, repeat the words mentally with devotion, love for God, as if they were spoken from your heart. Getting the heart involved is an essential part of prayer. Without the heart being involved, prayer becomes dry and possibly intellectual, or worse, rote repetition while the mind is thinking about other things. Repeat your prayer with deeper concentration and feeling as you go along. If your mind wanders, simply bring it back to the prayer, calmly, without being upset.
This kind of repetition aids in calming the mind, which is usually thinking one different thought after another, nonstop. A calm mind is conducive to a calm body, and a still body is conducive to a still mind. Working in tandem, they allow for deeper and deeper concentration during prayer.
As an alternative to repeating the same prayer over and over, you can talk in a more conversational way to an aspect of God—Father, Mother, Friend, or whatever concept of God appeals to you. Again, say it with feeling from your heart.
After praying for a while, stop and feel for God’s response in your heart. You can alternate between praying, and listening or feeling. Ask the questions you want answered, and feel for an intuitive response.
Concentrated repetition of prayers helps you to access the power of your soul. Devotional prayers also draw you closer to God and help you feel the divine presence.
Avoid begging prayers. It’s more of a matter of attitude rather than choice of words. Realize you are a child of God, and as such, are heir to the love, peace, joy, and wisdom that are part of God’s nature. Lovingly demand an experience of God’s love and joy. Pray for spiritual riches rather than begging for the things of this world. Pray to gain the receptivity that allows God’s blessings to flow unrestricted into your life.
Eventually we will feel such love for God that words are unnecessary. St. Therese of Lisieux responded to someone who asked her what she said to God in her prayers: “I don’t say anything. I just love Him.” She had reached a state while praying that went beyond words and became communion—a deep state of concentration and interiorization in which she loved God and felt God’s love. That oneness with whatever aspect of God appeals to you is the ultimate goal of prayer.
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