Sovereign Earth 6 – Prayer

A brief exploration through Song, Spell and Silence.

“Co shin ye ta endo enta”

As we unite, so the worlds unite.

 Gaelic chant from the Western Isles of Scotland, the land of my Fathers.

With thanks to Chris Park for first singing this in my presence.

                                        —

Canaam an achen o mo veal

Canaam an achen oh mo chree

Canaaam an achen hoot haan

Alla meera agus cheera

Alla grenya agus geela

Alla nan reel achen a leen

I speak this prayer from my lips

I speak this prayer from heart

I speak this prayer to thee thyself

Wild Lord of the Land and Sea

Wild Lord of the Sun and Moon

Wild Lord of the Beautiful Stars.

For any  Gaelic speakers amongst you, Please excuse  my ‘free’ interpretation and phonetic spelling 🙂 .

Prayer is so powerful yet so subtle; so needed yet so neglected, so healing yet so simple.

We all benefit – and by ‘all’ I include Sovereign Earth and all upon her.

 Prayer is moving, touching, connecting.

Prayer is inspiring, life affirming and whole.

Prayer is necessary, nourishing and nurturing.

Quite by chance, I received this message from an old Druid friend who used to live in Bristol, but who has lived in the northern reaches of Finland for many years now and practices the shamanism of those lands.

“Today, around 40 Siberian Shamans will make prayers throughout Russia, asking for rain to help put out the fires in Siberia which are destroying vast quantities of ancient trees.

We can also do our bit: The power of prayer is not to be underestimated. Using a drum or other musical instrument is one way of attracting the ‘powers that be’. Another way is through silence, which is just as powerful when it comes to asking for spiritual help. Hoping we can make difference together, Francis Joy”.

See how prayer fulfils a key function and essential requirement of this time – of any time.    I would maintain that it is part of the spiritual ‘glue’ needed to hold our potentially somewhat fragmented lives together.  A stable grounding of ‘spell making’ needed for  cohesion, community and commerce in its original meaning – the clue to which is in the caduceus symbol being the symbol of commerce.  More to do with healthyinteraction and balanced exchange.

Prayers to our ancestors are another important aspect of prayer:

Song:

1.”Grandmother, I’m praying to you, Grandmother, I’m praying to you

All night long, All night long, All night long” x2

Chorus:  I awana hey ano, I awana hey ano

              I awana hey ano, I awana hey ano x 2

2  Grandfather, I’m praying to you, Grandfather, I’m praying to you

All day long, All day long, All day long.  x2

Chorus – I awana hey ano

3  Spirit, I’m praying to you, Spirit, I’m praying to you

All my life , All my life, All my life

Chorus – I awana hey ano

  It is important that we make time for prayer in our lives. Maybe just take couple of minutes now to offer prayer – it can be to the Earth, to your ancestors, to anyone or anything that might benefit in this moment……….

We can also offer leaves and herbs to our loved ones and ancestors. For instance a bayleaf makes an ideal way to make a prayer offering – a name or quality can be written on a leaf – dried or fresh – and when given to the fire it flames up symbolically forging a link and connection between the prayer and the recipient.  Just beware of the flame 🙂

(with thanks to Fleur Camille for reminding me of this way of offering prayer)

In fact leaves are bounteous prayers in themselves, cascading from trees in Autumn or Fall,  like ancestral confetti.

I titled this episode – an exploration through song, spell and silence – well ’the spell’ is the word, or words, of prayer,  for it is by naming and spelling a word that it takes on an energy and power of its own. This is the essence of prayer.

My favourite poet, Hafiz said “The words you speak become the home you live in”

I would suggest alongside that ‘ The songs you sing, become the river you flow in’

O Cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration

Soften the ground of our being
and carve out a space within us
where Your Presence can abide.

Fill us with Your creativity
so that we may be empowered
to bear the fruit of Your mission.

Let each of our actions bear fruit

 according with our heart’s desire.

Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share
that which each being needs in order to grow and flourish.

Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us,
As we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.

Let us not be distracteded by that which would divert us from our true Purpose,
But rather, illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.

For You are the ground and the fruitful vision,
the birth-power and fulfilment,
as all is gathered and made whole again. 

Note how its capacity to move and inspire is facilitated by the correct choice and use of language. For many of us, The “Our Father’ as taught in schools when we were children, just didn’t  ‘do the trick’.  How different I wonder,  if something akin to the translation above had been offered as a child?

Serenity Prayer

“God/Great Spirit grant me the serenity to Accept the things I cannot change

The Courage to change the things I can

And the Wisdom to know the difference.”

Song

“Spirit Bird

Spirit Bird she creaks and groans

She knows she has

Seen this all before she has

Seen this all before she has     x2

Hermano yo yo yo yo

Hermana yo yo yo yo”

May these prayers echo on in the stars with you.

With Love JJ