DefinitelyNotARobot

How to pray?

18 posts in this topic

TLTR: How does prayer work at later stages (green-yellow)

I feel like there are certain benifits from praying.

But I'm still skeptical as I only know the stage blue kinds of prayer. I think that stage blue prayer mostly works out of placebo (from my limited pov) and even if placebo DOES make them real, realizing that it's just placebo kind of takes away the power.

Obviously, praying for a billion dollars won't make the money rain.

I've been thinking about what is needed in order for a prayer to be realized.

I'll talk about prayers from a kind of stage blue "praying to an external god" perspective since I don't know how prayers work for later stages.

These are just observations from observing stage blue folks. It could be right or it could be wrong. I'd like to hear your tips and insights into this topic!

  1. Trusting in god. Doubting that the prayer works will decrease the chances of it becoming a reality.
  2. Doing the work. Let's say you pray for becoming rich and famous. It might work, but you have to REALLY want it though. Many people say and think that they want to be rich, yet they won't do anything for it, meaning that they don't actually want it. When you pray for something it has to come from a place of certainty. It means sacrificing the time and energy you've got. Praying doesn't mean that god will give you free handouts. Working towards the thing you want with dedication and dicilpine is part of the prayer (as kind of a sacrifice to god). If I pray for happines, but can't pursuit it with dedication, patience and discipline it just won't happen (at least it's very unlikely)

Again, those are just the two main points I've observed from looking at successful people who are around stage blue (like Muhammad Ali for example)

But I personally haven't realized god yet, and neither do I believe in a separate entity that will hear my prayers.

I also lack a lot of the confidence I need whenever I do something. I am a really ambitious person, but I've failed so much in the past that I'm still traumatized. I still have doubts about everything I try and do.

So even if i prayed I would have doubts about it. Sometimes I kind of pray to myself and I ask myself for help, but I still doubt that it will work.

So how does one truly pray, from a more conscious perspective? And as a secondary question: How can one be confident the prayer working? Is it just about confidence period?


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I should probably clarify that I'm just asking this because I feel very lonely, like I'm completely on my own, not being able to trust anyone including myself. It feels pretty shitty and I'm looking for something in this world that makes me feel loved and accepted and gives me a deeper sense of trust.

So I basically just want to pray for the egos sake.

Edited by DefinitelyNotARobot

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37 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

So I basically just want to pray for the egos sake.

 

That is the first step. 

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@Fadl Where do I go from there? I should specify that I still have quiet a lot of stage red within me. I have a huge ego and now I'm trying to look for something bigger than me and my life. A figure I can trust. But I've also grown out of the phase in my life where I blindly trusted the church. So now I'm looking for help in something that is bigger than me. Something I can trust in. I wish there was a god who heard my prayers so that I could ask for forgiveness, and though people on this forum talk a lot of god I don't have any personal experience with it.

I'm kind of steering away from the OP here ?

Edited by DefinitelyNotARobot

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2 hours ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

Where do I go from there?

Oh man, I understand … don’t go anywhere just be patient, confusion is just a part of the journey … you are discovering yourself and that is not easy at all … have a faith … God is hearing everything you say, if your intentions are good you will arrive.

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Why pray? You'll only pray to yourself.

So just do what you're praying.

Or would you have to ask yourself permission to eat the next microwave burrito?

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It identifies what you want and acknowledges the fact that you can't control it, allowing the desire and letting go of it simultaneously. There are other ways to do this, writing, journaling, dreamboard, vision board, but that's prayer at its best. 

Edited by mandyjw

My Youtube Channel- Light on Earth “We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the Secret sits in the middle and knows.”― Robert Frost

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If you want something and judge prayer to be the best/worse, what does this tell you?

If you pray, you pray. If you don't, you don't.

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@mandyjw Thanks that was helpful! Considering getting a dream board now. I like the idea of manifesting my dreams and goals physically!


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I'm not religious but I find praying words very powerful.

I look for a short prayer every day and say it. It doesn't have to be anything specific. Just the words themselves are very calming.

Here's what I prayed today. 

