The Prayer for Protection

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I’ve gotten into the habit of chanting the following when I’m lying in bed:

The Light of God surrounds me;
The Love of God enfolds me;
The Power of God protects me;
The Presence of God watches over me;
Wherever I am, God is!
And, all is well!

The aforementioned is known as the Prayer for Protection and it was written by James Dillet Freeman, a prolific poet, essayist, and columnist. I think some folks at Unity, who Freeman wrote for, added the last line, which sits well with me.

I’m somewhat familiar with the prayer, but because I was going to blog about it tonight, I thought I’d Google it. It was a fascinating and worthwhile search, one which I had to finally stop so that I could get to bed sometime while it was still Tuesday!

I learned some interesting history about the prayer, including that it was written for all soldiers during World War II, and there is a long version. “Prayer for Protection” is one of two Freeman compositions carried to the moon by Apollo astronauts. Mr. Freeman served Unity School of Christianity, the parent organization of the worldwide Unity movement, as a teacher, writer and speaker, and was an adventurous, spiritual, colorful character. Click here to read more about James Dillet Freeman.

I have found the prayer quite helpful. When I’m lying in bed with my mind still racing at 100 miles an hour, repeating the prayer several times calms me down and I soon fall fast asleep. If I feel fearful, it gets me back on track, for when God is everywhere that I am and all is well, what else matters? Therein is faith, and, where there is faith, fear can not exist.

To that I say, “Amen!” and “Goodnight!”

Spiritual Preparedness

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Well, the Thanksgiving holiday is over, it’s December 1st, and holiday preparations are on full throttle!

We’ve gone from a morning where it looked like few of the Wyer family would be together during Christmastime, to this evening’s exciting news of folks coming in from parts west of here. I’m really looking forward to the holiday and getting to better know Rog’s immediate family. It’s going to be fun, fun, fun – and busy, busy, busy!

So, am I ready for another blast of entertaining and activity? Will I take good care of my soul amid the flurry of activity, expectations, preparation, etc.? Yes, yes, yes! I really want to be present and enjoy the time.

I am not much fun or of great use to anyone else if I do not take good care of me, and socializing becomes a not so joyful time. Thanksgiving experiences and insights are still ripe in my memory. To experience the joy of the upcoming season, I will take time to b-r-e-a-t-h-e. The breath is so in the moment, a relaxing foray into peace and connection with Spirit.

As I make plans for our company, so too I will make plans for my spiritual being, both worthy of my love, kindness, and caring attention.

Fit Spiritual Condition

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During a recent gathering in which I found myself a bit uncomfortable with circumstances, I found myself cracking jokes to ease my feeling of awkwardness. My remarks hurt someone’s feelings; when it came to my (surprised) attention, I made amends.

Now it doesn’t matter if that other person wasn’t in fit emotional, mental, or spiritual condition herself. What matters is that I keep my side of the street clean. It’s similar to the notion that no matter what is happening around me, I keep my peace.

So my job above all else is to stay closely connected to God. When there is even a faint hint that I have not been loving, it is a signal for me to immediately take a look at my spiritual condition, my relationship with God. From there, I must do whatever is necessary to correct the situation with the other person and to get back on track with God. Therein lies my peace. And, everyone is better for it.

With Spirit

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“…Everything is possible for him who believes.” – Mark 9:23-24

The person who has a certain great truth in his mind can never be defeated by anything and will ultimately win victories, though he may have to go through deep waters now and then. That great truth is the belief – the obsessive belief – that God is always with us. When you believe this, you are not alone, never, under any circumstances. When you live with this belief, you are never rejected, you are never forsaken, you never walk by yourself. God is with you – this is the greatest source of strength a human being can have.

Positive Living Day by Day, P. 344
Norman Vincent Peale

In my pre-God days, I used to feel so alone. Since coming to believe, I have taken much comfort in knowing that God is with me always. It truly is a strength that when human beings may not be available or I feel disappointed with them, that I can always count on Spirit to be with me, to love me, to provide wisdom and guidance. Likewise, when I am exuding happiness, bursting with excitement, I can consciously be with God and feel even more positive. No matter the circumstance, God is with me, in me, running through me. God is my Source.

It can still be easy to get lost in this physical world and forget who I truly am and what power I have been imbued with. When I remember that I am first and foremost a spiritual being (having a human experience) and, my Source, I cannot feel alone – I feel inspired!

