How do you pray?

I think prayer comes naturally to humans. Some of us are taught in churches or temples, but prayer does not have to be taught. I can’t speak for everyone, of course, but I suspect that most of us instinctively look to some kind of higher power when we feel worried, overwhelmed, helpless, afraid, or on the verge of a breakthrough. If we have not been given formal instruction for a discipline of prayer, we simply find our own way to ask for a higher guidance or comfort when we most need it. This can look an infinite number of ways, of course.

I remember when I was going through a divorce with 3 small children 20 years ago, I would often look at the sky in quiet personal moments and say aloud, “Show me the way, please show me the way.” Or I would ask for courage, strength, and wisdom to help me find my way through. I usually pray for guidance, clarity, and the personal qualities I will need on my journey. Rarely have I prayed for a material thing, I think because I trust that the things I need will be provided if I am tuned into the highest clarity and personal qualities.

Sometimes my prayers are for another person or people in need, or for humanity as a whole, and for the qualities in me that best prepare me to serve in the way meant for me in this lifetime. I like to set a sacred ‘container’ for prayer, which could simply mean feeling reverent in nature, or could involve saying a few words to ‘call in’ a benevolent love-energy to support my prayerfulness.

A very helpful daily discipline for me has been to journal first thing in the mornings about my gratitudes, and then to clarify my desires in writing. Immediately afterwards, I take a quiet walk. This process feels grounding, and helps me set my day on a strong footing. Prayer then arises spontaneously at any time when spirit moves me to actively appeal to a higher guidance. My favorite and most blessed times are when my whole day feels like a simple prayer. My journaling, walking barefoot mindfully on the earth, and eating simple meals of nature’s whole fresh fruit-gifts, naturally fills me with gratitude and good vibes, and sets the stage for more mindful interactions throughout my day.

I received a beautiful message a few weeks ago, in one of my nightly prayer-times from my hot-tub. It feels very intimate to share this here, but I will dare because it is such a wonderful, friendly ‘wink from the Universe,’ and I think you will enjoy it. I was kneeling in the hot-tub, my elbows resting on the half-opened lid and hands in prayer position, gazing out at the night sky. Directly in the skyward path of my gaze, I noticed a silhouette formed of tree branches and their leaves, which made a very clear human-like profile form of a large figure taking the exact same position as me! Every night for weeks now I am enjoying the friendly company of this humorous praying ‘tree-sprite.’ She feels like an angel-friend, making an appearance to pray with me, to comfort me and remind me that I am connected to and accompanied by a bigger realm.

If we have a windy day, she might change form. And I have had the thought that many people, if not most people, would never have even noticed her at all. She is there just for me, just in this particular time, and I noticed her because I needed to feel the presence of a spirit-companion. I am certain that some of you have similar stories of your own. Isn’t it wonderful - the magical, loving playfulness of the spirit-world? I find so much comfort in these types of signs, and I very often notice their silent and generous offerings on my journey. I love to feel the sparkles of divine magic by my side, and it definitely boosts my sense of calm and confidence for navigating life’s challenges.

I have many good friends, and we definitely lean on each other in stressful times and share our burdens. Friends and family can comfort us, and potentially even help us to feel seen and acknowledged on our life-journey. Yet friendships can become depleted if we don’t each also have a higher field to appeal to, and I find that there is a limit to what human relationships can grapple with. At the end of the day, we are each of us on our own solo journey, albeit amongst friends. I find it necessary to cultivate a strong relationship with Spirit, with the God-Source, with that unnameable Love-force that gives all living things the spark of life.

I turned to prayer un-self-consciously on my own as a young teenager, simply speaking from my heart, silently as well as out-loud, and through my journal, in a pure, raw, uncensored appeal to some higher power. It felt good, so I continued. And I began to sense and feel a reciprocal relationship. For me it has become a very informal but genuine and important daily practice, not just for the hard times but for all the times. I feel called and inspired to nurture this relationship much as I do my closest friendships, staying tuned in to share the joy, the challenges, and the mundane, and asking for support and guidance every day.