listen: “… May we listen to God in quietness and awe …” ~ Jay McDaniel
Quietude remains a deep draw for many – and obvious – reasons … but is even more essential as we individually – and collectively – navigate the current turbulent – and unsettling – times : rising divisiveness … deepening tribalism … unprovoked war … unchecked and increasing economic inequalities … and more … with no resolution in sight …
For a “successful (equanimous?)” navigation and to foster peace, it behooves us to remember our humanity and what unites us:
“There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge, and wisdom. Shall we, instead, choose death, because we cannot forget our quarrels? We appeal as human beings to human beings: Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.” ~ Albert Einstein
“… Make strong in our hearts what unites us; Build bridges across all that divides us; United make us rejoice in our diversity …” ~ David Steindl-Rast
Part of this “remembering” is to partake and embrace the many gifts of quietude … one that comes to mind is prayer, which, as per Jonathan Ellerby, makes “… you learn to think from the heart and deepen your sense of gratitude, intention, and surrender …” … here’s one of our past posts on Jonathan’s thoughts on Prayer – A Mind Centered Practice …
As part of meeting the challenge of our times we have encouraged the cultivation of peace through several posts … to that end, today, we offer another prayer that invites us to listen … a key quality that naturally cultivates “living from the heart” leading to deeper peace within and without …
This prayer is excerpted from Elias Amidon and Elizabeth Roberts’ third book on prayers: Prayers for a Thousand Years … the prior two being Earth Prayers and Life Prayers … books, we hope to explore – in more depth – in due course …
So, … pause … read … reflect … pause … read again … reflect deeper … and see what is revealed … 🙂
Prayer: To Listen …
” … Honoring the ever-present Divine through regular prayer is a way of living close to the edge of spiritual experience while cultivating the strength of our spiritual senses …” ~ Jonathan Ellerby
In this century and in any century,
Our deepest hope, our most tender prayer,
Is that we learn to listen.
May we listen to one another in openness and mercy
May we listen to plants and animals in wonder and respect
May we listen to our own hearts in love and forgiveness
May we listen to God in quietness and awe.
And in this listening,
Which is boundless in its beauty,
May we find the wisdom to cooperate
With a healing spirit, a divine spirit,
Who beckons us into peace and community and creativity.
We do not ask for a perfect world.
But we do ask for a better world.
We ask for deep listening.
~ Jay McDaniel
Listening – as suggested above – offers the possibility of remembering our humanity … that we are all part of one universal family … so, to honor that “family spirit,” let us help our fellow family members in Ukraine … in whatever way we can … so here are some options:
1) NPR: Want to support the people in Ukraine? Here’s how you can help
2) Washington Post: Here’s how Americans can donate to help people in Ukraine.
3) Go Fund Me: How to Help: Donate to Ukraine Relief Efforts.
4) USA Today: Want to support the people of Ukraine? These apps and websites can help you send money.
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We are all facing financial challenges but IF your situation allows you to donate and help then please do so …
THANK YOU!
Above Poem and all italicized text (except quotes/text by/related with Jonathan Ellerby), in the blockquote, is from Prayers for a Thousand Years edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon.
Jonathan Ellerby quotes/text from Return to the Sacred: Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakening By Jonathan H. Ellerby.
Images: (edited and logo added): Featured and 1) Dawn on beautiful beach with waves crashing by huythoai1978@gmail.com, 2) Magical magic landscape with dawn on the Pelekas beach by Andrij-Ter. All purchased from depositphotos, for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
