Prayer...Whom do you pray to? Are we just talking to ourselves?

[kristy1111]

I was wondering how prayer fits into the big picture if we are all "God"? I know a lot of you pray, including Carla. I love to pray, but when I do, I don't even know who I'm talking to anymore (since I left organized religion). Sometimes I get embarrassed, because I feel like I'm laying there or sitting there talking to the wall, or to empty space.

I love the idea of feeling there is a God who loves me and that listens to me and gives me guidance. But just who are we praying to when we offer our words and feelings in prayer - and does it matter? Is it effective?

I noticed as I have been reading Carla's blog that she says she did her morning offerings - is that her way of saying she prayed?

Thanks for reading...
Kristy xo

[Questioner]

My upcoming long post on the densities might help here, and then we'll need to look at the concept of the Higher Self and what David Wilcock calls "the management."

Carla has described her own spiritual background. As a child she perceived meeting Jesus. Throughout her life she's been a mystical Christian. If I understand her right, she sees this as honoring, appreciating and celebrating the unconditional love of Jesus, without getting bogged down in the doctrines of historical Christian traditions. See this thread for more.

[ayadew]

Don't feel embarrassed! You are the most powerful being in the world, capable of infinite wonders. Why do you give up your power to others? Why blame yourself for doing something wrong? We are all perfect, including those that does the blaming, but you can -choose- to say no to their blame.
It's very meaningful to look on all relations in your life and see the game of blame/reward transpire through your mind. This is pure yellow chakra energy which is unhealed. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, unless you chose to. Feel the freedom of the self! It is so powerful!!!

Praying for me is to make your current intention more crystallized. All intention/thought is creative, my friend. Everything you think/do affects the world.
Thus, if you formulate your thoughts more clearly, you let the universe/yourself know more clearly what you want to do. You also send out a more powerful intention because you focus on it, and so your thoughts become more real.

"Ask and you will receive."

[Sacred Fool]

Yes, in my opinion, you are indeed praying to yourself.

However, what you actually are is far, far more than what you can imagine.

[Lavazza]

I'm with peregrine. Basically when I pray (sending out intentions, requests for help/advise, etc. during meditation) I feel I am communicating with my higher self. I see little difference between the concept of god and self at that level.

[feibelal]

Hi Kristy,

That’s wild, that you love to pray. I really get into meditation in fits and spurts, and I have family members who are super duper into prayer which never really resonated for me. That’s my take too, on Carla’s morning offerings – that they are prayer.

What I love so much about the L/L stuff is how it paints this big interplanetary, galactic, the whole big shmear sort of a soap opera. But it’s all involved, and entities have been on other planets like Mars and Venus, and remnants from those and other planets live here, and entities from other parts of the galaxy and universe are also really involved here, and everyone’s just sort of doing their thing. But it’s not this big empty-space universe with us as an accident of inconceivable proportions in the middle of nowhere, but a rich, busy, sensible place, really (it takes a lot of study to get there, but this is the basic feeling I get from putting the time in). So it makes sense and I resonate to it, and one feature of all the activity and friendliness of the whole thing (as opposed to the unfriendliness of “in outer space no one can hear you scream” take on the universe) is what is usually one of those myriad mystical soundbites when you get into this stuff, “everything is energy,” or everything is consciousness.” So praying is just sort of communicating, in a heartfelt, faithful, passionate way, to all that energy. Which can be further defined and explicated in turns of consciousness and levels of ... and blah blah. But the sort of inner, divine intelligence of the whole thing...which it takes a whole lot to believe that you matter to it, that you’re part of it. But I’m talking myself into mattering. It’s sort of a constant back and forth between being in a 3d, chemical distillery body, and in a culture that is pretty profoundly devaluing (if you’re into that – I kind of pick up on that), and recalling the bigger me, and prayer is a good way to communicate that implicates my “bigger me” state.

Dreamweaver.

[Aaron]

So many good answers here!

Can you explain thoroughly what happens when you pray or meditate? The mechanism for achieving the feeling of wholeness can't be explained with words. Meditation and prayer are two different paths towards the same Whole. Meditation is focusing intent inwards, turning form into emptiness. Prayer is focusing intent outwards, turning emptiness into form. Both are different ways to grasp that you are the Creator.

