We are not all from the same culture and I think that each culture, even within the same umbrella religion, can have their own treatment of prayer. I was taught as a child to say the words of traditional prayers and not much more. Adding the practice of meditation and contemplation to those words brought feeling to them for me. The more I read about the historical and cultural use of prayer, the clearer it became to me that the ideas and feelings behind the words make all the difference in effecting internal change for us. The Navajo tribe has a practice of prayer that involves feeling as if the desired were true. There prayer for rain involves a submersion of feeling that it is now raining. Some Gnostic and Essene Christian traditions present the same idea of prayer. Certainly, the ancient Egyptian Hermetic practices were similar. Many Buddhist and Islamic and Jewish traditions as well. It can be confusing because there are so many different cultural practices within the same "religion." I was surprised to find, as a kid, that Puerto Rican Catholics insisted on constant prayer for three days near the body of someone who died. As an Irish Catholic, I did not hear of it. Here in the US, Catholic children are not given bible study, Francis tells me this is different in other parts of the world. Given all the different traditions, I am not surprised at the varied ideas on prayer.
On Sep 10, 3:42 pm, Simon Ewins <[email protected]> wrote: > 2009/9/10 ornamentalmind <[email protected]>: > > > > > Not embracing an anthropomorphic ‘god’, I find it difficult to > > participate in this conference about prayer. And I and I know others > > here hold that intentional contemplation/meditation etc. can and does > > produce positive result(s). > > I would be surprised if it didn't. Unless you are suicidal I should > think that introspection is always a good thing. > > I am puzzled though. > > Are people calling that prayer now? When did the word get hi-jacked? > > I have been under the impression for a number of decades that prayer > involves beseeching, praising, supplication and a deity or spirit > being. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