Screen-Shot-2014-11-17-at-9.54.10-AM.png

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I take prayer to be a practice of gratitude, not asking for things. When praying, I enter into a state of seeing the interconnectivity of all my life and how each piece has contributed to the whole of where I am and that where I am is worthy of love, acceptance and gratitude. So when I pray, I basically start listing off everything Im grateful for.

What one quickly sees if they are truly open is that there is an infinite amount of things to be grateful for in one’s life. Prayer is about thanking the universe for what it's given- all of your strengths, weaknesses, lessons, successes, challenges, everything. Prayer is about seeing the unique piece your life is within the whole of reality.

As one becomes grateful, their desire for ‘more’ decreases, their attachment to ‘more’ weakens, and a state which is open to abundance is entered. Counterintuitively, a state of gratitude and detachment is the ultimate state for manifestation and abundance. 

Edited by Consilience

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18 minutes ago, Consilience said:

I take prayer to be a practice of gratitude, not asking for things.

Hmm I agree, I think that’s the right attitude.

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@susanyzm That was a nice prayer, thanks! Saying a random prayer sounds like a good addition to my morning routine.

@Consilience Wow that was really inspiring, thank you! I feel like your words definetely resonated with me. This message comes in an interesting time, as I've been thinking about gratitude for a few days now. What a fun synchronicity! This is telling me that should be more serious about developing gratitude.


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38 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

@Consilience Wow that was really inspiring, thank you! I feel like your words definetely resonated with me. This message comes in an interesting time, as I've been thinking about gratitude for a few days now. What a fun synchronicity! This is telling me that should be more serious about developing gratitude.

Absolutely agree. Gratitude, as well as Metta, are two things I've personally been focusing on lately. Gratitude feels extremely essentially for awakening the heart. 

That is a really cool synchronicity! :)

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@DefinitelyNotARobot

The important thing about prayer is authenticity, honesty and intention. 

The rest is mental masturbation. Turning prayer into a science is blasphemous. 

That's the mind trying to figure out everything, but the heart ♥ already knows. Mind always puts things in categories, its a bit claustrophobic.

 


Suppose Love is real, and let's assume reality is unreal. Suppose we discover that the building block of reality is real Love, that means our assumption was wrong and reality is actually not unreal. Reality is real, if everything we supposed is true. I'm not going to say if it is or not.

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How about Quaker prayer, at least as practiced in the UK - waiting on God, listening to God rather than talking to him/her. Only speaking when you are inspired by the Holy Spirit. I attended the Quakers a bit in my youth, but found  even that style too wordy for me compared to simple meditation. But I totally respect those who do pray and worship etc, it works for some folks. 

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5 hours ago, Dodo said:

That's the mind trying to figure out everything, but the heart ♥ already knows. Mind always puts things in categories, its a bit claustrophobic.

You are right. This sounds like a much better approach than thinking it through.

@LarryW How exactly do they accomplish "listening to god"? Is it some form of meditation or contemplation?

I'd interpret it as listening to my intuition and emotions. Listening to the universe around me and seeing if it's giving me any signs. 

Edited by DefinitelyNotARobot

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@DefinitelyNotARobot  This is from quaker.org.uk it's actually more inclusive these days than I remember, God isn't necessary any more! It's pretty radical for a mainstream Christian church, but depends what you've used to I suppose. 

"A meeting for worship usually lasts for an hour. In Quaker worship there are no ministers or creeds. We first gather together in silence to quiet our minds – we don't have set hymns, prayers or sermons.

In the stillness we open our hearts and lives to new insights and guidance. Sometimes we are moved to share what we discover with those present. We call this 'ministry'. We listen to what everyone has to say to find its meaning for us. Anyone can give ministry, including visitors.

What happens in the stillness?

In the quiet we look for a sense of connection. This might be a connection with those around us, with our deepest selves, or perhaps with God. As we feel this sense of encounter grow stronger, we may begin to see the world and our relationships in a new way. Our worship may take us beyond our own thoughts and ideas to help us respond more creatively to the world around us."

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