When I was a young boy I remember working very hard in the fields everyday growing and collecting the crops. Each and every morning I would walk to the fields with my grandfather. The first thing he would have me do was walk to a sacred shrine to give offerings to the spirits of the plants and our grandfathers and make prayers. Sometimes I would still be very tired from the previous day of working and would not want to make the journey to the shrine.
On one particular day I whined about the extra walk and said to my grandfather that we should just head out to the fields and start working. He looked down at me with outrage written across his face, and I awaited the worst. He begin to speak to me at first yelling and then he calmed down. He said "What do you mean we should skip the prayers and offering at the shrine grandson?" I was very scared and backed up a little bit and felt immediately ashamed. I said to him bashfully " Well grandfather couldn't we just make extra prayers tomorrow and skip today? It is a long walk and I am tired." He said to me,
"Grandson we never skip a day of showing gratitude and respect, because if we did it would become another and another. We are taking from the earth so we must give back. We must never forget to show proper respect to the spirits of the plant people and to the creator. When we gather the corn we never walk over it when we have placed it in piles, because to do that would be very disrespectful. The women do not walk or cross over any of the crops as well, for they know that it would be a dishonor to the spirits."
"Our reverence for this balance with the Earth, and the medicine that the plant and animals give us is why we honor them at every meal. It is why we set aside a plate for them to partake of first before we eat. In the North, and even in many of the cities here, people have forgotten to be grateful for their food. They have become disconnected from the food in such a way that they do not have relationship to it anymore at all. Their food sits around and it is not fresh. It is processed and manipulated so it has lost a lot of its medicine and healing properties. When the food is not respected it does not keep us healthy. It is what happens when we forget to be mindful that food is also medicine and powerful. We are not the master over food it is our master. It is a caretaker of our very lives, therefore we must respect it and be thankful to it everyday, not just when it is convenient. Do you understand grandson?"
I looked up at him and nodded my head and I promised that I would not forget why our prayers and offerings were so important.
I was about to have dinner. I sat at the table and noticed the chair in front of me was empty. I felt lonely at that point, not only because my partner was away but because this is a sacred moment for both of us. I silently closed my eyes and imagined she was there holding my hand to bless our food and to thank those who made it possible to get it to our table.
What is prayer? What does it mean to you? But most importantly, do you pray? According to the dictionary, prayer is "a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship."
Most people these days don't have time for much. Some can't even sit down to eat because their jobs are so demanding. The rat-race has taken over our humanity and we have become soulless robots.
Technology governs our lives with wireless gadgets like cellphones and tablets anywhere we go. We do not know how to unplug ourselves from the madness of civilization. We are constantly distracted in a virtual world that does not exist.
When I was growing up, I used to have many questions and often I approached my grandfather to consult with him. He would say to me; "Have you prayed about it? Because I don't know more then you do." Those words made me realize the importance of being in touch with Spirit, my divine intuition and those who have gone before us. Your mental clarity comes from meditation and prayer, a quiet mind has no room for doubts and insecurities because your thoughts will be peaceful and crystal clear.
"Grandpa, do I have to be on my knees to say a prayer?" No. Being on your knees is a form of humility and reverence, but we stand facing east to make an offering and smoke our pipes to the Bringer of All Life. You can pray standing, walking, sitting, or anywhere you need to be. That's what he taught me.
The true purpose of prayer is for us to remember where we came from, is to unplug from our chaos and reconnect with your own roots. Prayer brings us together with loved ones, it makes miracle happen, it gives us hope, faith and strength. Prayer has different meanings for all religious traditions but we all do it for the same reason and that is to connect us with the universal mind of all things known and unknown to man.
GC
I have been through hell and back! Does that sound familiar to you? I know you can relate with me on many levels, because we all have asked the same questions as we look into the sky; "Does anybody give a damn about me?"
When you find yourself in the middle of the chaos, it's almost impossible to view outside your own situation. So we question God, the Virgin Mary, and all the saints that come to mind. At this point all your fears are triggered and your higher self stays suppressed in one corner. But, in the darkness, you find the switch to turn the light on from your shadow side.
We need these moments to grow and understand ourselves, to be able to learn from our choices, along with our past and present situations.
You are not alone and there is always someone in the distance praying for you, loving you and thinking about you.
We all feel lonely sometimes, but rarely are we alone unless you live in the mountains with no one to talk to. Even so, mother nature is all around nurturing you and waiting patiently for you to connect. She knows your name, your address and your needs. If you stop for one second, you can hear her voice when the birds sing, when the wind blows, when the river runs, when the sun tingles your skin, when a leaf falls to your feet, when clouds pass you by across the sky. Can you hear her saying "I love you?” Mother Nature speaks to us in a universal language, but are we ready to be comforted or are we still in the mode of being the victim? What's your mental status? Are you still hurt about something you can do nothing about? We have no control of anything or anyone. All you can do is be responsible for your own actions and to own them when you are in the wrong.
There's thousands of people praying everyday for you from all kinds of religions around the world. Love is sent throughout all of the universe. All you need to do is open your heart to receive that blessing. Mother is calling your name. Are you ready to be healed?
GC