Thanksgiving Day Reminiscence

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Well, it definitely was not anything near a usual Thanksgiving Day for me yesterday as I worked a good portion of the day to get a project done. I had hoped to relax, watch some movies, and simply be with Rog.

How do you make God laugh? Tell Him your plans!

Well, while T-Day didn’t turn out the way I’d planned, I still want to hold a positive, uplifting, attitude of gratitude towards it. We went to Rog’s mom for lunch – I am grateful to G (as she is affectionately called) for her generous spirit. She did a lot to prepare for our visit and meal. It was most appreciated.

I am grateful for the weather here in Gilbert, Arizona. It wasn’t the usual, as it was alternately cloudy, stormy, and sunny. However, it reminded me of a real autumn day, like I used to enjoy back east.

I am grateful for the specialness of this particular holiday as no other, for it is the one in which my friends – most of who are scattered across the country – and I call one another simply to say “I love you.” Sure, we say that to one another throughout the year, but it’s always a bit more special on Thanksgiving Day. We’re saying something more than “I love you;” we’re saying, “I’m grateful you are alive and you are in my life.” How precious.

This was the 5th Thanksgiving that my beloved life partner and I were together. When planning the Thanksgiving festivities in years past often proved to be emotionally straining as I yearned for the arrival of my true partner, I’m grateful that Rog and I finally found one another and that he has been a loving constant in my life since 2004. And this is something I am grateful for not just on Thanksgiving Day but everyday.

As We Gather ‘Round…

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Two years ago I first heard May the Light of Love, written and performed by David Roth at a New Thought Songwriters Tribute performance. Ever since then, I have felt that listening to or singing it as a group would be a great segue to breaking bread at the Thanksgiving Day feast. Alas, it has not happened yet, but I still count it as my special Thanksgiving prayer.

The music is upbeat and folksy, and the lyrics are precious and pretty much say it all for me. I share it here with you now… enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

May the Light of Love by David Roth

As we come around to take our places at the table
A moment to remember and reflect upon our wealth
Here’s to loving friends and family, here’s to being able
To gather here together in good company and health.

And may we be released from all those feelings that would harm us
May we have the will to give them up and get them gone
For heavy are the satchels full of anger and false promise
May we have the strength to put them down.

May the light of love be shining deep within your spirit
May the torch of mercy clear the path and show the way
May the horn of plenty sound so everyone can hear it
May the light of love be with you everyday.

And may we wish the best for everyone that we encounter
May we swallow pride and may we do away with fear
For it’s only what we do not know that we have grown afraid of
And only what we do not choose to hear.

May the light of love be shining deep within your spirit
May the torch of mercy clear the path and show the way
May the horn of plenty sound so everyone can hear it
May the light of love be with you everyday.

And as we bless our daily bread and drink our day’s libation
May we be reminded of the lost and wayward soul
The hungry and the homeless that we have in every nation
May we fill each empty cup and bowl.

May nothing ever come between or threaten to divide us
May we never take for granted all the gifts that we’ve received
Being ever mindful of the unseen hands that guide us
And the miracles that cause us to believe.

May the light of love be shining deep within your spirit
May the torch of mercy clear the path and show the way
May the horn of plenty sound so everyone can hear it
May the light of love be with you everyday.

May the horn of plenty sound so everyone can hear it
May the light of love be with you
May the light of love be with you
May the light of love be with you everyday.

© 1986 May the Light Music (ASCAP)

My Gratitude List

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I’m grateful for:

  • Skype (online instant messaging and calling program)
  • eBay (online marketplace where I can purchase goods)
  • PayPal (I can invoice clients online)
  • Constant Contact (a fun online program I use to create electronic newsletters)
  • Google (what would any of us do without it?!)

Real spiritual, huh?

Well, you see I’m a computer geek AND a people person – unusual combo, I know. So the aforementioned is the geek coming out in me.

On the other side of the coin, I’m grateful for:

  • Conscious contact with Spirit and our ever-deepening connection
  • Being together with my beloved twin flame, life partner, and husband, Rog, in this lifetime
  • Knowing what’s truly important in life
  • Dear friends
  • Moving forward in my spiritual coaching professional practice
  • Good physical health
  • Phoenix weather
  • Laughter
  • Singing
  • Being a good listener (some times better than other times)
  • Being a trustworthy friend
  • The ability to hold a sacred place for others and help empower them as they walk their path.

