Making Your Life A Prayer

Using inspiration from different spiritual traditions, this talk and meditation will help you find inner and outer alignment. We will use prayers from A Course In Miracles, the Lakota Tribe, and Christianity. The intention is to "be that which we are" and live fuller, more beautiful lives.

Transcript

All right,

So we'll go into today's theme and start to talk about kind of the idea of looking at what I'm talking about when I say making your life a prayer.

I guess I should preface by saying that I was asked one time by a friend that this was just like during a game,

This wasn't like a casual conversation,

Although this could have been a casual conversation.

But I was asked what I would put on my gravestone.

What words do I want to have?

And for whatever reason,

What stuck with me was he made his life a prayer.

And I got this from a spiritual teacher named David Hawkins,

Who would always talk about living your life like a prayer.

But what exactly does that mean?

And so we're going to spend today kind of dissecting what that means and how to go about doing and acting on this in our life.

And so I want to first talk a little bit about how I look at that word prayer.

And just want to preface this,

But I'm coming to this not from any sort of spiritual or religious background.

I'm not a theologian.

This is just the way that I interpret what prayer is.

And when I reflected on it,

There's really two main aspects of prayer that I see.

One is a communication with the divine,

A communication with something that is bigger than ourself.

And the other aspect is a worshiping and an appreciation and a gratitude for the blessings in our life,

A gratitude for whatever you call that thing that is a higher power for God,

For the divine,

For spirit.

And in that process,

There is,

Again,

It is an act of that there's something bigger than ourselves,

And it is a sacredness to it.

And so I'm going to start with the communication piece.

What is a way that we communicate with the divine,

Communicate with God?

One something we do is we ask for things,

Right?

We ask to have new things come into our life,

Or do you want us to have blessings come into our life?

We give,

We communicate,

I think loving kindness.

I'm sure some people might argue with me here,

But I think loving kindness and metta is a form of prayer when we're saying to saying out,

May you be happy,

May be peaceful,

May you be strong,

Whatever it is.

I think affirmations are a form of prayer,

Right?

We're declaring to the divine,

Right?

We're declaring,

Yes,

I am strong.

I am confident.

I am generous.

I am,

I am loved,

Whatever it is.

And then I think the strongest prayer might be,

Or might come during those moments where we're feeling great despair,

Where we're feeling really in the darkness and we're curled up in our bed crying,

Or we're down on our knees and we just can't take it anymore.

Whatever it is,

We're in those moments of darkness and we,

We surrender and we say,

If there is a God,

Right?

Help,

Help,

Right?

The prayer of just saying,

I need help.

And there are so many,

So many stories of mystical and spiritual experiences and awakenings and revelations that come from that moment,

That come from getting down on your knees and admitting that,

That you need help.

That's something,

And in that,

In that process,

There's an energy that is created.

There's an energy to that prayer.

And I do believe that,

That God meets us halfway.

So when we really create that energy,

That energy starts to come back.

And so we can use that also in the positive,

Right?

The more energy and intention that we bring to our prayers,

To our affirmations,

The more energy that is coming back.

And so there is also a humility,

A humility in asking for help and humility in the best sense of that word,

Because a lot of times when we think of humility,

Often it's misinterpreted that we should,

You know,

I have something good that I'm doing and I should not say that to other people because I'm being humble,

Right?

I should dim my light in some way for other people's insecurities.

And that's a whole nother topic that I might do a practice on because I think that's important to make that distinction.

But humility in the sense that I don't have it all figured out and I need help.

I've reached a limit.

And it's just this act of surrender.

And there's beauty that comes from that.

And there's beauty in all of prayer.

And so communication,

One half,

The other half,

Worshiping,

Right?

That prayer is worshiping.

Just looking at this,

This,

The symbol of prayer,

Right?

The prayer hands,

The symbol of namaste,

Right?

The God in me,

The light in me sees and worships and honors the God in you.

And this brings us to more of just a reverence,

Right?

There's a reverence in prayer.

And the most powerful,

If help is the most powerful way that we can communicate,

I think,

Like with in prayer,

I think thank you,

Right?

