• by Mary Thatcher (at age 14) •
As I bow my head in silent prayer
I feel within me, God is near. I pray that in some small way I can be of service for Him/Her today.
Perhaps a kind word, nod, or smile
Will make someone’s life more worthwhile.
When others smile or nod to to me,
It’s God’s joy on their face I see.
It’s the answer to my silent prayer To see this joy, and feel within me God is near.
She knows my thoughts and sees my deeds.
He knows my wants and fulfills my needs.
She shares my joy and will ease my pain,
He’s in the sunshine and in the rain.
In fact, my God’s in everything! Now as I bow my head in silent prayer, I know within me God is here.
•by Norman Paulsen• The life of service and self-sacrifice Jesus of Nazareth lived and gave for all of us is unparalleled on this Earth. “Not my will, but Thine be done,” he offered. Humility in action is the virtue that he personified. By his example must we all learn obedience. We must overcome the false one, the selfish ego, by living the Twelve Virtues and walking the Eightfold Path.
The virtue of Humility arises from the Divine, I Am That I Am as the pure Self within you setting aside the emotions and desires of the self-conscious mind. If called upon, the pure Self will produce reason. Reason reflects upon the paths and the virtues, and considers the options. Divine will moves the adept to make wise decisions in the practice of humility. That wisdom springs forth from the voice of illumination, Christ consciousness speaking within you.
At all times, the soul traveler who seeks illumination must remember the truths described in the Eightfold Path and Twelve Virtues. This wisdom moves the adept to the right decision for each occasion. Humility requires discipline and meditation to avoid wrong decisions in its application.
For instance, when Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth,” he didn’t mean the weak, or juvenile. Rather, he meant those who are able to discern and rise to the occasion, the eaters of the strong meat of truth. These are the ones who surrender to God’s will, pick up their cross and walk!
This is my soul calling you, Beloved. Can you hear me? How can I not express humility when I observe the immensity that surrounds me? It’s awesome vastness is filled with spheres of living light that blink at Earth from their distances! And me, who am I? So tiny, so small, in all this boundless immensity! Are you dreaming what I think is me? Am I heading toward perfection as a reflection of you?
• by Letha Kiddie•One night while I was meditating, I felt gratitude well up inside of me for the knowledge of prayer. I wondered how many people might not know how to pray, and what would be the way to teach them?
As an answer to my question, the “Lord’s Prayer” flashed into my mind. I began reciting the different verses to myself, and the meaning of the words became clearer than they had ever been. The first line became: “Our Father, who emanates heaven within and around us, sacred is thy name.” In other words, using the name of God when we pray is a powerful way to invoke the Divine presence within us.
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” My understanding of this line came with the image of my own inner light in the form of a sun above my head. As it descends into us, this most positive and enriching “kingdom of heaven” is brought to earth.
“Give us this day our daily bread…” is not referring to physical food, but to the spiritual food we receive when we meditate daily. Meditation enriches, heals, and feeds our minds and spirits.
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” Whenever we sit before our Creator, we are asking in humility to received, regardless of any past transgressions. Likewise, we must extend that same forgiveness to others, and hold them only in the light of their pure spirits. It is only ignorance that leads us astray.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever…” This means “Please, help me in my humanness to find my way to You, and to find a way to my own illumination.”
As I continued on in my meditation that night, I felt I had received a true gift from Spirit. In looking back, I see that these are all things that can help us when we pray:
• Calling the name of God silently;
• Receiving God into us fully;
• Forgiving others;
• Letting Spirit guide us.
Remember, all souls have a voice in heaven. We only have to learn to use our voice!
by a first-time Visitor to Sunburst • Arriving early on Sunday morning, my son Tom ushers us into the main building, the Sunburst “Lodge”. The first thing that catches my attention is the beautiful illuminated stained glass rendering of the Sunburst mandala, standing tall in one corner of the “living room” area. I gaze at its beauty for some time, when from my peripheral vision I see a painting of a Kachina.
A ripple of awareness runs through my body as I recognize this Kachina from a dream I had some time ago. In the dream, I saw this figure just as it appears in this painting, but I was not given its name. Now below it I read: “Talavai Kachina. This painting was a gift from Hopi medicine man White Bear. The blessing of this Kachina is an appropriate one to help us grow pure food, and to purify our thoughts and actions as we walk the road of life.”
While I am still taking all this in, more people begin to arrive at the sanctuary. They bring smiles and greetings and food to share. We are embraced by many beautiful people and immediately we feel welcomed.