[thefool]

I was wondering how prayer fits into the big picture if we are all "God"? I know a lot of you pray, including Carla. I love to pray, but when I do, I don't even know who I'm talking to anymore (since I left organized religion). Sometimes I get embarrassed, because I feel like I'm laying there or sitting there talking to the wall, or to empty space.

I love the idea of feeling there is a God who loves me and that listens to me and gives me guidance. But just who are we praying to when we offer our words and feelings in prayer - and does it matter? Is it effective?

I noticed as I have been reading Carla's blog that she says she did her morning offerings - is that her way of saying she prayed?

Thanks for reading...
Kristy xo

Those are some interesting, penetrating questions. Thanks for making us think on those lines and try to put it into words

For me, Prayer is of different kinds.

The one prayer is where you are opening yourself up to the divine. This divine self could be anything it could be your representation of the divine. For example it could be a picture of Jesus, That represents not the Jesus's Human self but the Christ-hood. As it is all ONE, it does not matter. That is the beauty of it. It could be a rock and that could function as a reminder of the divine. For me the Divine is the Infinite Intelligence. Which is again all of us but not quite. We live in illusion but Infinite Intelligence does not. You are again opening your self to the divine and becoming receptive to it. it is very similar to meditation.

The other prayer could be for a specific prayer for healing etc. That is done to the specific Energy Form / Deity / Archangel for that aspect of the Energy required (Intelligent Energy?). There is a magical process for it. Whole nine yards. Or the process could be as simple as a request to that Deity...

Actually I am making it up as I go...

[Peregrinus]

I believe that when I pray I am tapping directly into the consciousness of that which I pray to. I pray to both the Father (The One Infinite Creator) and the Mother (Gaia- Terra).

[Sacred Fool]

Another thought: Prayer is a means of gathering one's consciousness in order to purposely explore some construct of reality (spiritual, physical or a combination). It's one means of more fully exploring the illusion.

[StormShadow]

Why get embarrassed?
For me, prayer = talking to the wall.
It's still worth doing.

One of my favorite exercises is to go out for a cigarette, walk to a park where there's nobody around, and just start talking. Not even praying. I'm just asking & answering my own questions. But some of the answers that I speak feel like they come from somewhere else and some really help me figure things out that I couldn't get my head around before. Nothing wrong with talking to yourself.

[carrie]

interesting question...

who do you pray to, in context of Law of One?

[Whitefeather]

Greetings,
Interesting question indeed.
According to Ra, prayer is a discipline or rather a faculty of the will.
Praying is a mental exercice. The desire to link its activity to the heart and in service to others, is up to each person to choose.
The part in us which we address and impress upon in prayer would actually be the subconcious mind.

I thought the below quote from Ra could be helpful in clarifying what is actually involved by the terms briefly described here by Ra regarding Meditation, Contemplation and Prayer.

49.8 Questioner: Is it better, or shall I say, does it produce more useable results in meditation to leave the mind as blank as possible and let it run down, so to speak, or is it better to focus in meditation on some object or some thing for concentration?

Ra: I am Ra. ... Each of the two types of meditation is useful for a particular reason. The passive meditation involving the clearing of the mind, the emptying of the mental jumble which is characteristic of mind complex activity among your peoples, is efficacious for those whose goal is to achieve an inner silence as a base from which to listen to the Creator. This is an useful and helpful tool and is by far the most generally useful type of meditation as opposed to contemplation or prayer.

The type of meditation which may be called visualization has as its goal not that which is contained in the meditation itself. Visualization is the tool of the adept. Those who learn to hold visual images in mind are developing an inner concentrative power that can transcend boredom and discomfort. When this ability has become crystallized in an adept the adept may then do polarizing in consciousness without external action which can affect the planetary consciousness. This is the reason for the existence of the so-called White Magician. Only those wishing to pursue the conscious raising of planetary vibration will find visualization to be a particularly satisfying type of meditation.

Contemplation or the consideration in a meditative state of an inspiring image or text is extremely useful also among your peoples, and the faculty of will called praying is also of a potentially helpful nature. Whether it is indeed an helpful activity depends quite totally upon the intentions and objects of the one who prays.
...

