Prayer is the answer? Maybe

I rarely have the occasion to pray, I' m more of a gratitude person, but illness and unhappiness had me calling on my favorite female deities several times over the last week or so. The first time was to ask for a good outcome for a critically ill family member. Ok, that was simple enough, no harm done. Then another situation arose that made me feel pushed to the edge, so another prayer passed my heart. And then today as I worried about another's welfare I began to pray again and a darkness gripped my soul sending me to my mala instead.

You see prayer can have many facets...you can give thanks for the abundance in your life. You can celebrate a great event. You can sit in quiet contentment or send good thoughts to those who need them. But the most common type of prayer is to ask for help like my prayer for health for my family member, or for help with things we need. These and all prayers are valid, but the darkness that alarmed me was the tone of my prayers. Asking for something implies lack. Focusing on lack will only create more lack and that was the creeping feeling that I experienced with that last prayer. Fear and desperation can tend to color prayers filled with asking. I went away from the asking prayer to my beads because I use affirming mantras. To ground myself I used counting and then changed my focus with the mantra: I am blessed and he is blessed.

I have heard that praying for others is a tricky business...you never really know what outcome would be most beneficial for someone else. Sending positive energy and well wishes seem ok to me. That is what my prayer for my family member consisted of, but some situations, especially those of a more chronic nature that seem to resist change can bring up desperate feelings of unmet needs accompanied by fear. In fact fear is often the over-riding emotion accompanying feelings of lack. Thus the prayer becomes more akin to pleading which only reminds and reinforces our belief that something is occurring that we do not want or is out of our control. Feelings of helplessness are some of the most debilitating thoughts we can have.

Positive projection is a much more effective way to "pray". Affirming in the present tense tells our psyche that the object of our goal is already manifest...we just need to reach out to grab it. This is not to say that -snap- things are instantly better! But we know that we are aligned to see possibilities that will take us where we need to grow and go. This is a proactive state which is much healthier for our well being. To assist others, wishes for the best possible outcome leave room for the unknown- their desires or other factors at play.

Prayers have been used by regularly by humanity throughout all of human history. Celebratory, grateful or used in times of need, they have seen us through some very dark times. Prayers can be very powerful so my advice is to use them carefully. Be mindful of the tone and words you use. Go for a positive projection statement of the outcome you desire, rather then asking. Affirming that "all is well" or "I am safe" can be comforting in times of distress. Be general or open ended when asking the great deities of your life for help, after all they are wise and benevolent. And believe- your prayers will be answered, your affirmations will manifest. Staying positive in your heart and mind is the most powerful prayer there is.
blissings, amberspiral

Seeing is Believing

Some meditations use visualizations as the point of concentration. Sitting in your quiet spot holding the image of anything can be very challenging. I know, I have tried it. But there is an easier way to do it...by looking at an image, say a statue of your subject, you can pinpoint your focus. This is great if there is a readily available concrete example of your subject. But what if what you are visualizing a possibility and not something set in stone or on canvas? A dream-board may be just the answer for you.
Dream-boards consist of an image or more commonly several images that call to mind the possibility that you are visualizing. Generally used to assist in manifesting desired outcomes, they are as varied as the individuals who make them. That is the beauty of a dream board. The images that you choose are up to you. As long as they evoke the thought of what your aiming for they will help your focus and that will positively change the frequency of your perceptions. Thus creating harmony between your internal and external realities.
Creating a dream board is as simple as looking through a few magazines for images that correspond to your desire. Or you may want to incorporate some original artwork, fabric art or personal photos. Whatever you decide is appropriate for you, most dream boards include either an image to represent yourself such as a photo or (my preference) a mirror. This puts you in the middle of the representation of your possibility.
Once you have assembled the group of images to be used, a sturdy piece of cardboard can be used for the background matrix on which to arrange your vision. In the example used here I added small strips of paper with encouraging words and I used a central image to represent myself. On other dream boards I have used fabric, crystals, old jewelry, stuff from my garden and my junk drawer. The sky's the limit and as long as it helps you to focus in your dream it is working.
The hardest part of visualizing any desired outcome is to remain on task, to keep your focus steady. A dream board is a strong visual cue that will do just that. Put it in a prominent place so you will see it often and Happy Manifesting!
blissings, amberspiral