Question & Answer

 
Q: By Brian
This is about prayer. As a Buddhist (40 years), I would practice an oral meditation every morning and evening. It was, as one writer mentioned, a kind of physical workout – using the voice while sitting bolt upright facing a mandala.

Although I’m now trying to be a Christian, I would like to be able to do something to bring myself closer to our Lord, other than sitting still while trying to keep invasive thoughts from disturbing my prayer session.

What could you suggest? I’m a case requiring a lot of work (a long story) – if you understand what I mean. I just want to have God’s mercy and feel him with me in my struggle to express that mercy in all what I do.

A: By Jennifer Berit & Skylar Wilson
 
Dear Brian,

Thank you for your question. I’d like to respond to your question about prayer, but first I want to address something else you said that caught my attention. You said that you have been a Buddhist for 40 years and now you are “trying” to be a Christian. What I’m most interested in is your use of the article “a” here. Being “a” Christian seems like such a final, permanent and immovable thing to be. I am afraid it means you are putting yourself, or trying to, into a box – the box of what it means to be “a Christian” and therefore you could be limiting all of the other many ways that Spirit could be wanting to express through you. Perhaps this is what is happening with your prayer practice, and why you are finding it difficult?

I don’t believe that being Christian, or being Buddhist, or praying needs to be any one thing, or looks a certain way. Mary Oliver says “I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. But I do know how to pay attention.” If sitting silently, letting your thoughts get the best of you doesn’t feel like praying, then maybe for you it is not. Maybe for you praying is chanting, or singing? Maybe it is walking through the woods and noticing the way the light hits the treetops, or paying attention to the ant crawling across your toe. Maybe sometimes praying is simply tuning into your heart and feeling the simple desire to connect with the Great Mystery? Maybe that desire is God speaking to you, telling you “I am here.” I wonder if accepting yourself and your own spiritual process is God’s mercy acting through you? You say you require a lot of work – I believe you are doing the best kind of work, continuing to quest for a deeper connection with your unique sense of the Divine.

~ Jennifer Berit and Skylar Wilson

About the Authors
Jennifer Berit is the co-author of Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action and works in book publishing as a private consultant for authors assisting with manuscript editing and book publicity. She is also the co-director of Wild Awakenings, an adult Rites of Passage organization dedicated to fostering the thriving of Earth, life, and humanity. Jennifer was on the Board of Trustees at the Unity in Marin Spiritual Community for three years, serving as the Board President for 18 months. Also at Unity in Marin, Jennifer was a guest speaker for Sunday mornings, she led Rites of Passage groups for teenagers, and founded a young adult interfaith group committed to conscious connection, community service, and social activism. She is a passionate hiker, reader, writer, and public speaker.

Skylar Wilson, MA is the founder of Wild Awakenings, a conscious community of change-makers dedicated to the thriving of Earth, life, and humanity. He has led wilderness rites of passage journeys as well as ecological restoration teams for 18 years, specializing in creating sacred wilderness immersion experiences and interfaith ceremonies.  Skylar is the cofounder and co-director of the Order of the Sacred Earth, a network of mystic warriors and activists dedicated to being the best lovers and defenders of the Earth that we can be. Skylar is the coauthor of the book by the same title as well as the co-host, with Jennifer Berit, of the podcast: “Our Sacred Earth” on Unity online radio. Skylar works closely with schools and organizations including the Stepping Stones Project in Berkeley, CA over the last 8 years while guiding organization-wide retreats, mentoring youth, group leaders, parents and elders. He also produces transformational events for thousands of people around the country including the Cosmic Mass, an intercultural healing ritual that builds community through dancing and the arts. He lives in Sebastopol, CA with his wife, son, two affectionate cats and a white wolf named Luna.