Affirmative Prayer as Spiritual Practice

Just as we plant a seed and walk away from it, nature takes it up, and the law of its own being evolves it, so let us believe the same thing about our word—something takes it up, something evolves it, and something will make it manifest in our experience.
— Ernest Holmes

As we meditate on the nature of God and study the wholeness, perfection, and completion of the Divine Order, our thoughts and attention help us reflect God’s nature more effectively in our own lives. Sufis meditate on the ninety-nine names of God. Christians explore the meaning behind the different names of God found in the Bible. Most spiritual traditions examine the nature of Divine goodness, truth, and beauty so that each person can develop such attributes within themselves. We can partake of the nature of God and align ourselves with the deeper Realities that lie beyond the veil and within the life we live on earth.

I have spent many years learning how to use affirmations and affirmative prayers as a spiritual practice. My practice is a more contemplative practice. I have learned that affirmative prayer can help me practice the Presence, live in a more positive mental atmosphere, and be open to answers that are often greater than I could have imagined, and yet come in surprising and unexpected ways. When I meditate on an affirmation, or create an affirmative prayer to address a situation that concerns me, it becomes a doorway into a more conscious way of living.

One way to say yes to life (and to God) is to practice affirmative prayer. Affirmative prayer is like being God’s dance partner. You keep saying yes to the universal flow and continually co-create your experience of reality with God. (Julia Cameron suggests that if the God word bothers you, consider it to be an acronym for Good Orderly Direction).

You can start with simple affirmations. And you can create a personal prayer of affirmation. First, take a deep breath and let go of all negative thoughts and fears. Next, recognize that God is the source of all good. Remember that you are connected to and a part of the source of good, and that a power greater than you loves and guides you. Visualize what you desire and speak words in the present tense that affirm that it is already yours. Use your imagination to picture and feel what it is like to live in that new reality. Then thank God and release your prayer to the infinite field of creative energy. Trust that God accomplishes this in ways you cannot yet imagine. Trust that it is so.

Here’s a sample to give you an idea of how you can create an affirmative prayer:

• Relax: Take a deep breath. Now let it out, letting go of fear, worry, and negative thoughts.

• Recognize: God is here and is the infinite source of all good, and is the source of all my good.

• Relationship: I am connected to and part of the infinite quantum field of possibilities. I am one with and connected to God.

• Realize: There is that within me which knows what to do and I clearly see the good I desire. I affirm that it is already so and I picture it with joy. As it becomes more real in my heart and mind, this good is realized in material manifestation.

• Rejoice: I thank God that what I desire is coming about under grace in perfect order and divine timing. 

• Release: I release this prayer to do its good and perfect work. And so it is

If you want to know about this meditative approach to affirmative prayer, I am offering a 4-week class in-person and online. Thursday nights, 6:30 to 8:00 Central Daylight Time. Classroom is at Center for Spiritual Living Nashville and online via Zoom. June 2, 9, 16, & 23

Introduction to Affirmative Prayer as Spiritual Practice

Praying the answer: Begin with the end in mind…

Instead of focusing on the drama of undesirable conditions, learn to create a spacious and expectant awareness that naturally produces the answer you desire. This four-week course offers meditative practices that will nourish the spirit and transform your life.

Blessing arises from a state of mind and heart that understands wholeness, that understands joy, that sees what is right rather than what is wrong. It is not problem-solving as much as it is problem-dissolving.
— David Spangler

Calm Down and Tap Into Your Inner Wisdom Today

Meditation has nothing to do with quiet reverie or passive stillness, but with wakefulness. We awaken our nearness to God. We realize that the power of creation, the energy of creation, flows in our hearts.
— John Main

There is something within you that is profoundly wise, whole, and complete. Meditative practices offer ways to access that internal, eternal wisdom. Meditation has nothing to do with twisting yourself into a pretzel, trying to achieve an exalted state, or emptying your mind of all thoughts. It begins with gently giving yourself a little time and space to just BREATHE.  