22.2 Questioner: Secondly, she would like to know why she feels more healthy now that she has begun these sessions and feels more healthy as time goes on?

Ra: I am Ra. This is a function of the free will of the entity. This entity has, for many of your years, prayed a certain set of sound vibration complexes before opening to communication. Before the trance state was achieved this prayer remained within the conscious portion of the mind complex and, though helpful, was not as effective as the consequence of this prayer, as you would call this vibrational sound complex, which then goes directly into the unconscious level, thus more critically affecting the communication from the spiritual complex. ...

Oh and, by the way, you are never alone. Alone does not exist in the Law of One though the illusion of this plane drives us towards the distortion of believing that we are separate beings, physically separated from one another and from objects, by air or empty space.

In truth, there is no emptyness in the universe; we share the same 'space' with all densities. The space all around each of us is fully inhabited, believe it. It is only that we are unable to perceive the entities inhabiting the densities above us. We are unable to perceive them because our five senses are limited to decoding frequencies belonging to our 3D plane. The limitation there is our five senses. However, it is possible to access, activate or acknowledge other senses through the activating and balancing of all chakras. Those other senses are then called 'paranormal senses'. After all, each one of the main chakra is a key to one density.

Take care,
Light/love
Whitefeather

[Brittany]

I’ve been to several of Carla’s morning offerings and it involves more than prayer. Carla and Jim usually read from a variety of texts, including the Bible, the Ra Material and other books that have to do with everything from politics to inspirational reading. There is also a time of prayer and a gaia meditation, where time is spent contemplating our relationship with this planet. For me, at least, this practice is a way to direct the mind toward spiritual principles and center the self before beginning the day’s activities.

In my opinion, prayer has infinite possibility, just like everything else. Since you are the Creator, it is quite feasible to say that you are, indeed, talking to your Higher Self. However, I do not see why this would be a bad thing. That Self has a wealth of knowledge and love and also a vast store of understanding and acceptance…it has been in your shoes, after all. The Higher Self hears you…it isn’t just some imaginary concept lurking inside your brain. The presence is there if you but request it.

I find prayer to be an excellent way of figuring out what I actually desire in life and in turn getting to know myself better. I constantly refine my concept and practice of prayer, using it as a tool to learn how to ask for what I need and how to let myself know what my objectives are. Instead of asking the Creator for a new car, through years of experience with prayer I have learned that it is better to ask for the creativity to raise funds for a new car, or the determination and strength to save money until I can afford said car…I might even pray to discern if a new car is actually what I am most needing at the time. Also, prayer, to whatever entity, can be a great source of comfort. Just knowing someone knows exactly what you are going through and completely understands who you are can be remarkably uplifting.

However, I also believe that there are an infinite number of entities of all various levels in existence who are perfectly capable of hearing your prayers as well. Who am I to say that praying to a certain deity won’t arouse the attention of that specific deity? I think that asking your guides or the angels or what have you for help is just another form of praying, and there are many individualized entities who can easily listen to your requests and answer them as they see fit, so I wouldn’t limit yourself to a narrow band of prayer. You are one with all existence, and it doesn’t hurt to reach out and feel around and touch all those other guys out there, many of whom would be overjoyed to hear your call. Are you talking to the Creator unmanifest or to your own individualized consciousness on a much higher level or any number of separate entities? I’d say all of the above.

If anything, I’d say that if prayer is something that resonates with you, do it. If anything, you are getting to know yourself better, and knowing the Self is what leads to the Creator.

[kristy1111]

who do you pray to, in context of Law of One?

Well, when I was in organized religion, I always addressed my prayers like this: "My dear heavenly Father..." and ended the prayer with : "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Now, to be totally honest with you, I have NO clue who I am talking to. I just usually say, "Dear Creator of all that is"...and then continue. I end the prayer with either "Namaste, amen"...or "In the name of all that is love"....and I've even been rather crazy and just prayed saying, "Hi, whoever you are, and IF you are, and IF you can hear me...I'd like to talk about a few things...".

Haha....Hopefully whoever it is or whatever it is has a sense of humor.

[creationist]

When I pray now... I think I don't "ask" someone in particular for something, but try for more of a mental manifestation of the result I seek. I imagine basking myself in the light, and connecting myself to the web of energy, then affecting my web energy surroundings with the intention that I want. And if there's any joy or hope etc in the seeking, then I fully express and release that into the web as well to empower it. I *think* that's how I pray at this point in time.

