Secrets of Prayer and Meditation

Secrets of Prayer and Meditation
By Gary Eby, MSW

Introduction:

Looking up at the sunset, appearing like a great sky-canvass, painted with splashes of tangerine and turquoise, colors glowing soft and bright, the still voice within whispers: "I AM that I AM."

In my spiritual studies, I read somewhere that prayer is talking to God, and meditation is listening to God. These are the basic illumined tools I try my best to utilize to overcome real life problems in this physical world.

Today I face three significant challenges to my peace of mind. In this article, I will share them with you, and then explain how I put my faith-in-action to hold to the Truth. As you know, my truth doesn't have to be your truth. You are completely free to walk your own spiritual path. Sharing what we believe in is one of the many ways to discover common ground, and perhaps connect with the Consciousness of Oneness--Heaven on Earth.

Loving my Neighbor:

There is a man in our retirement community who loves to stir everybody up. Currently, he has chosen to completely ignore our Home Owners Association Articles and Bylaws. He has declared our current Board of Directors illegal, is organizing a bogus election, and impersonating endorsements of his actions by invoking the names of our secretary and vice-president who want nothing to do with him.

He continues to ignore a Board Resolution asking him to halt and desist these activities, or face suspension of his membership and a lawsuit from the Home Owners Association. Since I am the treasurer of the Board, needless to say, I find it difficult to "love him" in the way our Master Teacher suggested.

But, I don't want to monopolize my time with negative energy, displaced anger, and seeping resentments caused by fantasizing about his ultimate demise. What should I do?

Prayer and Meditation:

The Father and I are One. We are created as perfect expressions of God's Love. Divine Grace flows through all of us with healing power. We shine with magnificence, peace, and love. We live, move, breathe, and have our being in the Love-Light. All is well!

Challenge #2. Surrender:

Several of my other neighbors have experienced flooding problems in their backyard during the rainy season in Oregon. They have culverts on their properties designed to alleviate these problems via a swale drainage system. They also have sandbags above and on the side of the culverts to help prevent soil erosion on their property.

Presently, they have asked the Board to pay more than $18,000 to replace the sandbags with headwalls above the culverts, because they consider the culverts to be public easements. There is no evidence that headwalls would fix the flooding problems at all.

I am asking our attorney to rule on whether the sandbags are on private property or not. In addition, I recommended that the Board consult with a Hydrologist to see if installing headwalls would help prevent the flooding or cause flooding to adjacent properties.

Obviously my neighbors aren’t pleased with my opposition to their proposals. However, I am not really in control of their reactions am I? I do feel their heavy angst and some mighty resentments towards me. This in turn has been throwing me off my own emotional balance.

Prayer and Meditation:

We are One, oh Infinite Presence. I can do nothing without your help. You remain the Father within that does all the work. I love You with all my mind, heart, soul, and strength. I am grateful for all the Good in my life today. I release all of these problems with my neighbors to Your Will and Wisdom rather than my own desires.

Challenge #3. Heaven on Earth:

It has been said that Heaven is a state of God-Consciousness. Claiming this awareness becomes very challenging for me. Just watch the news on the TV or read the newspapers about all the horrible stuff going on in the world.

On a more personal note, I am trying real hard to deal with my wife's significant physical and emotional difficulties. There are times when all goes so well and life literally shines with awesome beauty. There are other times, as I see my wife suffer with conditions I can't control, that I wonder why this life experience feels incredibly lonely, painful, frustrating, confusing, and even depressing.

Prayer and Meditation:
God is with us always! We are spiritual not just material. Warmth, heat, Love, and Grace flow through our mind and heart-center with healing power. In the name of the Holy Spirit everywhere present, in the name of our true and divine Self, we manifest our spiritual nature right now. We live in the Light. We walk in the Light. This is the Truth that sets us free!

An amazing Christian Mystic, Joel Goldsmith had some cogent points to make about the secrets of prayer and meditation:

#1. "Regardless of what form prayer may take, there is no connecting link with God until there is a conscious awareness of His presence." ("The Thunder of Silence," page 148.)
#2. "The purpose of meditation is to attain divine grace." (The Art of Meditation," page 13.)
#3. "The way is prayer; the where is the kingdom of God within us; the when is now--this moment of Christhood; the how is action." (“Practicing the Presence,” page 127.)

In this spirit, I see the Moon full tonight like a huge, white beach ball. I reach out and grab it close to my heart. I release all concerns, worries, fears, and challenges. I let go of all words and thoughts and even prayers. I turn my mind’s eye to the Secret Place of the Most High within. In the silence, I wait, wait, wait, and simply listen. Then...I smile and dance in the Love-Light.