Taking a sacred pause to sit and simply breathe teaches you to become aware that you can be an open channel for this abundant life force, the Immense Intelligence that holds all life together in unity. As you trust the process, insights will come naturally. You will see your life unfold in new and beneficent ways. 

You can call it "meditation" or you can just say you are giving yourself more breathing space. It begins with learning to take a sacred pause in the midst of your day, and allowing everything to be just as it is, right now. No judgments, no "what ifs" or "coulda, woulda, shoulda" to make you feel like you are not enough. Accept things are as they are, release expectations, and take a moment to give thanks for the good in your life. 

Take a breathing space in the midst of your busy day

If you want to feel calmer and gain perspective more quickly, learn to follow and observe your breath. Say to yourself silently "Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out." Following your breath is one way to bring your attention back into your body and calm your racing mind.

Take a deep breath, all the way down to your belly. Then let it out slowly, with a sigh go relief. Continue to breathe slowly and evenly, just observing the breath itself. One minute is a good beginning. Five minutes can make a positive difference in a busy day. Experimenting with longer sessions can bring surprising changes to your entire attitude toward life

Regular meditation and mindfulness practice will help you become more aware of eternal moments and underlying realities, because you are relaxing your resistance, releasing limiting definitions, opening to more expansive perspectives. As you release your definitions and explanations of outer conditions (old stories and opinions that no longer serve you well), you can begin to experience the truth of what lies beneath shallow perceptions of reality, beyond your mental concepts and expectations. You begin to sense the potential hidden in the moment

There is that within me that knows what to do and how to do it.
— Ernest Holmes

Meditation can create an oasis of calm in your life

When anxiety arises, breathe deeply and consciously. Bring your attention back to the now. Recognize your feelings and release them. Move out of your head down into your heart and lungs. Ground yourself by sensing the life energy in your arms and legs. Trust the process, and observe your energy lighten up as you move from tightness to an easier, more relaxed state.

Every time you make a more conscious choice for a higher good, you will draw even greater good into your life. As you continue to consciously choose the good, the better, and the best, your choices will change your character. When you consistently make choices that create calm and peace, you develop a more serene way of dealing with the challenges and changes that life brings.

Love reading this every morning before meditation.

This is one of the best books that have the ability to put me right in the meditation mood , the serenity that I need to cope with the chaos of a stressful everyday life. A perfect way to start a new day with a fresh mind, also end a day of stress so that you don't bring that stress to your sleep.
One of my essentials.
Highly recommended!

Amazon review Finding Serenity in Seasons of Stress

 

This could be the first step on a journey of transformation

Discover practical encouragement for coping with stress, handling challenges, and ripening into a fuller experience of life. A PDF outlining meditation basics, a guided meditation, and a full color downloadable poster offer instant inspiration and strategies for long-term personal growth. How to Calm Down and Connect to Your Inner Wisdom in 5 Minutes or Less mini-course with guided meditation offers immediate help for stressful day.

Fat Bear Week winner Otis inspires me to de-stress and trust Mother Nature

Otis is in his office   edited screen shot Katmai bear cam

Otis is in his office edited screen shot Katmai bear cam

It’s been a good year for the salmon and a good year for the bears. And Otis, that Zen Bear Master and Salmon-Eye Warrior, is the big winner this year. He’s just been crowned king and winner of Fat Bear Week.

Otis is one of the oldest bears at Brooks Falls. When I first discovered the bear cams at the end of August, I kept noticing this one bear in a corner, so mesmerized and unmoving as he fished for the salmon coming upstream to spawn, and he was there almost all day. The other bears moved around, but Otis was planted in what I learned is called his “office.” There are many bears and many stories (links provided below for more information). But the more I learned about Otis, the more I admired his canny wisdom of least effort for most results. Something I’m still learning how to apply in my own life.

