"As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it"
-Lao Tzu
This weekend I again felt an aura of regression to last summer as the Pandemic surges continue and many hospitals are at crisis points; there are heat waves, fires, a potentially extremely dangerous hurricane in the gulf headed toward New Orleans and the escalating crises in Afghanistan. After filling my head and heart with the news, I opened my front door and sat at the threshold listening to the bird songs mixed with the sound of "fire scouting" LA County drones...followed by stillness. There is peace here. Sometimes, all we need is to move outside our thoughts and let the day speak to us directly. If the day portends a storm, then it's time to seek shelter. But this is not the case here, instead I heard in the bird song, and in the drone (that watchful protector), and in the stillness, the call to prayer.
I decided this Sunday is a good day for a prayer exercise as an aspect of the larger spiritual practice of the Presence of God. This practice dates from a 17th century book written on the teachings of a Carmelite friar called Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence entered a Paris monastery after suffering a crippling injury as a soldier during the 30 Years War. In the monastery, he was assigned the role of cook and he remained that the rest of his life. There he developed a spiritual practice of continual prayer as he went about his pots and pans, fulfilling his duties. His friend, Father Joseph de Beaufort, kept letters and records of his conversations with Brother Lawrence and over time compiled them into the book: "The Practice of the Presence of God". It is now a spiritual classic, 500 years later.
Brother Lawrence's spiritual mastery developed over years of monastic life in the face of the hardships of the 17th century. In previous posts, I have written of practices that flow from his teachings, but the events surrounding today, this last Sunday in August, seem to call for a particular form-- a prayer vigil made of momentary, spontaneous prayers whenever you catch your thoughts headed in "the wrong direction". It's not about a strained vigilance of your thinking, but more of a reassuring practice, guided by emotions. Fear, frustration, sadness, anger, despair can all intrude on your day, arising from infinite, varying concerns--from the personal level to the larger issues of the community, country and world, ranging from minor glitches in your day to looming threats of the Pandemic and other disasters. Follow your feelings when they tug at you. Behind those feelings are thoughts. Thoughts in the moment can be changed to prayerful thoughts. Momentary prayerful thoughts, when captured with our attention and intention, accumulate to reaffirm our spiritual ground. The practice begins to open new possibilities and our own spiritual potential. The possibilities and potentials of one individual, includes the possibility and potential of all in the Wholeness of life. Leave room for that.
These are not long, involved, well-thought-out prayers or affirmations. This is meant as a simple, momentary practice in invoking the spiritual life as you drop your emotional shadows. And it is more. Prayer is a lifting of consciousness. Prayer is freshness of life. Prayer is healing. (Susan Nettleton)