Thank you is the most powerful way that we worship.

Thank you,

God.

Thank you,

Whatever.

Thank you for this.

Thank you for that.

Thank you,

Thank you,

Thank you.

And just,

And that's why gratitude is such a big practice that we all practice.

And so bringing these together,

Bringing these together to how do we make our life that?

Well,

David Hawkins,

I always want to say Richard Dawkins,

But Richard Dawkins was not talking about this stuff.

Totally different guy.

David Hawkins is a,

He was a non-dual teacher.

And so he would talk about living your life like a prayer.

So what does this mean in a non-dual terms?

It's instead of communicating to something that is outside of us is our actions become that communication to the divine,

That our actions become the way that we communicate to God.

And this is kind of,

It goes with that adage of,

Of don't,

Don't listen to what I say,

Watch what I do.

And so we,

And now we're getting into also like a little bit of like law of attraction stuff,

Where it's like,

Let's think it,

Let's pray it,

Let's,

Let's send the energy out.

And then let's show that we want it.

Let's show that we're acting in accordance with the energy,

With the God that is within us.

And in that process,

There's also a worshiping,

Right?

That we're worshiping that,

Oh my gosh,

I have this blessing of life,

And I'm going to do my best to make the best of it.

I'm going to worship the opportunity,

Right?

It's a,

It's a,

It's an act of gratitude for the opportunities.

It's gratitude for the blessings in my life.

If I'm blessed,

How do I then be a blessing to others?

And so again,

It's like,

It's,

It becomes not this thing that we just sit around and do.

Our life becomes a prayer.

Our life becomes this expression of beauty,

Right?

We're an example for other people.

People look at us and they say,

Oh,

Wow,

There's something about that.

The way that he or she is living their life.

That is really something that I aspire to,

Something that I look up to.

And I promise,

Unbeknownst to you,

Many of you right now are already making your life a prayer,

Right?

You are here.

You have a meditation practice.

You're working on yourself.

You're facing your fears.

You're facing your shadows.

You're growing,

You're practicing gratitude.

And in that process,

You are,

You are transforming,

Right?

We are transforming.

We are evolving into a new version of ourselves.

And that right there is an honoring.

That right there is an honoring of the gifts that we've been given,

Of this life that we've been given.

And in that process,

We support other people,

Right?

We get to then heal other people.

And I say that that doesn't mean you need to be a teacher or a healer to do that.

Just your energy in evolving and growing in your own life,

No matter what you do,

That is going to have an impact on the people that you come across.

And so when we do that,

We've won.

We've made it.

When that is our intention,

When our intention is just,

I'm going to be in communication with something bigger than myself.

I'm going to worship something bigger than myself.

My actions are going to be a reflection of that today.

That is the fun.

We get those rewards.

That is the point.

The journey is the reward.

And I'm going to share a few quotes that point us towards this.

So just give me a second while I find these quotes here.

So the first one is from Palmer,

I have it spelled wrong,

Palmer Parker in his beautiful,

Beautiful book,

Let Your Life Speak.

And just that title right there,

Let Your Life Speak is exactly the essence of what I'm talking about today.

Allowing our life to show that which we are and to show that which we're becoming in the things that we want to become.

And so in Let Your Life Speak,

He has a quote that says,

No reward anyone might give us could possibly be greater than the reward that comes from living our best lights.

David Hawkins,

Who I just talked about,

He is another quote similar to what we're trying to get at here as far as the journey being the reward.

And that is,

Comfort replaces insecurity.

When one realizes that the most important goal has already been accomplished,

That goal is to be on the road of spiritual dedication.

Spiritual development is not an accomplishment,

But a way of life.

It is an orientation that brings its own rewards.

And what is most important is the direction of one's motives.

And to bring it all in,

Last one from A Course in Miracles,

All real pleasure comes from doing God's will.

And looking at that in a non-dual lens,

All real pleasure comes from doing the will of the God within.

Not that there's something we're doing outside of ourselves,

Or there's someone up there who's writing prescriptions.

This is what I want you to do.

It's an expression of our nature and of our truth within.

And by expressing our truth within,

That is its own reward because we feel connected.