Though on the other hand, isn't it supposed to be more fruitful to 'realize' it is reality, rather than 'asking' for it? Since in asking/trying for it, you don't have it?

[Peregrinus]

I pray to my Father (God) and my Mother (Terra) and give my humble thanks for all I have, and use prayer to send love to the many people I direct it to.

I ask for nothing in prayer, for I want for nought. Being I am a co-creator, I do visualize and manifest things for others, though this is not in my prayers. I am one of God's sons and as such do not ask my Father for what I can do myself.

I begin each morning by praying/saying "Thank you Father and Mother for allowing me another day on this earth. I thank you for allowing me the people in my life, and I pray you allow me to make the right choices in treating them without anger or intolerance. I thank you for the sustainance you will provide, and for giving me the strength to love each moment in all of your creation. I send my love to ..." and I visualize and feel love flowing to each person as I name them, and then send any remaining love I can muster to all of creation.

I also give thanks many times a day whenever I remember to, and I especially enjoy talking to the old trees and to the sky and the earth. I love every animal for the beauty it contains, and I have even not been killing bugs... my gf finds it humorous that I can love even creepy things

I never end my prayers, for time is without beginning or end, and so I see this as a conversation, not a start/ stop process.

[feibelal]

Wow. These last posts have been such a nice present to wake up to. Peregrinus and Creationist sounds like the description a few posts back of an adept. Using visualization. I love how much you can learn in these posts. I've got a buddy who also can't hurt creepy things, and I guess I think it's a little over the top. Intellectually I respect it, but the old habits/heart complex (ha ha) finds it a bit much. Love the idea of not beginning or ending prayers since we never stop communicating. I've also been to a morning offering, and we read from Ram Dass, I think, alongside some bible quotes. Pretty mind blowing - the creative juxtaposition of texts; I forget the details but it was so fresh feeling, the play of ideas.

I just love this forum. I got into an online forum only once before, and this is like having that big community that really embraces much of the rest of my life. This speaks to greater concerns than I routinely address in other "real" communities I belong to. And it grounds my being while in other, "real," communities.

I remember I went through a phase where I didn't use paper towels in public restrooms because I wanted to save trees. I would air dry my hands. Another and related phase was when I was reading a lot of Perelandra material and didn't want to kill bugs either - would take them all outside, etc. I've always felt guilty for backing away from that. Now that I'm learning about the power of intention, it seems to be a way I can relax about living practically, but still care?

Here's another one - I had this experience recently of praying or visualizing or opening my heart - I don't recall the details of the catalyst - I was walking in the woods, and I had this experience of love, and, this realization of doing what I have heard Carla refer to as the work of 4th density (being consciously active in the unseen realms, praying, visualizing, meditating) and realized that when you're in love, or loving, time doesn't matter. That was quite an aha for me, anyway. And that the work of 4th density is real and is "more important" than the ordinary business of 3rd density, Doing.

I would love a sort of 4th density Twitter. Ok, now I'm asking mother/Terran, Father for.... Ok, now I'm visualizing ____________ for a friend and imagining that it already exists_______________. Ok, now I'm sending loving energy and visualizing ______________ at the guy who cut in front of my blue Subaru with his white Honda Civic on the way to work. Ok, now I just visualized happy children harvesting my fair trade chocolate in Ghana - or - I just sent loving energy to children I imagined being forced to harvest my non fair-trade chocolate in Ghana, and imagined it washing over them, thanked them for their sacrifice. Man, as I get on a roll here, I can imagine sending loving energy to the military/industrial/commercial complex everytime I buy/consume just about anything - now that strikes me as fourth density work! I have a really rough time with that - always feeling guilty because just about anything I do in 3rd density lends my material support to vast, octopus systems of exploitation and suffering - our economy is so cruel - and, now that I'm into conspiracy theories and Illuminati and Hidden Hand and New World Order - to those dudes too. Now, if I think about it, I can do my 4h density work. Besides just not being a total consumerist, I am going to be daily implicated when I use gas, buy food, purchase anything else, in those systems, so I need to happily and carefree-ily learn to do my 4th density work. Which is probably love-work and is out of time.