The list really could go on and on. It’s always up to me as to how I view this world, my life. I can come from a victim standpoint, or I can seize the moment and look at my entire life as a blessing that has me exuding gratitude every moment. It’s always a choice. Having choices is another thing that I’m grateful for.

I am reminded of the following lyrics from A Course in Miracles, put to music by Jeff Olmsted:

Love is the way I walk in gratitude. Love… is the way I walk.

Hmm… Love and gratitude. Now, that’s not an unusual combination at all!

About Gratitude

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When I was a devout atheist, I felt there was no one to be thankful to. That changed as soon as I came to believe in a power greater than myself. I’m grateful for that, for walking into the rooms of a 12 Step program, which led me to the most important thing in my life: God, as I understand God.

This week is one that I particularly pause to give thought to gratitude.

So it was no surprise (at least not to me, the facilitator 🙂 ) that at last night’s meeting of the Gilbert Spirituality Meetup group, the topic was Gratitude. The shared stories were “inspirational” as one member put it. Yes, indeed.

When a father can get down on his knees after his son has died and the first words out of his mouth are “I am grateful…for the time You gave me with my child” that is inspiring. Recalling that this man, in his darkest hour, offered thanks to God and not venom, will get me back on track when I’m feeling less than grateful because of some minor occurrence that threw me into a tizzy.

Another member made a point of saying that even if you do have negative thoughts but have a semblance of gratitude, your energy vibrates at a higher frequency. That will get the spiral headed upward towards positivity.

I was reminded that every moment is a moment in which I can choose to be grateful. Every moment is unique, will not be repeated ever again, and hence is a sole/soul(!) opportunity to be seized and savored. The expression “Wake up and smell the roses” came to mind.

When I feel gratitude, my heart is full and I am oftimes moved to tears, tears of joy. When Rog expressed a connection between gratitude and joy, I realized he was right. He expounds upon this in his book Choosing Joy at Work.

Speaking of work, we can sometimes be self-conscious about expressing appreciation of others to those folks, especially in a business setting. What a stark indicator of our increased separation from our fellows with whom we are One. This group member was going to go ahead anyway and be her authentic, expressive, appreciative self. Yes!

When I surround myself with people who not only feel grateful, but express it – like at last night’s meeting – I feel uplifted. And, for that I am grateful.

Mission Accomplished

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I have been blogging for eleven days now.

Originally, I thought I had to write at the crack of dawn and have it be a part of my morning practice.

But the other day when a wrench was thrown into my morning routine, blogging had to wait. And wait. And wait. I felt pressure to get something written before going to bed that night, feeling that I simply could not not enter anything. So I took the time to write. Of course it wasn’t about having to write as it was to consciously connect with Spirit. And, I did – mission accomplished.

The next day I wasn’t quite sure what to blog about but it turned out that my early morning dream was clearly about Spirit and hence, worthy of my blog. I put further thought into what the meaning of my dream meant in the context of my everyday so-called waking life, and blogged about it. I felt the increased nearness of Spirit – mission accomplished.

Yesterday, I simply inserted a prayer for the day’s entry – but not before I read it thoroughly and thought about its message, drawing me closer to Spirit – mission accomplished.

I can still be so boxed in with old ways of thinking. Now it is clear that the main purpose of my blogging – to connect more often and increasingly deeper with Spirit – can be achieved no matter what the time of day, no matter the form of the content.

Any time I blog, is one more time in my day in which I am pausing, contemplating, and more conscious of Spirit. It’s not about the doing: it’s about the being with Spirit. Mission accomplished.

I am Willing

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Dear God,

I am willing to be at peace.
I am willing to look at all things through eyes of love.
I am willing to be everything I can be.
I am willing to be healed.
I am willing to serve.
I am willing to release the past.
I am willing to live full-out.
I am willing to surrender my ego.
I am willing to be illumined.
I am willing to represent Your love.
I am willing to forgive myself and all others.
I am willing to share my abundance
I am willing to love.
I am willing to be all that I am.
Use me, Holy Spirit.
I am willing.
Thank You.
Amen.

– Ric Beattie