We feel communicated with something greater than ourselves.

We feel like we're in communication,

Our life is,

And it is a worshiping.

And so what we're going to do today as we move through our practice is we're going to use a few different prayers to connect us.

We're actually,

We're going to start with a little invocation to invite in whatever that higher power is for you.

I know I'm using God.

I use God.

You can use Spirit,

Source,

Universe,

Maybe it's your higher self.

I don't,

Whatever you name that which cannot be named,

Right?

So that energy that you feel is permeating through the universe.

So we'll invite that into our space.

And then we will use a prayer,

A Native American prayer from the Lakota tribe,

Matakuwasin,

Which means harmony within all living life forms,

A relatedness to all living life forms.

And I'm actually going to use a song that's titled Matakuwasin by one of my favorite bands,

NAKO in Medicine for the People.

And we'll use a few lines because I think it speaks well to what we're doing today.

We'll then practice and move through some worshiping and gratitude and have that aspect to build the foundation where we then go ahead and how do we make our life a prayer.

And we will do that through A Course in Miracles.

We'll use a prayer from that.

And my favorite prayer,

And if you've been with me long enough and you've listened to enough of my meditations,

You probably come across this at some point.

We're not going to use the whole prayer,

But we're just going to use the first line of the prayer of St.

Francis.

Make me an instrument of peace.

And I'm looking over here because in every meditation I do,

I have my little St.

Francis figurine.

It's a prayer that I say to myself every single day.

And so I try and keep that as part of my wish.

And that's,

Again,

Getting to the essence of what we're talking about.

Making our lives instruments of peace.

Making our lives instruments of something greater than ourselves so that we may be a blessing to other people.

So I thank you.

Thank you all so much for being here.

All right,

So closing down your eyes and shifting into just the physical body for now.

Feeling the connecting points of your chair,

Your cushion,

Feeling your feet flat on the ground if you're sitting.

In the beginning of our practice,

We get our bodies set up to receive and to feel,

Connect with that energy within.

And so really letting your body find its space of rest and also keeping a little lift through the upper body of the shoulders,

Move down the back.

You're feeling strong in the back body but soft in the front body.

Relaxing muscles in the face.

Noticing if there's a clenching of the jaw,

Releasing the lower jaw from the upper jaw.

And scanning your body and noticing if there's any place that is holding tension.

And feeling yourself offer some softness to that space.

And if you're welcoming your breath in,

Using that as an area of focus,

Just sensing each breath in,

Filling,

Expanding the body.

And each breath out,

Relaxing,

Releasing.

And as you bring the intention or bring the awareness into your breath,

Resetting this intention to connect,

To receive,

To communicate,

To appreciate,

Whatever is meant to come through today.

And as you use your breath to continue to slow down,

Should it feel like there's a line of energy that is going from the base of your spine down into the earth,

Down into the ground,

Feeling that rootedness of connection.

And then from that rootedness,

Feel like that line of energy is also going up through the crown of your head,

Through the sky,

Through the universe.

So feeling like the energy is moving both ways.

Sensing that connection to the earth and the connection to spirit.

And then gently together,

Taking a breath in and a breath out.

And so we are here together for ourselves,

For each other,

And also for something bigger.

And so we're going to actually start off here with just a biblical reminder and to open this space.

A reminder of whenever two are gathered in my name,

I am in the midst of them.

And so acknowledging whatever higher power that you connect with,

Feel connected to.

Even though we might call it different things,

Sensing that we are gathered and that we are supported by that higher order.

Sensing the connectedness and the energy that is in this room,

Even though it feels like it's only me here sometimes.

You are all in this room,

In your own room,

In this space.

And so just sensing that.

Everyone in this space meditating together.

And then using a little bit of an invocation to invite that presence even deeper into our being.

Again whatever you call it,

Lord,

God,

Shiva,

Spirit,

Self.

Maybe repeating these as I say this if it resonates with you.

Open my eyes so I can see you.

Open my ears so I can hear you.

Open my heart so I can feel you.

And you're welcome to add that word that you used before each line.

Lord,

God,

Spirit.