[creationist]

Wow. These last posts have been such a nice present to wake up to. Peregrinus and Creationist sounds like the description a few posts back of an adept.

Here's another one - I had this experience recently of praying or visualizing or opening my heart - I don't recall the details of the catalyst - I was walking in the woods, and I had this experience of love, and, this realization of doing what I have heard Carla refer to as the work of 4th density (being consciously active in the unseen realms, praying, visualizing, meditating) and realized that when you're in love, or loving, time doesn't matter.

Personally, I don't know how much of an adept I am... but when I hear others say that they are just not very smart, or just not very creative, or just not good in any way, I say BS! Just "Be", and you are. If you want to be an advanced adept, then just realize that you already are, truly believe/realize in it with every fiber of your being.

The open-heart-chakra-unconditional love experience is really fun! It's like joy on a tap.

I had an experience last night, when i was taking a shower... and I'm not sure if it's some internal or external negativity coming into play...

Anyhow, as I was showering, I heard a noise, then I started locking up with fear, to the degree where I wanted to finish showering real quick and jump into bed. (I was heading to bed soon anyways) I very rarely get this feeling, so I fought the feeling slowly, first by visualizing myself balancing my chakras one at a time in case any of them were too open or too closed. (Kind of like diagnosing a computer one section at a time to fix crashes)

Progress was slow and scary, but then I used my fav trick, and which I think is one of my strongest areas, is to use my heart chakra and just flood myself and my surroundings with unconditional love. That worked surprisingly well and all was good after that.

btw, I am REALLY looking forward to 4th density, where I can truly share my experiential joy and creativity with everyone else!!

[feibelal]

I've been reading in Michael Jango's The Intuitive Warrior, and his big "there's something going on here" moment was like that, Creationist. He had this pronounced sense that a rocket attack was going to be launched "in milliseconds," and the sense was accompanied by an intense prompting to send out unconditional love, pretty weird for a military guy. So he does that, and, voila, no rocket attack. Well, he figures he made the whole thing up, overactive imagination from stress, etc, gets back to the military base later on and finds out that the very next vehicle to pass there got blown to smithereens, and then he goes on and plays with that whole thing and it's been working for him.

I have a sort of technical concern - I hope this is roughly tied in with this thread, about prayer. Sending out unconditional love - is that close enough to merit being in this thread? Someone let me know if I'm straying...

Thanx: Blessings!

[creationist]

I think most of the threads stray off topic here, just because of the sharing and explorative nature of the forum members here. So while I cannot speak for everyone else, I feel that while we shouldn't stray completely off topic just to be organized, branching off into relevant idea sharing is just fine.

I think things are actually much simpler than they appear. It's just that we put on layers and layers of muck through a money STS based society. We all have to just Pause, Take a step back, Close your eyes, Breathe, Then relook at your world with New eyes of the moment.

[airwaves]

I do not pray to my higher self, so much as have a spirited, informing, and warm-hearted chat with him(her/it? lol!). Speaking to your guides and higher self, not telling them what you want, but what you dream and hope for in the deepest depths of your heart, is very helpfull.

I prefer the simpler things in life sometimes

L/L

[Peregrinus]

Wow. These last posts have been such a nice present to wake up to. Peregrinus and Creationist sounds like the description a few posts back of an adept.

Hi feibelal,

I am filled with joy that you enjoy the forum so much I also find great joy in this connection with others of like vibration.

When it comes to being an adept, I believe this is something that is part of the 3rd density experience of the third density mbs complex, and as such I would humbly discredit myself as being adept, for I also believe that I am a wanderer from the 6th density. Being a wanderer, this "adeptness" is therefore an understanding of the inherent knowledge which is behind the veil, that which I have awakened to. I already knew how to ride the bicycle, as it were, and just got back on one. Each moment is, however, not perfect, for penetrating the veil is as having weights on ones feet and getting the head above the water; it doesn't last for long, and the water draws one back into its depths. This is the design and the function of the veil, and I accept it as such as my place in this realm. As for 3rd density mbs complexes becoming an adept, it is in each to be able to do so, just as it is in each to ride the bicycle. All one must do is work towards this goal mentally and in the rays, and one day it will just happen.

