Welcome to new readers! Let’s explore prayer together

Welcome to my blog, Exploring the Prayerfield! As a practitioner of healing arts and the creator of an anthology of spiritual writings, it’s my joy to encourage people to contemplate and share their own journeys.

The vision

My journey started with a vision.

I woke up early one morning in 2008. It was still dark outside but the room was illuminated and I heard the words, “How do you pray?”

I took a pen from my bedside table and started writing, as the words continued. “Is it an hour a week at a designated place of worship or do you take your prayers out to the streets? Do you pray like your parents, culture or tribe, or did you develop another way? Do you pray to God or do you have another special name, or no name at all? Is it a monologue or a conversation?”

As the words continued, I then saw a kaleidoscope vision of our humanity as our divinity: I saw people all over the world singing, dancing, praying, praising. They were bowing and whirling, kneeling and prostrating, meditating and celebrating. I smelled the incense and burning herbs and tasted the sweet nectar of devotion. I felt the love for each other, the Earth and the divine. It was so clear that we are one people with one spirit with so many beautiful names, and that the essence of prayer is our oneness with all of life.

The question

I began to ask this question of everyone I met. “How do you pray?” I’m still asking. It isn’t a one-time answer. It plants a seed that continues to grow and blossom and sends shoots out to the collective.

As a result, I was led to ask the question of religious leaders, spiritual guides, shamans, scientists, atheists, healers, activists and other lovers of humanity. Many answered enthusiastically. Eventually,  129 of those responses birthed a prayer book, How Do You Pray?, published by Monkfish Book Publishing. The prayers, poems, meditations, experiences, paintings and photos in the book are diverse, interesting and inspiring. They touch our lives and who together we are becoming.

Sharing together

My plan for this blog is to post twice a week, sharing reflections, inspirations, excerpts from the book along with experiences I’ve had on this journey. My prayer is that as we read the prayers of others we will see that we have more in common than we have differences. Consequently, there are many forms and flavors of prayer, yet a common essence of oneness and love.

I invite you to share in the comments your response — or perhaps your response for today! — to the question “How do you pray?” Also, please join our community on Twitter and Facebook. I especially welcome your reflections and questions.

I don’t claim to be an expert on prayer—I sit in the inquiry myself. Therefore, my blog is an altar to the mystery that we cannot always explain, the questions we cannot always answer.

My intention is for this little corner of the Internet to be a sacred space. May your heart and mind be open as you read about this fertile question and join me in exploring the prayerfield.