There was a time when my dreams kept telling me to "Pray... really, really PRAY!" But, numbed by a series of shocks, I didn't listen to "my" subconscious. Complaining about the ripples and residues of this arrogance, a friend replied with the advice of writer Annie Lamott, that there really are only two prayers: Help! and Thank You!
Divine help came with its own alarm clock the other day, when the church bells rang me awake from Star of the Sea on New Year's Day. But despite a resolution to un-lapse myself from the ritual devotionalism of my childhood, I couldn't budge from my torpor to salute at that altar, less than a hundred yards from where we rested.
Doesn't say much for the genetic hauntings of "Three-of-my-aunts-were-nuns" does it? Or perhaps it says more about the way this body detoxifies itself from three nights of ridiculous raging, sacred intentions notwithstanding.
Anyway, besides this self-indulgent recrimination, I am reminding myself of Mata Amritanandamayi's prayer for us in this Got-2-B-Great-Double-Oh-EIGHT:
As we enter 2008, let us pray together,
“O Paramatman, let there be no wars, violence or natural disasters this year. Let there be no death due to starvation or lack of medical care. Let there be no children who are unable to continue their studies due to poverty. Let the music of peace and harmony be heard everywhere. Just as we decorate our houses and surroundings with lights, let our heart remain effulgent throughout the year with love and compassion.”
(EFFULGENT, btw = Shining Brightly, a somatic experience I can only partially recommend... but maybe it was just my nervous system at that particular time and place...)
"Prema mayi Dayamayi Amritanandamayi Jai Ma Jai Ma Jai Maa Jai ma"