[feibelal]

Hi All. I'm a little embarrassed. I didn't mean to single Peregrinus and Creationist out as being adepts. I just meant that some of the things you were doing sounded adept. I should have put a comma after your names to indicate I wasn't talking about you but was talking to you and then explained more specifically that I meant a couple of the things you described doing in your post. I think that would be tacky, to single out people and start sort of worshipping them, or atleast putting them on a pedestal.

I've loved everything you said - I just saw you exerting yourself to take yourself off the pedestal created by my careless crane , so I hope you'll excuse me. Being on this forum is a mind-blowing experience.

Blessed Be, Love and Light.
Dreamweaver.

[Peregrinus]

Dearest Allen,

I have become incapable of having "hard feelings" and as such love you as my brother. You do not need to apologize, for you meant such with the best of intentions, and if you learned from such, then it was worth the misnomer.

I only desired to ensure my place in creation is understood as that which it is. I am but a humble servant, and find praise to be as a winter jacket in the summer; very uncomfortable and not required.

Please continue to offer your questions and insights. They are most valuable and enjoyable

[Whitefeather]

Greetings Kristy,

I was wondering how prayer fits into the big picture if we are all "God"?

Kindly define "God".

I love to pray, but when I do, I don't even know who I'm talking to anymore (since I left organized religion). Sometimes I get embarrassed, because I feel like I'm laying there or sitting there talking to the wall, or to empty space. I love the idea of feeling there is a God who loves me and that listens to me and gives me guidance. But just who are we praying to when we offer our words and feelings in prayer - and does it matter?

Technically, praying is an attempt from the conscious mind to reprogram oneself by reaching the sub-conscious mind through words. It is one of the ways of "seeking the self" as Qu'o would term it, or sometimes "seeking to remember the self". Just to name three of the most useful ways: Meditation, Contemplation and Prayer.

Is it effective?

The effectiveness depends of several factors, at least 1/ focus, 2/ repetition, 3/ will and, 4/ own vibratory frequency.

The 'self-talk' of prayers does not mean that there are no witnesses to your prayers, for there are.

Thanks for reading.
kristy xo

Thanks for writing
L/L
Whitefeather

[kristy1111]

[quote='Whitefeather' pid='8877' dateline='1262813059']
Greetings Kristy

Kindly define "God".

**** ummmmm....you tell me and then we'll both know. Well, when I said "God", mainly I mean the supreme creator, the "all that is", the infinite oneness...? I sometimes slip back into my religious background that I left, and realize that it has still got a hold of me in many ways. In that respect, I think of God as the white-bearded perfect dude in the sky who is "silent notes taking". What is your definition of God?
_________________

[creationist]

God is a Girl? But seriously, God is... each breathe you take... is the love you feel... is the awe you feel from nature's beauty... is the inspiration that keeps you going...

[transiten]

Why get embarrassed?
For me, prayer = talking to the wall.
It's still worth doing.

One of my favorite exercises is to go out for a cigarette, walk to a park where there's nobody around, and just start talking. Not even praying. I'm just asking & answering my own questions. But some of the answers that I speak feel like they come from somewhere else and some really help me figure things out that I couldn't get my head around before. Nothing wrong with talking to yourself.

StormShadow

Why are you doing such a destructive thing to the wholy vessel of your spirit/soul as to poison it with cigarettes? My sister is dying from lungcancer that she drew upon herself by smoking. I would suggest to you pray to your higher self to make you quit smoking.

transiten

[kristy1111]

My sister is dying from lung cancer that she drew upon herself by smoking. I would suggest to you pray to your higher self to make you quit smoking.

*** I'm so sorry about your sister! My aunt also did the same thing to herself. She developed emphisema (sp??) so bad that she needed a lung transplant. Even that didn't save her and she died a year later. I remember her eyes bulging out from panic as she tried to draw in a breath and she just couldn't do it. She would claw at her husband desperately, because it scared her so bad. Any my brother was a heavy smoker (he was found dead back in 1992). His autopsy report was hard to read when it came to learning what the inside of his lungs looked like. I smoked for about a year in my life and I am SO glad I quit. But I grew up around a heavy smoker and had serious lung problems as a result.