When it comes to Prayer and Meditation I do not really know what to do.
I have been to a budhist centre and have had a run through with them, but when it comes to doing it at home I am no good and have no structure. My prayers are a little better but still could do with improvement, are there any web sites that could help with A.A related prayer and meditation?
I believe that sometimes people misunderstand the word "meditation' to mean going into some alpha wave, ether reality. Many religions indeed do that type of meditation, but there are other ways to meditate other than "leaving your body".
I have a meditation circle outdoors, in my woods. Because I do live in a rainforest, it isn't always my desire to sit in the rain on a stump to commune with my Higher Power. So, I wait until it is quiet, and sit in my most comfortable chair. I often light a candle to just gaze at, and let my mind drift. I did this for weeks, and found myself massively relaxed after, but that was just the beginning steps. After practice, I was able to gaze at the candle and clear my mind. You know, empty it of all the clutter that clammers at you once outside noise subsides. Eventually, I learned to relax my entire body while gazing, along with relaxing my mind. For a few years, this was more than enough to rejuvinate myself (as long as I didn't close my eyes and fall asleep).
Now, I can close my eyes during meditation if I choose to. With mind and body quieted, I can more clearly "hear" what is going on with me, what questions/answers are happening within me. I don't hear the voice of a supreme being with some epipheny for me or anything, but I did learn that I had small epipheny(s) that came from within. Things I never would have discovered had I not learned to be still and silent. It gave me much insight into myself, and that "still voice from within" did eventually arise. I needed to learn to be quiet and just observe. One issue I did have to deal with temporarily was that if I became too relaxed, because that type of silence was a foreign thing for me, I would start to panic. If there wasn't external noise to keep me distracted, or my own mind yammering away at me (the committee), it meant I had to find out who I was, and that didn't always sit well with me. Heck, it still doesn't. But, for me, it was just a case of being in an environment of listening and relaxation. I do not see a cave and a high mountain in my future, nor the name Guru Christine, so I guess I'm happy settling for that. It has worked for me for a long time, tho. I find that placing expectations on this quiet time is the surest way to be disappointed.
A statement that I like to sort of do a short mantra of is "Be still and know that I AM". Hope this helps, blessings Wren
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Funny, isn't it, how friends and a Power greater than ourselves can neutralize nightmares?
Many thanks. I tried your candle theory and it was very relaxing. I was aware I was not alone I was imagining the rays of light coming towards me to be healing.
Dear God, Thank you for this day. Help me to stay clean and sober, just for this day. Help me to recognize your hand in all things. Thank you for the blessings I understand and the ones I don't. Thank you for the miracles I see and the ones I don't. Thank you for your spirit who always abides in me. I ask that I may be with your spirit today. Cleanse my mind of all darkness and fill it with love and light. Let me be o.k. with this day no matter what it brings. Thank you for everything that's in my life and everything that's not.
Keep us, oh God, from pettiness. Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed. Let us be done with fault finding & leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pettiness & meet each other face to face, without self-pity & without prejudice. May we always be patient, never hasty in judgement & always tolerant. Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straightforward & unafraid. Let us take time for all things; make us calm, serene & gentle. Grant that we may realize it is the little things in life that create differences, That in the big things of life we are as one and may we strive to touch and to know the great common heart of us all. And oh God, let us not forget to be kind.