The stained glass image of the Sunburst mandala, the synchronistic event of the Kachina from my dream hovering in the painting behind me, and the welcome and heartfelt greetings from these wonderful people are circling about, within and around me.
We move to the temple, and the singing begins. Singing is a traditional part of the Sunday morning gathering at Sunburst. Today a song seems to be dedicated to the visiting guests, including my son, my little daughter, and myself. Everyone sings: “Hello my friend, nice to see you again. Won’t you please come walk with me until the journey’s end. Just to know you’re a friend of mine makes everything alright. Got to get you into my life! And I’m gonna love you, love you, love you till my heart can take no more, find me on your doorstep, won’t you open up your door…”
Tears are streaming down my cheeks as I feel the love and the blessing of being in the company of this group of true seekers. Sunburst’s founder, Norman Paulsen smiles at me from a photo on the wall and I realize, as the Kachina suggests, that I too have been intent on purifying my thoughts and actions.
Beautiful voices continue to sing, and the harmony of their voices, and the words they are singing, speak to my spirit as I continue to weep tears of joy. Then suddenly I am at a place of knowing. I realize that I have opened a door and crossed its threshold. I have found in the midst of this group of spiritually committed people, a clearer understanding and deeper awareness of my own spiritual walk.
by Norman Paulsen•Behind the veil of my expression of love, I search for thee whom I hold most dear. Beyond thoughts, beyond time, beyond mind, I strain to touch thee, to embrace thee in the silence of my being.
Within the center of my soul as I listen, I can hear you; I can feel your presence, your hands of energy upon me. At times I can see you, that great brilliance, that blazing inner sun, your face!
The pulsating hum of your sacred forces moves through every cell of my being. I know I am a child of your consciousness and energy. I know I am a part of you, even as once you called me your own.
Yes, there is nowhere thou dost not exist. It is you in all creation: in the plants, the animals, the suns, the galaxies, and most of all it is you in me, dreaming you are me. Oh Father-Mother, my life here is of such short duration; help me not to waste it in idle, self-conscious desires.
May each of us, your children, fully realize we are infinite like you. Our earthly bodies are but a dream, existing but a moment in your eternity. Our souls are a reflection of yours—yes, immortal, created to reside in the kingdom of heaven with all illumined beings.
We are your family, Mother-Father, yours sons and daughters returning. Help us not to forget thee. You are the mighty dreamer, dreaming the images of all of us and all which we see. Reveal to us Your face, brilliant like the sun.
Give to us cosmic awareness—the awareness that the great sphere of creation, with all images contained therein, is your visible body. Each one of us is but a dream of thee. We feel you. We know it is true.
by Valerie Joy King•In New Mexico, there was a terrible drought. The earth was parched and cracked; all the plants were dying. The situation had become desperate. Finally the local people asked an old Hopi man named David to help thempray for rain. The next day the rain came, and afterwards people asked him how it had happened.
David answered, “I didn’t pray FOR rain. I prayed RAIN.”
His technique was to first ground himself very deeply in the consciousness of Spirit. Perhaps he used a technique similar to Sunburst’s Kriya meditation. Then he used his imagination to picture the rain. He saw himself outside with heavy dark clouds above. He felt his skin and hair wet with raindrops. He felt the earth and plants drinking deep draughts of water. Mud oozed between his toes. He was dancing with joy—all of this during his meditation, and in his imagination. He also was expressing deep thankfulness for the experience.
When I heard this story, I understood more clearly that positive projection is really the same thing as true prayer. Whether or not we use words to pray, the essence of prayer is the energy we put forth. Vivid images help us put forth the energy more strongly. Like the waters from the rain clouds, you can imagine the radiant health, peace, and abundance of Spirit pouring onto your loved ones, and upon the Earth itself.
It is said that if you can reach deeply into the Divine, then use your vivid imagination, whatever you imagine MUST come to pass; so be certain it’s positive. It comes to pass because it has already happened in the consciousness of Spirit. I Am That I Am truly lives within us; this is the same being who created the entire universe and beyond. This strength is available for each of us. It is not by the power of our own small self, but by the strength and power of Spirit within us that we can imagine, and project, and be thankful.
Reflecting on this, I was reminded of what a powerful healing prayer our meditation technique is. In meditation we are visualizing and moving the living white light all through our bodies and spirits. With every breath we are actually energizing the thought and image that illumination is infusing every cell of our being; there is no separation between us and our Creator. The stronger my imagination becomes, the more I will radiate that light and all its beauty. What greater service can we offer than bringing the balance and radiance of deep peace and joy to our suffering world?
