Morning Prayer 34/100. Beyond words

Tao is beyond words.
and beyond understanding.

Wayne Dyer’s transition 2 weeks ago led me back to his books, several of which I read long ago. I was drawn to one I have not read: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

And as I read about it, scanned it on Amazon, I decided not to read it but to imitate Dyer’s effort and energy. To spend a year reading the 81 principles of The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu. I started right away with Brian Browne Walker’s translation of The Tao that I have read several times.

But this time I wanted to go beyond the words, to spend 3-4 days with each principle. Reading and rereading. Meditating and contemplating. Writing and writing some more. And most importantly, living each one. Or trying at least to live the principle without putting my human, Western mind to work deciphering, analyzing, assigning meaning, finding analogies.

So I read the words and came up against the first line in Principle 1: Tao is beyond words.

Letting go of words entirely is impossible, but reading Walker’s translation this time I felt the real intention of those opening lines: that I let go of my need to understand in the rational, mental, earthly way. That I let go of the words. That I go beyond the words.

As much as I pray and as often as I rely on words to shape and express my praying, I am sensing a year-long doorway to a wonderful experience…beyond the words. You’re welcome to join me.

Loving Spirit,
I long to know
wordlessly, mindlessly in my heart
what I yet put into words.
I thank you for my freedom
from relying on language
to know you.
I adore the power and the possibility
of needing no labels
and lacking no definitions
of One as All.
And so it is. Amen.

Love and blessings,

 

09/10/205

Morning Prayer 33/100. Steady pace

Moving at a steady pace is most often your best bet.

I went out to run earlier than usual one morning last week. All along the way, a 10-yard stretch of grass separates sidewalk from boulevard. I rounded a curve and came upon a doe and two fawn, perhaps 3 weeks old, grazing on that grass.

Alertly, they raised their heads. I could see them judging whether to dart or not. My heart skipped because the boulevard’s morning traffic was increasing. If they ran, trying to cross the boulevard was their likely choice.

I continued to run, trying to decide if I should slow down and maybe lessen their alarm. Or maybe speed up and remove their fear more quickly. I continued to run unable to decide. In a few seconds I was past them. Their noses were back in the grass.

I’m thinking that maintaining my steady pace — even without consciously meaning to do so — allowed the deer not to take the street-crossing risk.

How often is maintaining a steady pace to my advantage as well? And perhaps to yours? My morning routine enjoys a steady pace of praying and journaling and praying and reading and praying and expressing thanks (which is praying). It certainly starts every day wonderfully. The steady pace with which I manage my running — rather than trying to run ever faster or ever farther — allows me to continue running, without injury. The steady pace of making time to see the sun rise, to pet Whispurr when she asks, to write 10 things I’m thankful for every day fills my joy barrel. To overflow.

I reached the turnaround point of that morning’s run. As I turned, I wondered if the deer would still be grazing on that green stretch.

They were not to be seen. I did what might be a small turkey’s flared tail. I ran a few yards closer and saw it was no turkey. It was a skunk.

I did not maintain my steady pace.

Good friend God,
the pace at which we live
affects the ways we feel
and how we affect those around us.
The steady certainty with which you
give us love tells us that we are always loved
and unconditionally supports our very being.
Spirit, while we cherish the time
to be still that we may know more clearly
more strongly we are your creation,
we also know the beauty of our steady pace.
We restore ourselves that we not rush tumultously
to do and get and have.
We fill ourselve when we not tarry but move on
to discover the joy of oneness.
Thank you, God, for teaching us the skill
of living at our steady pace.
And so it is. Amen.

Love and blessings,

 

09/08/2015

Morning Prayer 32/100. Spiritual sketching

Always a doodler and lately drawn to serious drawing, I’ve loved discovering spiritual sketching.

Scribbling and doodling — just making marks on the page — have always had appeal. Yet, I recently noticed the several sketch pads and colored pencils and drawing pens I’ve collected but never put to use. So I signed up for an online Pen and Ink Drawing Class.

Exciting and threatening at the same time. All the old (and not so old) how-do-I-do-this-right? obstacles appeared. Significant hesitation before putting pen to paper and making a mark I could not take back. Some frustration, for sure.

Last week while walking Alex I found a scattering of dried, brittle, beautiful magnolia tree leaves in a neighbor’s front yard. I gathered several and brought them home. For a couple of days I looked at them, encouraging myself to sketch one.

