Hello, my name is John. Thank you for joining me for this week's episode of The Prayer. The mission of the prayer path is to create an auditory pathway upon which you can experience some time in a personal intimate and loving encounter with the Divine. However, you've come to understand that presence in your life. We use a blend of sacred scripture of our spiritual and secular writings music practices and silence to inspire your prayer when you may be rooted in a particular tradition, the prayer path is less to do with religious form a more to do with inviting you to connect with the Divine that is a universal truth at the heart of all religions. It is indeed my blessing and privilege to be your prayer guide on the path today. We don't record the prayer path and a special studio. So, please excuse the sounds of ordinary life. You might hear from time to time in the background. Also this week, please forgive the effect of cold as having a my voice. I hope it doesn't attract too much from your enjoyment this program. I'd invite you now to find a place where you can sit comfortably attentive. For distraction is minimized and second yourself. Wayne Dyer has said our intentions create our reality. So I'd invite you now to take a moment to call to mind and set any special intention you might have for your prayer path Journey today. Now getting set to begin your journey leave out of your hands heart and mind. And I think that you don't need right now. You are divinely guided. Everything that happens to you. All the people who you meet are put in your path by the Divine for your own growth. Keeping this in your awareness at all times. Can change everything? The focus for this week's prayer path journey is the practice of the welcoming prayer referred to by Richard Rohr in his beautiful book Justice. Mary Mars of ski who formulated the prayer says of its practice To welcome and let go is one of the most radically loving faith-filled gestures. We can make in each moment of the day. It is an open-hearted Embrace of all that is in ourselves and in the world. But before I begin I invite you to spend the next few minutes preparing your body and mind for prayer. Having already taken up a seated posture. I invite you to gently close your eyes if you wish. Take two slow deep breaths in and out through your nose, which will help to relax your body. Become aware of your thighs. As they rest on the seat beneath you. Become aware of your feet. As they make contact with the ground. Become aware of your hands. As they rest gently in your lap. perhaps in a gesture of receiving allowing yourself to become aware now of your breathing. Where in your body can you feel the rhythm of this gift of breath that gives you life? at your nostrils your chest your abdomen your inhale and your exhale? Find it now. The Divine is always with you. I invite you now to acknowledge that presence. You may refer to this presence as God. truth the universe Buddha nature Many other words to are used to describe this Essence which we seek. The Divine doesn't mind which you use. The only care now is to be present to you. This presence that is within you. both of you below you. beside you all around you. become present now to the presence Just As You Are That's how the Divine sees you. Except you. And infinitely and unconditionally loves you. Come As You Are rest in this loving tender kind and compassionate presence Feel it bear the weight of you. willingly and lovingly surrender now you're prepared. I will begin the prayer. Sometimes you'll be listening to my voice guiding you. At other times there will be silent pauses. Be with the times of Silence. Let the quiet of them quiet you. Allow your breathing to remain steady and slow. I will send a bell to signify the start and the end of the prayer Journey. This is the welcoming prayer. Welcome, welcome welcome. I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment. Because I know it's from my healing. I welcome all thoughts. feelings emotions Parsons situations and conditions I let go of my desire for security. I let go of my desire for affection. I let go of my desire for control. I let go of any desire to change any situation condition person or myself. I opened to the love and presence of the Divine. and the healing action and Grace of the divine within amen Holding this intention of welcome and openness likely in your heart. I invite you to bring to mind a heart or an offense. Perhaps something or someone who has hurt you. Or let you down recently or in the past. Feel the pain of the offense the way it first felt. Or as you're feeling it now in this moment. Focus on feel and sink into what you were experiencing in this moment in your body. notice observe pay attention feel what is happening in your body. Place a soothing hand where it hurts if that helps. Don't resist. Don't try to analyze the feeling or emotion. simply experience the energy Feel the pain. allowed this experience of the heart To move you beyond your minds processing of right or wrong. Win or lose? Good person or bad person? identify with the suffering how much it hurt to be hurt? How abandoned you felt to be abandoned? moving yourself to that place Knowing how much it hurts to hurt. Would you wish that experience for anyone else? Welcoming the experience. moves you to Great compassion for yourself and others welcoming the grief and anger in all its heaviness makes it your teacher. Welcome what you were experiencing this moment in your body as an opportunity to consent to the action of the Divine indwelling. Welcome is to embrace. What is happening within? Saying the word welcome interiorly. Is the action of embracing the indwelling spirit Who We Know by faith is always present in and through every experience. Let go By saying the Letting Go phrases as often as you need to. I let go of the desire for security affection and control. I let go of the desire to change what I am experiencing. I let go of the desire for security affection and control. I let go of the desire to change what I am experiencing. Give this talk. So when you call. Just listen for my footsteps. See the light. I'm shining for you and I'll meet you. Me too. The storm clouds fill my troubles try to find me I will never I feel alive and it guides me. Time set aside for meditation is truly valuable in rewiring our brains. But the welcoming prayer helps us to find Serenity through surrender in the midst of messy ordinary moments. So when you're triggered or caught by something unpleasant. Begin by simply being present to your feeling experience it not just mentally but also emotionally and physically Don't try to rationalize or explain it just witness it and give attention to the sensation. Welcome the feeling speaking aloud if you can. Welcome anger or welcome fear. or welcome longing repeated as many times as you need to to truly sense yourself embracing and receiving the feeling. Then pray the welcoming prayer regularly. Even daily is not too often. as Richard Rohr suggests It could become your daily bread. As you come to the end of your journey on the path today. I invite you to recall again. Now the intention that you may have set at the start. acknowledging your Oneness with And connectedness to all beings. I invite you to add your intention to the intentions of all Seekers on the proper path and indeed in the universe. And wish for yourself and for them. fulfillment happiness and peace acknowledging that what you send into the world affects the world. I invite you to send peace to all people of the world. and pray that all creation might live in well being peace and harmony Thank you for joining me again on the prayer path today. I'd especially like to thank all of you who have been Journey with the previous prayers and to visiting the prayer path Facebook page. Please do continue to subscribe to and like both the podcast and the page and please do share it with anyone you feel it. You can get in touch with me through voice message or text message for any reason. But especially if you have a prayer request I'd be delighted to include your special intentions might I invite you to remain in prayer or perhaps just silence for as long as you wish after this episode and until you can join me next time on the prayer pal, May the peace and the love of the Divine we'd always with you. Loved ones and the whole of creation. Goodbye for now.
The focus of this weeks Prayer Path journey is the practice of the The Welcoming Prayer referred to by Richard Rohr in his Beautiful Book – 'Just This'. Mary Mrozowski, who formulated the prayer says of its practice ‘To welcome and let go is one of the most radically loving, faith filed gestures we can make in each moment of the day. It is an open hearted embrace of all that is in ourselves and in the world’. Have a Peaceful Journey I would especially like to thank 'Salt of the Sound' for their permission to use their wonderful music on this weeks episode. The track,'I'll Meet You Where You Are-Home To You' can be found at https://saltofthesound.bandcamp.com/track/ill-meet-you-where-you-are-home-to-you You are welcome to join The Journey at any point you would like to along The Path. The following is the timed running order: 0.00 Introduction; 2.00 Settle with Intention; Invitation to Prepare To Pray 4.01; Preparation of mind and Body 4.57; Welcoming Prayer/ Meditation 11.31; (Music) Salt of the Sound - I'll Meet You Where You Are - Home To You 22.23; The Prayer Path Peace Prayer 27.52; Thankyou and Goodbye 29.51 Thank you to 'Yonkiet' and freedigitalphotos,net for this weeks episode art. 