Second Sight by Judith Orloff

Author:Judith Orloff
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: OCC013000
ISBN: 9780446554053
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2008-12-13T22:00:00+00:00

To elicit guidance in our lives, we can also turn to prayer. It works no matter what your belief system, whether you appeal to a force outside yourself or to an inner wisdom. While meditation is an open-ended way of listening to spirit, prayer is a specific way of speaking to it. Through prayer comes clarity, and with it psychic knowledge. Although life may not always go as we wish, the strength of our clarity, and the appreciation of the deeper meaning of certain events can carry us through.

When I was very young my mother taught me to recite two different prayers before I went to sleep: the Shema, an ancient Hebrew prayer stating, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone is One,” and another in which I'd say, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Keep me safe throughout the night. May I see the morning light. God bless Daddy, Mommy, and Judi [my childhood nickname] for ever and ever. Amen.” Burrowed beneath a mountain of covers, cozy and warm, I repeated both prayers without fail every night. They made me feel secure, connected to my Jewish roots and family. I should add, however, that I was motivated more by habit than devotion. It was something I did to be a “good girl,” not because I was truly inspired.

For years, I underestimated the power of prayer. As a teenager, I resorted to it mainly when I wanted something or if I was in so much pain there was nowhere else to turn. Then, if I got what I requested or when the pain stopped, I promptly forgot what had helped me. In high school I would pray to have a boyfriend, to be “popular,” or get a good grade on a math test. But looking back, I can now see that if all my prayers had been answered I would probably be in big trouble today. In some cases, unanswered prayers prove to be the blessing.

Through meditation and studying with my teacher I have come to view prayer differently. Once I had a direct experience of exactly what I was praying to—an unbounded love vaster than I had ever imagined—my faith strengthened. Previously, I was afraid that if I gave up my demands I wouldn't be heard, as if this intelligence were so limited it couldn't possibly respond to my needs without my specifically asking. Or that it had so many mote pressing things to attend to. But sensing the infinite capacity of this love, I increasingly came to trust it.

Now, when I pray for myself or others, except in certain emergencies, I request only what is for the highest good, not presuming to know what that good might be. Though it is often tempting to specify “I want this” or “I want that,” particularly if I'm in a lot of pain, I try to keep my prayers general rather than superimposing my own will onto them.

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