And when I did I was suddenly allowed to let go of fear. I wasn’t afraid the lines would not flow. I wasn’t afraid the drawing would not look like the leaf. I wasn’t afraid anyone–even me–would laugh at my drawing.

At first I thought of the experience, calmly drawing the leaf, as almost spiritual. Peaceful. Relaxing. Joyful. Satisfying.

Then I realized it was not almost spiritual. It was spiritual, as spiritual as I allowed myself to know. My hand moved the pen and Spirit moved my hand. My eye saw the leaf’s curves and ripples and Spirit fueled my eye. The more smoothly, comfortably, happily I drew the leaf, the more totally I realized oneness with Spirit, with the leaf, with my pen, with the sketch pad, with everyone who might ever see my drawing.

As I put down the pen, this came to mind: I am not a human being having a spiritual experience; I am a spiritual being

having a human experience.

Living, loving God,
you created us with both broad strokes and
intricate details
and then you blessed us with the freedom
to fill in the paintings of ourselves,
for ourselves.
Your gift that we may define our human be-ing
is the fearless freedom we may know.
Our earthly identity allows us to express
the Spirit that fills us, that is us,
that we are.
For the joy of drawing our Selves
and for loving the creativity we are,
we say: Thank you, God.
Amen.

Love and blessings,

 

 

9/01/2015

Morning Prayer 31/100. Now and then

“Now and then” suggests separation and, at the same time, connection. Now: this very moment that is ever changing as the where and when of reality; and then: time gone by and so literally gone, except in the memory.

And there’s the throw-away phrase “now and then” which means “every once in a while, almost without thought, a moment of happenstance.”

Early this week a woman I know made her transition. She and I had cameo roles in each others’ lives some 50 years ago. Her older sister and I went steady through high school. To me she was on the edge of teen-age and usually running from one room to another. To her I was likely just the guy who hung around her sister.  That’s as well as we knew each other.

Every now and then, during the interval years, I’ve revisited many goneby moments still in my memory . Always a sentimental, reminiscent pleasure. Facebook brought this younger sister and me into cyber-contact a couple of years ago, so now and then I have seen what her life 50 years later was like. Her sister, my former girlfriend, and I haven’t communicated in all those years.

Now and then. Her transition this week allows me another perception of “now and then.” Despite the few photos and posts on Facebook, my connection with her was much more tied to then. Her transition brings her into now for me. The separations of space and time and my memory’s limitations vanished in an instant.

Conscious now that she is released from the human costume, the human stage, I enjoy a stronger connection. I recognize and respect the loss felt by her family. I will miss her occasional posts on Facebook. And I am moved to feel that stronger connection.

Amazing, perhaps ironic, that the few things we had in common as human beings distracted me from knowing our spiritual Oneness. The spiritual Oneness every one of us shares with every one of us.

How often, how much does being human get in the way and prevent us from sharing the truth that the Divine in me adores the Divine in you?

Divine Creator,
the blessing of knowing that every one of us
is your child
tells us we are seamlessly united.
The realization of our Oneness beyond our human trappings
frees us to adore the Spirit each of us is.
I affirm the power and the peace
that realization brings.
I affirm the exalting joy
from truly knowing, feeling
‘the Divine in me adores the Divine in you’.
I affirm that feelings of pain and sorrow
from losing a loved one
can allow us to reach for
the unconditional joy of knowing
Oneness in Spirit.
And so it is. Amen.

Love and blessings,

 

 

08/28/2014

 

• Be notified of new postings

  Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  Join 296 other subscribers

  Email Address

  Subscribe

• Prayerful Life Pages

  • About Tim
  • Prosperity Prayers

• Most Recent

  • Working Affirmation? Why? What? How? (Part 1)
  • The world: what do we pray for?
  • About stress
  • Let it go! How do I do that? How does he?
  • Myself or My Self? Which Matters More?
  • Praying: Scheduled or Spontaneous?
  • Praying with Our Sense of Humor

• Subscribe to RSS

   RSS - Posts

• Tags

  Abundance Affirmations Attitude Authenticity Belief Chakra Christ Color creativity Difference Divine Spirit Energy Faith Forgiveness God Grounding Healing Help Intention Joy Listening Love Mantra meditation Mindfulness Oneness path Peace power of good Prayer praying Presence Principles Prosperity Reflection Release Smile Song spiritual simplicity Strength thanksgiving Truth Unity world Writing