“Some things are true whether we believe in them or not. I call these big “T” truths. Other things are true only because we do. I call these little “t” truths. The Universe is spacious enough to accomodate big “T” truth and all our little “t” truths. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to increase our conscious creation of Reality and reduce our unconscious creation. Who wants to play?”
– from one of my Facebook Friends named Gerald Thomas
Daily Prayers
Do you Pray?
This is a somewhat controversial topic when asked in mixed company. Different faiths practice in different ways and focus their energies in different ways. I come at this from an American and Judeo-Christian background. We learned to Thank God at meals and to pray before going to bed. Some of these prayers were rote learned prayers:
“Bless us oh lord and Thanks for this gifts we are about to receive. Amen”
This was the basic prayer recited at meals in our house and in the homes of most of my friends growing up.
And something similar each night before going to bed.
“Now I lay thee down to sleep. I pray the lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. i pray the lord my soul to take.”
I hated this one. So early on I changed it to something more personal.
I believe there are far fewer children nowadays blessing their food or saying prayers at night before bad. Organized religion is less popular today than it was 50 years ago when I was being brought up.
I often wonder where, in world absent the specific teachings of moral absolutes that our children today are learning about it. I know pretty sure that it isn’t from schools.
But this wasn’t intended to be a discussion about religious faith. Rather, its an introduction to the idea of protection. After years of daily practice saying my prayers, they were doing nothing for me. So I stopped. I questioned much of what I believed spiritually at that time.
The question is, what do you believe and how do you see the universe. Are there powers and energies that you feel or that can influence. And what, if anything, are you doing as you face the universe each day in the form of spiritual protection?
For my part, I would like to offer suggestions or practices that I have learned about that may help. And give as much background and information as I can find to help you in these practices.
The Medicine Wheel – Shamanic Prayer of Protection
The first of the “Prayers” I want to offer is The Medicine Wheel of Protection. This “prayer” comes from Shamanic practices and is much followed by Native Americans still today.
It invokes a sphere of protection around us that is sovereign. It makes a complete circuit between the Earth, the heavens, and ourselves. I can attest that it works and it works very, very well.
The Medicine Wheel of Protection is an ancient, daily practice of reconnecting and sealing with the Earth and the stars. It is highly effective at affecting archontic intrusion by placing a sphere of sovereignty around us.
I practice The Wheel as morning ritual before beginning the day. For me, it is generally in the shower – which seems the best time for me to do it. The following procedure is given as a general outline and is meant to be personalized. Add your own elements to make the Wheel your own.
You will be addressing each of the cardinal directions during the ritual. So you should determine these in advance. Not owning a compass, I used a compass app on my phone to find them. Then found a mark to concentrate towards.
1. EAST – Yellow – Land of the Rising Sun – “I seek wisdom.”
Medicine Wheels are always begun and entered from the East. Bring your hands together in prayer and honor the East. Aloud or silently to yourself, repeat the keynotes, “I honor the East, the Land of the Rising Sun. I seek wisdom.” Picture what lies to the East of you. For me, I visualize the sun breaking the horizon and imagine the yellow light filling me with wisdom.
2. SOUTH – Red – Land of the Winds of Experience – “I experience.”
Turn 90-degrees and face South. Repeat the keywords, “I honor the South, the Land of the Winds of Experience. I seek experience.” What do you imagine when you look to the South? The South is the part of the wheel that represents our sense of learning through playfulness and sensations. Our quest for wisdom is furthered by our experiences. It also embodies music. I am often filled with a song that may have entered my consciousness and allow it to overtake me. This song will often carry me through the full ritual.
3. WEST – Black – Land of the Setting Sun – “I am transformed.”
Turn 90-degrees and face West. Repeat the keywords, “I honor the West, the Land of the Setting Sun. I am transformed.” Repeat the visualization with what lies to the West of you. Transformation is a difficult visualization for me. West is where the sun sets. It is also the direction of my home – the land where I was born – California. We have been in such a transformative time over the past 10 years. It is at this time that i embrace that trasformation.
4. NORTH – White – Land of the Winds of Change – “I am enlightened.”
Turn 90-degrees and face North. Repeat the keywords, “I honor the North, the Land of the Winds of Change. I am enlightened.” The North is regarded as the direction of Spirit, the place from which we are enlightened to wisdom. I imagine being buffeted by the white winds of change rushing down from Canada. It is cold and refreshing. And I feel myself filled as a pillar of white light.
This step completes the first circuit of the sphere of the Medicine Wheel of Protection.
5. ABOVE – Father Sky – Galactic Center – God (The Originator, in the Gnostic texts)
Turn your head above, raise your arms to the sky, and honor the stars, the Galactic Center, and the heavens. I generally completely turn in a circle, continuing right until I face the west again. I feel the energy as a vortex from above – spinning blue sky. Repeat “I honor Father Sky…” Honor what you feel comfortable with – God, Galactic Center, etc.
6. BELOW – Mother Earth – Gaia Sophia
Bow your head and bring your arms down to your sides. Honor Mother Earth/Gaia Sophia. Feel her green energy move up from your feet and up through your body to your heart. I imagine the energy pulling from the center of the earth – connecting me. Sophia’s energy resides in our hearts. Repeat “I honor Gaia Sophia…” Honor what you feel comfortable with – Mother Nature, Mary, etc.
7. SELF
Bring your arms to heart center and open them in an expanse as if you were hugging the world. This is the step where we place ourselves into the sphere of the Medicine Wheel – radiating purple energy from within. We place ourselves in the Wheel, ready to play our part in the dream. The Medicine Wheel of Protection is now in place.
Each can implement the wheel as it fits into your life. For me, it is a morning ritual. But I also will invoke it while outside – barefoot in the grass if possible.
Thank You Sir for sharing knowledge.
Aho
There are many levels of accomplishment when it comes to ‘prayer’. this is an entry level submission. it is always good to start somewhere, and work on into deeper levels of prayer. prayer is getting the left-brain (logical) mind out of the way, by directing it to make a ‘measurement’ or “application” to “source” (aka quantum connection-entanglement to-with the creative core) so one gets one’s “self” out of the way (so-to-speak). prayer is only effective when we step aside and allow “source” to work thru us. all agencies of transformation agree – we don’t do anything, we are only the vessel thru which “change” happens by a “power” outside of “self”.
I’m working on an article that goes into this in much more detail from decades of original “search” after I rejected all man-made systems and “techniques”. techniques always fail in the end, because they work for a short time before eventually failing because we stop believing in the ‘other’ (outside) power that is the source of the “transformation” (change) and think it is our “working” by exercising the ‘technique” that causes the “change”. the “other” works change thru us when we get out of the way, this is a universal constant regardless of the ‘technique of “prayer”