I haven’t prayed in a long time. Including a ritualized prayer recited from memory. Nor a spontaneous prayer off the cuff. But today I actually found myself in a posture of prayer, woefully expressing my regrets, sorrows, and shame to some intangible Other that may very well be One with me (according to some paradigms). Also my supplications included a request for forgiveness. This was accompanied by the flow of tears. I can’t be certain why I’ve been so emotional lately. Full moon madness?? Kidding.
Regardless, that is not the point of this post. The point of this post is to discuss the power of prayer and supplication. I can tell you of my feeling-state after this prayer session. That is the only thing I can tell you of with the utmost certainty of its truth. I do feel a lifting of a weight from off of me, as well as a sort of stillness and relief. Unfortunately, I may still have more tears to cry because I feel them threatening even as I type this.
Other than a release of emotional turmoil through confessions and supplications to a higher power, is there another benefit to prayer? Well, it can serve also to reveal one’s truest wants, desires, and highest aspirations because when in prayer one is displaying the truest contents of one’s soul to a higher power, and perhaps revealing them to oneself consciously for the first time as well. This in turn creates a greater focus on what is truly important to oneself, if one were stripped of all material possessions. It helps one get to the heart of the matter, and to what really matters.
Now, can prayer actually bring about a manifestation of what one desires, including material desires? I don’t know. Perhaps, in that the process can show you what is most important to you and thus what you should be focusing on with your thoughts, words, and deeds. In that sense in can almost act as a sort of focused visualization of sorts.
I need to experiment with this practice before I can attribute powers of manifestation to it, like some ancient law of attraction magical technique. I’ll let you know what I discover.
