Week Three

I suck at prayer. 

Well, I do just fine if I am praying for my family, friends, or other Pagans, but I freeze up when I pray for Christian inmates.  I worry that I don’t have the words that they need hear.  I don’t know when to stop praying and I am so in my head that I am not speaking from my heart.  After giving two prayers on Wednesday, and feeling very unsure of how successful they were, I spoke with the chaplain that I work under.  She gave my great advice.  She told me that she has a certain formula for all of her prayers that focuses on gratitude and empowerment.  It was an ‘ah-ha’ moment for me.  A formula is exactly what I need, or rather a framework.  A framework to support the different goals that I want to achieve when praying with an inmate. 

The idea of a framework for praying is natural to my Pagan sensibilities.  When I write a ritual or work a spell there is a certain flow that I almost always use.  It helps me focus my energies, make sure that I transition well from one intent to another, and creates the ritualistic function that is comforting to so many.  Thinking about the chaplain’s advice, I realized that I need to use a similar framework for my prayers.  My hope a formula for prayer will feel natural to me while also helping me connect with the Divine and the inmate. 

Here is the first draft of my prayer framework:

I pray to the Divine Spirit to be me with me and (name) in this moment.

I pray that (name) be sent the (insert something about being sent wisdom).

I pray that (name) be sent the (insert something about being sent change).

I pray that (name) be sent the (insert something about being sent comfort).

I pray that (name) be sent the (insert something about being sent strength). 

I pray for all of this or better, as you in your Divine wisdom, see fit.

Blessed Be, Amen, and Namaste.

I based this prayer off of the four elemental energies of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth and ordered them in the same way that I call them during a ritual.  My hope is that this will make it easy for me to remember and connect with, and that that in turn will help me make my prayers healing and comforting for the inmates. 

Now that I have my prayer framework I am going to practice it as often as I can so that it becomes second nature to me.  I am going to ask people to give me a random problem so that I can practice giving a spontaneous prayer.  Maybe this seems a little contrived, but hey, as a nurse I practiced my phlebotomy skills until they were flawless, so why not practice the art of prayer?

God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability.

Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers.
Abdul Kalam