Midweek Faith Lift
November 20, 2024
The “Big Five” of Affirmative Prayer
Rev. Deb Hill-Davis
Spiritual Passages
November 8, 2024
After the Election -
'Remembering our True Identity'
Ian Cummins, The Open Gate, igcummins.substack.com
This is an excerpt of Ian Cummins, a Presbyterian minister’s writing post-election. He addresses the feeling that we have lost our way as a country and that we are not who we thought we were. He writes:
When we lose a significant aspect of our identity, we heal by coming to understand that the thing lost (a job, a spouse) is not really who we most fundamentally are. The thing lost was precious to us and we must grieve it. But we can still be fundamentally whole and intact without it. Spiritually speaking, this is a process of returning to our deeper identity in God/Spirit/Love. It is remembering that our soul is untouched and untouchable by anything external.
Today, for me, this is the work. I am feeling a loss of identity. Not my identity as an American. Nor my faith in what this country stands for or can be. But I must accept that we have a longer way to go than I hoped. Maybe much longer.
So, I will heed the pull to go inward. It’s time to remind myself that who I most fundamentally am is not defined by politics or country, but by the loving Spirit that created me. It’s time to be held by that deeper, wider, eternal perspective so I can hold my country and my fellow citizens with love and not bitterness…so I can come back out into the world with the strength and faith to do my small part in shaping this country I love into the country I know it can be…knowing that, 'To live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.'"
"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." - Jane Goodall
This week we explore the final chapter of our book on Prayer- the 5 movements of affirmative prayer as we pray with others. And while praying with others is significant and important topic, my take on this today is to consider “Big 5” with regard to praying for others and for ourselves, as well. It is in the spirit of healing and re-engaging without bitterness and with strength and faith knowing that we do, as Jane Goodall says, have an impact on our world. We pray in deep faith knowing that our prayers matter, our prayers do have an impact even when we have no idea and cannot see how or when a shift in consciousness will happen.
We take a deep breath together as we lean into this challenge of affirmative prayer. We pause and go within first to gain clarity on where we are in consciousness in our spiritual evolution and growth. How do we resonate with our basic Unity affirmation, “There is only one Power and Presence in the Universe and in my life, God the Good, Omnipotence.” We may be wondering about that right now, but friends, that is for sure our North Star, even when we are not clear and feel uncertain about it. We begin from that place of love that is like gravity, it holds us all, no exception.
How then do we pray? The first thing we realize is that every time we pray, whether for or with another, we open to the possibility to know our own divinity in a deeper and more powerful way. As Revs. Linda and DeeAnn write on p. 158:
The prayer flow is designed to align our prayer consciousness with oneness. When we pray with (for) others, we are building and expanding on this understanding, so we are sharing or “lending” our consciousness of oneness…We align and remember our own wholeness, and then we speak from the I AM. This integrated consciousness is what give our prayers power. This integrated consciousness is where we derive our spiritual authority. This integrated consciousness is what we are sharing with others.
Affirming this consciousness is akin to putting on our own oxygen mask before assisting others. We breathe in our spiritual oneness with love before we breathe out our prayers. If we are endeavoring to pray for our country, our fellow citizens with whom we disagree in a consciousness of healing, then it is essential that we connect with our own divinity, our “Godness,” our higher self first for our prayers to have spiritual authority and power.
The very first statement of the “Big 5” prayer flow is “I Open” which expresses our willingness to open to a higher perspective, to the power and presence of Spirit that is alive in us and in all for whom we pray. The way Rev. Linda phrases this is relevant to our prayers for all citizens of our nation. She writes on p. 160: “In this moment the invitation is to relax-releasing the story, the tension, the worries and fears- opening and allowing stillness and possibility to see anew.” When we pray this for ourselves, and others, we are called higher in consciousness as we call everyone into a higher consciousness.
The next step is to “Recognize God Is” which to recognize what would be useful in this now moment that we are holding in prayer. In this consciousness, we recognize God is Power, God is Wisdom, God is Strength, God is Love, God is Release, God is Life and so on. We call upon our 12 Spiritual Powers to identify and claim the energy of God in that Power. Rev. Linda says it this way on p. 160: “I recognize God is present as love. The harmonizing power of the Universe is right here and now, that which strengthens connections and unites us all.” In our prayer for healing for our country, we sit in silence, listening to the voice of spirit within for that power which is most needed in this moment, and then we speak our prayer.
The third step is to “Integrate I AM” which is to realize the attribute of God that you recognized in step two is within in you, a part of who you really are. When you are praying, you are activating that attribute as part of the prayer process. You are claiming “I AM wisdom, speaking words of insight and truth” and so on. It is a powerful claim for each of the spiritual powers. When we step up in prayer for all of us, as citizens in this time when all that gets attention is how divided we are, it is clear that we are called to make direct and active voice claims. To pray in this manner might sound like this, to paraphrase Rev. Linda on p. 161:
When I say that God is love, I am saying that love is my true nature, for I AM one with the One. It is mine and as there is only one love, it is also yours and all our fellow citizens’ nature. Divine love is natural to all of us and is ours to express.
We are claiming this truth, of Divine Love for all people, whether they are currently able to express it or not for love leaves no one out. This is that part where we have put on our own oxygen mask first so that we are able to help others to put on theirs. We hold space for them to recognize that they even need one! We pray from where we are in consciousness, calling all to come up higher as we pray.
The fourth step is Realization; this is the step where we hold space for the awakening both for ourselves, and all others for whom we pray. We hold space for the realization of our true nature; that it becomes evident and real in all we think, do and say. If we are praying for Love for our citizenry we pray knowing that the Power of Love as it is active in us is also present in all of us and has yet to be realized. We pray holding the possibility for awakening to within our nation:
Therefore, I know that we can all trust the love we are. We can center in love. We can be supported by love. We know how to speak, move and choose so that love is empowered within our community and our nation. We hold the thoughts of harmony clearly and we speak in such a way that we inspire everyone in our family, our community to deeper connection and loving communication.
We are stating and claiming what is possible when we all come up higher. When we state that we know how to speak, move and choose so that love is empowered, we are willing to observe our own speech, actions and movements as a part of this step of realization. We are all a part of this.
And finally, #5 of the Big Five of Affirmative Prayer is Appreciation. We express that by, as Rev. Cummins said in the opening passage, “'To live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.'" We celebrate and appreciate that we can stand in prayer with all who hold a vision of real love, harmony and peace. We recognize that there are many on all sides of the political spectrum willing to make a shift. And so we pray, paraphrasing Rev. Linda from p. 164:
How grateful we are for the opportunity to stand together to appreciate our true human nature and our divine nature As we stand in this higher knowing together, all the dynamics of our nation are made new. We are grateful for the possibilities and we say thank you. And so it is. Amen
This will not be an easy time, and there is no easy way through this passage for our nation. We can impact our world, as Jane Goodall noted earlier, by our very presence, we just have to decide how we do that. I want to leave you today with the words of Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron from When Things Fall Apart:
We think that by protecting ourselves from suffering we are being kind to ourselves. But we only become more fearful, more hardened, more alienated. We experience ourselves as being separate from the whole. Yet when we don't close off and we let our hearts break, we discover our kinship with all beings."
Blessings on the Path,
Rev. Deb