Open my eyes so I can see you.

Open my ears so I can hear you.

Open my heart so I can feel you.

And maybe just repeating that on your own,

Allowing whatever energy,

Whatever connection to come through.

And a gentle breath in.

And breath out.

And we're going to continue with this energy of connectedness.

I'll be using the Lakota prayer,

Matakuwasan,

The prayer of oneness,

Of harmony with all life forms.

And like I said,

I'm going to say the prayer and then also note some words from a song that is a speaking of the prayer.

And we'll come back to this as it lands.

So for this one,

Repeating it with me if you'd like,

But maybe just kind of allowing this to again be in the space.

Matakuwasan.

This is the place for all my relations.

To bring celebration through meditation.

Sending thanks for all of creation.

We are so provided for.

We are so provided for.

We are so provided for.

And so there's some communication and some worshiping here.

So feel right now kind of the blessings that have been provided to you.

And holding them all in reverence.

The blessing of life.

Any other blessings that have come into your life.

Healing them in your heart.

We are so provided for.

And then slowly letting that go.

And we're going to shift into just a little bit of a visualization.

To put ourselves in a place that is always providing.

To put ourselves in a place that is an expression of beauty.

And that is nature.

And so I'd like you to envision yourself in whatever nature scene calls to you.

And wherever you might feel connected with something greater than yourself.

And so imagine that you go to that space,

Whether you've been here before.

Or maybe it's a place that you're just imagining.

And start to see what you see.

Sky,

The trees,

Ocean.

Colors.

Clouds.

Noting what you hear.

Sounds,

Animals.

If there's any smells or tastes from being in this space,

Fresh air,

Salty air.

And then really the felt sense of being here.

Your feet on the ground.

The wind at your face.

The warmth of the sun.

Taking it all in,

Noticing the beauty that is present.

The wisdom that is in nature.

And allow its wisdom and its beauty to kind of soak into your body,

Soak into your soul.

And knowing that the same beauty that you are looking at,

That you are letting come in is the same beauty that is within you,

That is you.

So remembering that prayer is a communication and a worshiping.

All right,

So right now I'd like you to communicate what you need to whatever higher power you connect with.

And so in this moment you could ask,

You could vent,

You can recite a prayer that is close to your heart.

You can imagine that you get on your knees and maybe you are in a moment right now where you need help and you allow yourself to surrender in that way.

And so I'm going to give a few minutes of silence so that you can communicate and ask and affirm whatever you need to affirm and ask for to your higher power.

Now is the time.

And remember the more energy you give,

The more energy you'll get.

And now I'm going to give you a few minutes of silence.

And then conscious breath in,

Breath out,

Trusting in whatever prayer,

Whatever words were said,

Whatever energy was created,

Surrendering it,

Letting go of the visualization and coming back to yourself.

And so we've worked with communication and now let's kind of move more into some worshiping.

And so staying connected to that same energy,

That same beauty that you just were.

And just now inside of your being,

You know,

Giving a thanks,

Whether it's a thanks to God,

Whether it's a thanks to whoever,

Just thanking for this opportunity to live and to grow and to experience the richness,

The spectrum of human life.

And so maybe you start by just feeling your heartbeat tune into this life giving force and thanking and worshiping the fact that you get to be here.

Even when it's hard,

You get this day.

Letting that gratitude radiate throughout your body,

Throughout the beauty of who you are.

And then shifting the worshiping and the gratitude to something good that has happened to you.

And a blessing you have received.

Maybe it was one that you were thinking of before.

And maybe it was the birth of a child.

Maybe it was a moment of beauty,

Synchronicity,

Someone showing up in your life.

And so maybe you go to that moment or you just hold it in your awareness and feel the thanks and the gratitude for this experience.

And then moving to what can be often challenging,

Letting go of that.

But seeing if you can find that same reverence for an experience that at the time was really hard and you wouldn't want to sign up for it normally.

But looking back,

You can say,

Oh wow,

That was a blessing in disguise or wow,

That grew me into a new person.

And so finding one of those experiences and seeing if you can hold that same reverence,

That same appreciation that you had for also the good that was in your life.

