A Little Prayer...

Today I bought a little prayer book titled "A Book of Healing Prayer." I was looking for some prayers to say for a relative going through some health challenges. The book is a compilation of prayer submissions from people who have served as healers at The Healing Temple at the Spiritualist community of Lily Dale, New York. Proceeds from sales of the book will go toward improving and renovating The Healing Temple there. The book includes "verse and prayers of many religions, ancient and modern, that embrace the diversity of our world. Spiritualism believes that Spiritual Healing is available to all life." I sat down and read it from cover to cover. All the quotes used here are taken from it.

As I read through all the prayers, I was keenly reminded of how much we are all alike. There are words written from people all over the world. Sentiments from people of different cultures and from different times - all seeking comfort, love, peace and understanding.

When I look at the statistics of people who read this blog, sometimes I am astounded at the worldwide audience. This week alone, there have been views from Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Germany, Mauritius, Portugal and Saudi Arabia. I am so grateful to be able to connect here with brothers and sisters from around the world!

It occurs to me that as I seek out prayers for an ailing relative, people all over the world are doing the same thing for theirs. My hope this week is that we can all say a prayer or two keeping each other in mind. There are so many of us searching for the same thing - healing, love, peace, understanding - and asking for it in the quiet of our own hearts. May we remember that we are many. May that give us strength and reassurance.

"God Is Love

With bended knees, with hands outstretched,

do I yearn for the effective expression of the

Holy Spirit working within me.

For this love and understanding, truth and justice;

for wisdom to know the apparent from the real

that I might alleviate the sufferings of men on earth...

God is love, understanding, wisdom, and virtue.

Let us love one another, let us practice mercy and forgiveness,

let us have peace, born of fellow-feeling...

Let my joy be of altruistic living, of doing good to others.

Happiness is unto him from whom happiness

proceeds to any other human being."

- Zoroastrian Prayer

"O Great Spirit

Help me always speak the truth quietly, 

to listen with an open mind when others speak

and to remember the peace that may be found in silence."

- Cherokee Prayer

"For those who have asked us to pray for them,

For those that we have promised to pray for,

For those that have no one to pray for them,

May they know the embrace of God's healing touch and love.

Amen"

 - Anonymous 

"I ask the Great Unseen Healing Force to remove

all obstructions from my mind and body

and to restore me to perfect health.

I ask this in all sincerity and honesty

and I will do my part.

I ask the Great Unseen Healing Force

to help both present and absent ones who are

in need of help and to restore them to 

perfect health.

I put my trust in the Love and Power of God."

- Spiritualist Prayer for Healing

Namaste,
T

#SingLouder

On Sunday, a most lovely speaker told the congregation that when we encounter someone who seems different from ourselves, we should talk to them. We should try to find the "sameness" that exists between us because the world now requires us to join together.

I believe she was right.

Love and Peace to all of us...

Namaste,
T

Blowing in the Wind...

The Golden Rule

Sunday's speaker at church began by talking about his family tree. Apparently, he has photos on his kitchen wall, going back generations. He knows all the names and faces of his ancestors and lives with them every day. He acknowledged that most people don't know their family history the way he does. I was reminded of all those commercials for ancestry.com or family tree websites that feature people talking about how they had no idea they were Native American or thought they were German and found they were Irish instead.

He went on to talk about how some issues divide us, versus issues that unite (politics is a definite divider and he joked about our silly behavior when it comes to social media and our varying viewpoints). He quoted a social media post as saying:

"Your beliefs are not the problem. What you want ME to believe is the problem."

With that, he noted that we do not need to take away another's freedom in order to express our own. He found it interesting that many completely different religions all hold a similar variation of "The Golden Rule" and quoted various examples found in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and others.

Christianity: "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."

 - Luke 6:31, King James Version

Buddhism: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." 

- Udana-Varga 5:18

Confucianism: "Do not to others what you do not want them to do to you." 

- Doctrine of the Mean

Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you." - Mahabharata 5:1517

Islam: "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." 

- Number 13 of Imam "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths"

Judaism: "...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 

- Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. Old Testament) Leviticus 19:18

Native American Sprirituality: "All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." 

- Black Elk

Taoism: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." 

- Tai Shang Kan Yin P'ien

* The above quotes were taken from religioustolerance.org - Click here for religioustolerance.org

During a long road trip today, I listened to Eckhart Tolle, in The Power of Now, talking about how we are all connected and how a sense of separation can cause much suffering.

I thought about Russ traveling all over with Nile Rodgers and Chic performing We Are Family, along with other hits, all over the world. I thought about how there are people all over the world who seek to unite, despite all the news reports of incidents to the contrary. I saw this little plaque for sale in a store:

This week, I'll remember that we have friends all over the world who we don't know. We may look different, practice a different religion, have a different culture, or speak a different language. We may look similar, but have more or less social status. Despite any labels or categories that seem to separate us, I know that the truth is that we are united. I know we all belong to the same human family. I choose to believe that there are people all over the world who are rooting themselves in love. I know this is real, and powerful, and that this unites us.

"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists." - A Course in Miracles

This week, I'll remember The Golden Rule.

Click here for Tanya Diona's song "Family Reunion"

Namaste,

T

#Goodtimes

Last Monday and Tuesday, Russ sent me a few pictures from Istanbul...

I sent him back a few in response...

On Tuesday, I was on a long drive and unaware of the attacks at the airport in Istanbul when I received the text from Russ saying, "We're all fine here." 

They were on stage in the middle of their set when the shots started firing at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. They (Nile Rodgers and his band "Chic") weren't scheduled to fly out of that airport until 7am the next morning.

click here for "Istanbul airport attack..." on CNN.com

Since I knew they were alright before I even knew what had happened, I was not panicked. I could only tune in to static-filled radio reports from time to time, and was shielded from the graphic images I might have seen on TV if I hadn't been on a nine hour long drive.

When I spoke to Russ, he told me there was some hesitation about continuing their show - and especially playing the last song, "Good Times." He said it felt counterintuitive to play such a song at that moment. The decision was made to continue the show though, including "Good Times." Even though it felt completely inappropriate to some of the band members at the time, they found that after the show people were thanking them for playing it, saying that they needed the uplift it provided.

Heartfelt condolences and prayers for peace and comfort for the families of victims 

- and to all those affected by acts of terror around the world.

Russ had another point, which was echoed by another band member in online posts. He reminded me that it wasn't that long ago that I was getting word from a college student I know that they were alright, after a shooter entered their school library and injured three people before being shot by police. It was just a couple of weeks ago that a friend in Orlando checked in as "safe" after the attack at a nightclub there. This time, it was Russ in Istanbul. His point was that anything can happen - anywhere, anytime. We can not be afraid to live. I agreed.

This Fourth of July, I celebrate freedom with the rest of the country. We have so many freedoms... freedom to travel, to follow our dreams, to choose happiness under even the most challenging circumstances...

A happy and safe holiday to all, and to all those we love...

Namaste,
T