Write a Prayer-a-Day Project

May this day be a portrait painted large upon the canvas of the universe.  May our palette hold every possible color, and even some that are impossible.  May our brush stokes be broad and bold. May we capture every nuance and detail.  Still-life and landscape, portrait and abstract all there, in unity and harmony, symmetry and balance.  Ours will be a masterwork, magnificent in scope and intimate in emotion.  We will hang it proudly for all to see, and it will be so breathtaking that all who behold it will immediately be swept into it, becoming part of it, adding flavor and character.  In this way, we will create and re-create again and again and again.  The goal is not perfection; it is, rather, the pure joy of creation.  For the artistry of life we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

We look to the east, and see the rising sun.  Hope rises, anticipation, eagerness and expectation.  Let us seek to fulfill it.

We look to the south, and see clouds forming.  Doubt, uncertainty, regret and sometimes shame dwell here.  Let us find confidence to face the storm, and ride it out.

We look to the west, and think of the day’s ending: what will we have accomplished?  Let us be industrious and diligent in fulfilling our vision.

We look to the north, where hope and aspiration dwell.  Let us give deep thought to the world we desire, for it is likely to come to pass.

We stand here now, the center of the wind rose, pulled in all directions.  Will we be rocks, unmovable and steadfast?  Will we be feathers, blown in aimless drift?  Will we be trees, swayed this way and that by the breeze?  Or will we be intrepid, and chart our course, and explore all there is to see and know?  For the geography of Being, we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Let us Celebrate!

For we love, and are loved in return.

For we have the gift of this Earth.

For we have self-awareness.

For we can make choices.

For there are helpers everywhere.

For we have sensuous experience.

For wonder is all around.

For every day is a miracle.

Let us Celebrate, if for nothing else, than for Celebration’s sake.  For this, we are thankful.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

May today have deep memory.  May we recall who we are at this moment as a reflection of where we have been.  May we see our life’s narrative, starkly, honestly, fondly, and regretfully.  May we take in all the memories and experiences, and own them.  Cherish the happy memories, confront the difficult memories, mourn the losses and accept the rest.  Take them all in, for they are who we are.  Then, imagine who we want to be tomorrow, and visualize what future memories might take us there.  Let us not be too sentimental in looking back, but rather active in creating a reality today that will bring us pride and contentment tomorrow.  For all of our days, past, present, and future we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Today may we go with the flow.  May we encounter few impediments as we navigate the day.  May we find we have helpers in the tasks that await us.  Let us discover our inner resources in our moments of doubt.  Let us know that we have everything we need to thrive and succeed.  And most importantly, let us remember the meaning of success: to live fully; to laugh often; to find friendship; to honor our relationships; and to feel content in taking action and accomplishing tasks, both great and small.  For all our successes we are thankful.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Safety, strength, and stamina are the watchwords for today.  It is good to challenge ourselves, both physically, mentally, and spiritually.  It is also good to have adequate self-awareness to know when to back-off, to accept that perhaps today is not the day to accomplish that goal.  The trick, of course, is to know when to push, and when to coast.  May this day unfold giving us knew appreciation of ourselves and our abilities, and new awareness of our limits.  May we both pursue and support, as we live into the fullness of ourselves.  For challenges met we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

May today be infused with energy and purpose.  May we move with intention as we go about our chores and activities.  Fulfillment can be found in nearly every task, if we allow ourselves to be present in each moment.  We will fulfill many mundane tasks and obligations in our lifetimes; we might as well allow them to be reflections of our best selves.  May we find grace in our common moments, elevating our lives and creating beauty in the world merely by our presence. Our actions need not be grand in order to be significant.  For simple blessings we are thankful.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

When attempting to name the Infinite Mystery, as soon as words are used, we immediately begin to stray from the truth.  The vastness of that which is First and Last defies labels, is too great to point and say, “there it is – right there.  It is that, and nothing more.”  Our words are too meager, too inadequate.  Why then these prayers?  Prayer, meditation, chanting – it is all process.  We seek not to definitively name, for that is a fools errand.  Rather, we reflect, we still the mind, and catch glimpses out of the corner of our Being.  Like the shadow that skirts our vision as soon as we turn our sight to it, the Infinite Mystery will not fully show itself to us.  Not because it is too far away, but rather, perhaps, because it is too intimately close.  We are it’s manifestation.  Collectively we are part of it, but we are not the sum of it.  Seek enlightenment, but know that it is not necessarily understanding.  For Mystery we give thanks and praise.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Rise and Shine!  Someone in our lives, likely our mothers, at least once startled us into consciousnesses with that command.  Let us de-construct that injunction.  Rise – to go from a position of rest or recline to a standing position.  To stand for something is to take a position of faith or belief.  To make a stand is to witness in the face of injustice or oppression.  To claim that one won’t stand for something is to commit to making change.  Shine: to illuminate with radiance.  To emanate energy.  To buff a dull luster into a higher gloss.  Our eternal mothers call us to Rise and Shine, startling us in consciousness and awareness that the power lies within.  May we today Rise to the challenges that we encounter, and Shine with the radiance of inner beauty, stoked in the crucible of our divine inner-being.  For answering the call each and every day, we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

What shall today be for?  Shall it be for new learnings?  Shall it be for renewed commitments?  Perhaps it should be for greater loyalty, or for new found experiences.  It could be for creating new goals, or perhaps for the achievement of an older aspiration.  Maybe today is for meditation and reflection, or it could be for beginning a new spiritual practice.  Today might be about sticking to the plan, or it could be about scrapping the plan entirely, in favor of a new and better one.  Today could be the day we determine to tell all the people in our lives how much we love them, or today could be the day we begin to forgive and accept ourselves.  Or maybe, just maybe, today is the day for all these things.  Yes, that sounds right.  For the bountiful blessings we find in life, we are thankful.  Blessed Be, and Amen.