Mario Hostios
Prayer is an ever present practice in virtually all cultures throughout recorded history.
Irrespective of the variance in beliefs and values, the practice of prayer as a means to commune with the divine, the unknown, & the machinations of the future is a drive in the human being.
Without delving into the morass of methods of prayer, & the differing beliefs and values that govern the practice, I want to offer some universal insights to add to the power of your prayer. We do this not by focusing on your tradition of prayer, which is more personal, but on the mechanism of prayer, which is more universal.
Bold claim? Yes, I agree.
I’ll back it up.
Let’s get to it.
Prayer represents the relationship between the human being and the macro other; God, the cosmos, the unknown divine.
This unknown divine, mysterious, grand, beyond our understanding-DOES reveal it’s nature and the rules it uses to form our world.
So although the nature of Divinity is mysterious, the rules used to govern it’s works are staring us in the face each day, and alluded to in many of our religious and spiritual traditions (two different things by the way).
The Sun of God; the mother Earth. The Sky Father, The Moon Mother.
See the pattern.
Sunlight, Yang to the Chinese, Prana to the Indians, God the father to the Christians.
Gravity, Yin, The Earth Mother. Apana, The Moon Mother. God the son (begat of the mother) in Christian tradition.
It is sunlight, and gravity, that work together to build the world we live in. So, insomuch as prayer represents the relationship between human beings and the divine, sunlight and gravity form the positive and negative “poles” of the antenna of transmission.
This relationship is a conversation; albeit a silent one. “Be still, & know that I AM God.”
It is in prayer, and inner silence, that one can not merely speak one’s desires to the divine, but also, and perhaps more importantly, hear what the divine desires of you.
This duality of opposites-sunlight & gravity collaborating to connect the human being to the divine- is revealing.
It indicates a collaboration of the microcosm to the macrocosm, a greater whole birthed by the interaction of opposites.
Prayer, the conversation of the finite (you) & infinite (God) likewise gives rise to greater fulfillment of the expressed order.
Let’s use the antenna:
The ideal conditions to add power to prayer are at sunrise and sunset. Face the sun, bare foot on the bare earth (cotton soled shoes are fine). You may stand or sit. Be still. Prayer under these conditions gives you access to the positive and negative poles of the antenna.
One could compare this to being in a location that allows your cellphone to receive a signal and complete the call.
Etiquette of the conversation:
Ok, I said in the beginning of this article I wouldn’t get into the differing methods of prayer, & I won’t. However I would not be doing my job to give you my best if I didn’t share some insights that will give you refinement of your practice…& increase the power of your prayer.
Prayer is a conversation; not a monologue. Cosmic begging to the divine without listening to the feedback is a recipe for failure, frustration, and the loss of faith.
Instead, I propose this.
Be still. Feel the sun on your face and the earth on your feet. Give yourself permission to speak the truth of your desires. Then do so. Then wait, & listen for direction. You see the desires within you reflect the being the divine want you to become.
Your desires are a given; given by the Divine, precisely to guide you to become the YOU the Divine wants you to BE.
Hence the notion that God has a plan for you…it involves becoming YOU.
Note that I stress the term desires, not cravings. One can easily distinguish between the two in that the fulfillment of desire (evolving into greater Being) brings joy and contentment, whereas indulgence in cravings (note I said indulgence, as in too much) brings bitterness and discontent.
Use the antenna given to you by the divine expressly for the purpose of conversing, collaborating. Sunrise, sunset, bare foot on bare earth. God is waiting to hear from you.
Next, I will speak to the third force sparked into existence by this conversation. The Holy Spirit. Oh, prayer and meditation? Same thing.
Best,
Mario