‘The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is good as dead.’

Albert Einstein

I’m channeling Russell Brand as I try to remember how he spoke about prayer. It was so eloquent and spot-on and he said something along the lines of prayer being intention. Taking the time to connect to an aspect of you that is bigger than you. To acknowledge guidance, to ask for support, to put yourself to one side and recognize that you don’t have all the answers. To simply put something out there into the world, with intention, gratitude and meaning. For me, prayer is all of these things but it is also inspiration.

Inspire: Latin root ‘spirare’ meaning ‘to breathe’ and also meaning ‘spirit’. To breathe spirit in, where breath is spirit and spirit is breath and both are the source of inspiration.

To infuse and animate with breath. Where we breathe life into our words and actions to inspire and be inspired by the creative force that we already are.

P   R    A    Y    E    R

Go on. Say it.

It’s a tricky, triggery little word because it can equate to a man with a beard who lives in the sky. And, like the wordwitch, Pixie Lighthorse, I too hope ‘that we can overcome our prayer trauma and begin to speak the words of spirit from our hearts out loud again.’

I find prayer is a great excuse to talk to myself. To commune with my Self. It’s a way to get clear on what I want my focus to be for the day. On who I am grateful for and what I need to remember in as many moments as I can. That I am thankful for this breath, this body, this day and everyone inside it. For the transactions, the frustrations, the too quick reactions and the space to watch them all from.

The deep resonance of my meditation chamber echoes my words back to me as I speak on the inside. I come into communion with consciousness and through this recess of space and stillness I get quiet and the words start to come through. It’s like I can’t really speak those words clearly enough until I move into that sacred space.

“It’s in this peaceful practice that we come clean, and say what we really mean…It is a gesture of opening the pathway for listening and channeling next right action. The process of connection and communicating with what is moving inside of you and through the cosmos is a good compass to follow.” Pixie Lighthorse

I offer prayers at the end of my morning meditation when I’ve moved softly into presence and the words can do their own sweet pouring. Where there is no filter. No mind telling me what’s ok and what’s not. Putting me down or editing as I go. It’s truth speaking. Deep truth speaking and the invocation of spirit that sparks this overflow of inspiration and insight. I’m somehow able to articulate with accuracy and clarity and inhibition. And those words that come through tell me what I long for, care for, and am so fortunate to have in this life.

Prayer is another resource that helps me to hear my intuition. To recognize the pitch and tone of an inner voice that guides me to better decisions. That gives me a profound sense of trust in myself and the place I’m at. It takes me out of analytical, intellectual thought – which is often overwhelming – and moves me into a more receptive, creative and sensitive space. One that feels like wisdom. And that’s pretty radical.

Below are my prayers from the last couple of days. Both very different. I hope they inspire you to listen to your breath and your spirit a little closer. Prayer has unlocked abundant creative portals for me and I really recommend The Artist’s Way, if you’re interested in how the two connect. And anything by Pixie Lighthorse. I’m just re-reading Boundaries and Protection at the moment and it is teaching me so much about the delicate art of communication. Thank you Pixie ❤

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Move through this day with intimacy, getting closer to each interaction with the world. Slow it all right down as you step back into trusting your own ability to get closer. To be intimate. To bear witness to your reactions and responses. Your triggers and behaviours. Know that they are a part of you but they don’t have to define you. Bring love and acceptance to the tricky, sticky, fuck you moments. Breathe into your anger and frustrations. Gently draw in and hold it for a moment. Taste it. Touch it. Let it rest with you inside the pause. Then choose how to sculpt it.

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Thank you for this day, these eyes, this sight. For the fluttering of nerve endings at a too loud sound and the sensitivity to feel them. Thank you for feelings. For these movements inside me that signal and describe more of who I am and how I experience the world. Thank you for the inside times and the space to watch and listen. May I continue to cultivate that practice in each moment. Thank you for my Peter. For his joy and his sorrow and his ever unfolding heart. May I always create space for his ups and downs. For his workings out. And may he create space for mine. Thank you for the projects I need to work on today. May I offer my whole self to them and notice when I’ve become distracted. May my work be my meditation as I keep coming back to it with renewed clarity and presence. May I be inspired by others and stay close to myself. May my creative spirit and loving heart come through in my work and study and words. Thank you for this practice. This space. This pouring through. May I continue to connect with my heart and amplify my voice. Day by day.

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