And to quote the rest of that Matakawasan song,

All of the blessings I've received,

How could they have been bestowed upon me?

So I will put it all back in the ground,

Back in the soil where I am found.

It all started.

Taking a breath in,

Letting that go.

And now it's time to put those blessings back into the ground,

Right?

To make our life a prayer,

To make our life a blessing to others.

Seeing that expression of beauty and divine that we are.

And so I'm going to invite you to repeat this prayer from A Course in Miracles.

And repeating it if it resonates to you.

And as I said in the beginning,

As you hear these words,

It doesn't necessarily mean you have to teach or tell other people about anything.

Because your life and your healing,

Your expression offers that same energy and healing to others just by who you are.

And so again,

Repeating this to yourself if it resonates.

I am here only to be truly helpful.

I am here to represent him who sent me.

I don't have to worry about what to say or what to do because he who sent me will direct me.

I am content to be wherever he wishes,

Knowing he goes there with me.

I will be healed as I let him teach me to heal.

I will be healed as I let him teach me to heal.

Maybe just repeating that last one on your own.

And I'd like to envision your life sensing this intention to be truly helpful.

You don't have to know what that is.

You don't have to know what to do.

It'll be just like nature.

When it's aligned,

It will blossom.

When you are acting in accord,

It will show because you are in communication and your life is a sense of worship.

Your life is a prayer.

And so instead of thinking about the future,

Staying here in the present,

It'll all unfold.

And then before we take off,

Repeating one last prayer as a pathway towards how we want to show up in our life.

And like I had mentioned,

We're going to just do the first line of the prayer of St.

Francis.

And again,

If you'd like to add Lord God or whatever you want to add before the prayer,

You're welcome to.

Make me an instrument of peace.

Make me an instrument of peace.

Make me an instrument of peace.

And just repeating that on your own,

Feeling again whatever connection is here,

Bringing that into your being and your body.

Feeling that peace inside of you,

Trusting that you will bring this into your world and in doing so you will be a light in the world,

Inspiring,

Healing others,

And in the process healing yourself.

And so let's let go right now of any prayer,

Any communication,

Any worshiping that we've been working on.

Instead,

Just come into this place of receiving and listening,

Coming into the place of silence.

And so we'll stay here for another minute as David Hawkins used to say,

The voice of God is silence.

God is silence.

And together we'll take one last full conscious breath in and breath out.

And whenever you feel complete,

There's never any rush.

You can stay here as long as you like,

But if you'd like to come back to our virtual space,

Go ahead and open your eyes and come back into your room.

Thank you all for being here,

For sharing in the energy and for moving through that practice.

It was really such a blessing to be able to offer,

Right,

To,

You know,

I think when I think of the embodiment of this in my own life,

I feel like this is part of it,

Right?

This is an action of me making my life a prayer.

And so I really hope to,

You know,

To experience or to see that and hope that that ripple effect goes further in your life.

Reviews

Thanks, Lou. As always, spot on, with your gentle affirming guidance and wisdom. 🙏💝

Amazing. Thank you! 💜💫

Spectacular! Thank you so much for this meditation Lou! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️✨✨✨✨

Always good to hear your perspective. Thanks Lou 🙏🏻🌺

All your meditations always speak to me . I cherish the calm I feel after listening 🙏🏻

Lou, your wisdom and relatability shine through in your every offering. This is my prayer to live my life AS a prayer. But I fail so often. “Make me an instrument of thy peace” is my new life mantra. I spent a week in the sacred city of Assisi and walked in the footsteps of St. Francis throughout the town, the forest, his & his Franciscan brothers’ caves, and Mt. Sabassio where Francis went to be alone and meditate. I too have my little figure of him in my meditation space along with the white peace dove feather that I found there. ❤️
🙏🏼 with much gratitude,
Janet

How affirming! I feel we should pray without ceasing. This is a practical perspective on how to do just that. Thank you for your presence and candor. Much enjoyed!

Thank you for this lovely meditation Lou! A much needed reminder of our life energy and it's power to heal and move thru us and ultimately thru others in our midst. Bless you.

Beautiful ❤️