I have been immersed intense creative and business-building mode for the last few months, working on a deadline to launch my first online course. August in Nashville has never been a time for me to go out and hike, but even less this year. I don’t remember how I discovered the bear cam, but it became a lifeline while I worked on my big project. I like to go out in nature and let the earth sing its songs to me, but it was not on the menu till fall weather comes in. However, if you want to bring a bit of the wildest of nature inside, I highly recommend a good bear cam right now. Tis the season to bear watch, because the first snows arrived on the mountaintops this week, and they'll be heading to their winter dens before you know it. There is something so pure about the bear cams.

I have found great joy in watching the bear cam at Katmai Alaska. Live feeds. In fact, I'm watching right now as I type (sort of out of one eye glancing just in case a bear does something I don't want to miss). Bear world includes excitement at the waterfalls with big bears eating salmon. Some sweet and quiet moments, like the mama bear and two cubs sleeping at a quiet part of the river or a golden bear strolling in sun-washed fields. Though the season is passing, these feel like glimpses of eternity.

Bears in Autumn Grass    edited screenshot

Bears in Autumn Grass edited screenshot

Sometimes watching wildlife can offer a meditation in and of itself. When things feel rugged (I had to say goodbye to my Kitty Emma last month) I have found watching the bears to be nourishing to my soul. Also knowing it’s only for a brief season makes watching bears living their lives in real time shows me that nature knows better than I that all things have their season and move on. I love the fact that being fat is an asset, something bears need for the long winter hibernation. And oh boy, some of these big bears are really really packing on the pounds!

Alaska brown bears come out at the end of June. Sockeye salmon run in July (lots of excitement and big fish literally leaping into bear mouths). Things get a bit quiet in August, but Coho salmon start running in September. Bears get really, really fat by the time they enter their dens at the end of October. Something about a big bear nomming down on salmon real time fills my heart with peace and comfort.

747 Bear Force one is packing on the pounds, Otis is in his office

747 Bear Force one is packing on the pounds, Otis is in his office

Fat Bear Week just ended. Though I admire 747 the jumbo jet sized bear who is now the dominant male at the falls (his nickname is Bear Force One), and the feisty females Grazer and Holly and their cubs, and debonair Walker who is one of the up and coming male bears, it is Otis who won my heart. He is getting old, has some health problems, and didn’t arrive at the falls till late July. Photos show an almost unrecognizably thin bear. But he has just persevered, using his special fishing skills to bulk up to be ready for winter hibernation.

Brown bears and seagulls     edited screenshot

Brown bears and seagulls edited screenshot

Bears are almost ready to end the season and go into hibernation in late October, early November. I hope this blog inspires you to check out the bear cams and Explore.org for other wildlife cams around the world. Great for de-stressing if you’re at a desk all day. Enjoy the stories of surviving and thriving. You might be inspired—or even touched. There’s something so comforting about watching bears nomming down salmon and getting fatter every day.

Here are some links to take you to more information about the brown bears and Fat Bear Week:

NPR article https://www.npr.org/2021/10/06/1043647458/fat-bear-week-champion-480-otis

NPR article https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041674219/fat-bear-week-2021

Learn about the bears and their stories, see how they grew between July and September: https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week-2021.htm

Bear cams at Explore.org, which has many other wildlife cams to enjoy https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls

Lest we forget, there are other players in this bear vs. salmon drama. I love watching the seagulls, too. And listening to the sound of the river flowing.

I SCream, You Scream, We All scream for…..salmon!     edited screen shot

I SCream, You Scream, We All scream for…..salmon! edited screen shot

And if you want another bit of stress relief, I recommend my new FREE online mini-course. It’s what I have been creating during the bear cam days. I’ll be writing more about it in the next blog, but here are the basics.

How to Calm Down and Connect to Your Inner Wisdom in 5 Minutes or Less online mini-course. Video, PDF, poster, and audio guided meditation (with sparkly ocean music background) are included. Simple breathing techniques to help you meet daily challenges with greater serenity and strength.
https://candypaull.podia.com/calm-down-and-connect-to-your-inner-wisdom

Lead Magnet Breath Logo correccted.jpg