heartsteps

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

Dalai Lama

"Black Iris" by Georgia O'Keeffe

May we give birth to a new Dream of the People.
A dream that can sustain us in the new millennium.
A dream that remembers that there is no separation between spirit and matter.
A dream that infuses the life of the people with the power of the erotic.
A dream that reminds us of what is holy.

I call on a dream that remembers
the power of life giving moisture
that recognizes the smell of the sea
where it caresses the shore
in the scent of our sweat
in the salt of our tears
in the slippery wetness that pours
from between the soft thighs
of a woman well loved.

I call on a dream that reminds us
to focus on our fingertips,
on the shape and weight of our hand
on blood and bone and a thousand nerve endings
as we raise an apple
to our mouths
and let the tip of our tongues
slide on the round, smooth firmness
of the cool surface
and feel the spray of juice
as our teeth pierce the skin
and enter the softness
inside.

A dream that helps us taste
the weeks of rain and sun
the ripening on the tree
the labour of the farmer
touch of the fruit-picker
journey of the men and women
who bring fruits
from grove to table.
I call on a Dream of the People that remembers
there is no separation
that knows
each act lived fully awake
cannot help but be
both prayer and lovemaking.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

The Jain flag. The swastica has existed as a symbol in India from 3000 BC and its use by Hitler in later years is not relevant to the Jains.

Friendship toward all beings,
Delight in the qualities of virtuous ones,
Utmost compassion for afflicted beings,
Equanimity toward those who are not well-disposed toward me.

May my soul have such dispositions as these forever.

Peacefulness toward all beings;
self-control and pure aspirations;
abandonment of every thought
that is tainted by desire or aversion;
that, truly, is dwelling in my Self.

I ask for forgiveness of all living creatures,
May all of them forgive me
May I have a friendly relationship with all beings
and unfriendly with none.

Padmanabh S. Jaini

Dear God,
Please bless and protect this sacred jewel,
Our vulnerable planet so besieged.
May the rivers and the oceans and the sky and the land
All be repaired somehow, dear Lord.
May the barbarism end, which threatens to destroy our priceless treasure.
For surely the earth has been our home,
The home of our parents unto all generations.
For the sake of our children, Lord,
Save this earth.
Place in all minds a greater awe before her mysteries.
Shield her and heal her wounds,
Restore her to her former glory.
Save her, Lord, from us.
Amen.

Marianne Williamson

O my Father, Great Elder,
I have no words to thank you,
But with your deep wisdom
I am sure you can see
How I value your glorious gifts.
O my Father, when I look upon your greatness,
I am confounded with awe.
O Great Elder,
Ruler of all things earthly and heavenly,
I am your warrior,
Ready to act in accordance with your will.

Kikuyu, Kenya

Dear God,
May I have meaningful work and meaningful
activity in my life.
I desire to wake up each morning and feel that I
am used on behalf of something glorious.
I want to feel, no matter what my work, that I
dispense blessing, love, forgiveness and
kindness there to all I meet.
Help me remember that You are the power.
May I not overglorify merchandizing or money
or business.
May my work be Yours.
May my work be love.
Help me to remember that as I focus on the
realm of heaven, everything else will take care
of itself.
Help me have faith, to know that the universe shall
take care of me as I take care of it.
In this moment, I am willing to put aside all
small and worthless values.
In this moment, I am willing to let go my
attachment to money, popularity, power, prestige,
the things of the world that I do not need.
For I know that they are all illusion, and except
as they are sent by You, they lead me
nowhere.
Thus I shall shine.
And as I shine, I shall radiate a
power in this world, not of this world, and
people will not fail to notice.
For I shall be as a star in a darkened sky.
I shall go to sleep knowing that I did as I have
come here to do.
I shall be repaid by gratitude, shining in the eyes
of my brothers.
Please shine in my heart.

Marianne Williamson

Welcome O Supernatural One, O Swimmer
who returns every year in this world
that we may live rightly, that we may be well.
I offer you, swimming salmon, my heart’s deep gratitude.

I ask that you will come again,
that next year we will meet in this life,
that you will see that nothing evil should befall me.
O Supernatural One, O Swimmer,
now I will do to you what you came here for me to do.

Kwakiutl Women’s prayer

O Lord,
open my eyes that I may see the needs of others;
open my ears that I may hear their cries;
open my heart so that they need not be without succor;

let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the
anger of the strong,
nor afraid to defend the poor because of the
anger of the rich.

Show me where love and hope and faith are needed,
and use me to bring them to those places.

And so open my eyes and my ears
that I may this coming day be able to do some work of
peace for thee.
Amen.

Alan Paton

Father/ Mother God:

Help me to feel my oneness with you
and my equality with my brothers and sisters.

Help me to recognize my judgments
and to look within for correction.

Help me to give up shame and blame
and to learn from my errors
so that I do not repeat them.

Help me to care for my body, my family,
my community and my planet.

Help me to create what is for my highest good
and for the highest good of others.

Help me to be responsible for my creations.

Help me give up victim consciousness
and realize that I am a powerful person
with many creative choices.

Help me to stand up for myself in a loving way
without attacking others or seeking to influence
the choices they need to make.

Help me offer freedom to others
so that I may receive it in return.

Help me reach out with compassion to those in pain,
in grief, under stress, or in limitation of any kind
and offer them hope and encouragement.

Allow my heart to open to them.
Allow my eyes to see beyond the behavior
that is motivated by fear and unworthiness.

May I offer to others and to myself
the unconditional love and acceptance you offer to me.

Help me to master my skills and talents
so that I may place them in your service
and fulfill my purpose here.

Help me to step into the role you would have me play
in inspiring, empowering and uplifting others.

Help me to trust my gifts and give them
without expectation of return
whenever the opportunity arises.

Help me to give freely and love freely
surrendering the outcome to you.

Help me surrender the need to control
so that I can live spontaneously
and with your grace.

Help me to understand and heal my wounds
so that I don’t push love away
or block its presence in my heart
and in my relationships.

Help me soften and become vulnerable.
Help me learn to ask for help
and trust the help that you offer me.

Allow me to heal the past
so that I can enter the present fully.

Allow me to become a doorway
for the healing of others
and let me walk courageously through the door
that has been opened for me.

Help me surrender what is false
and establish in what is true
firmly and with conviction.

Help me to walk my talk, listen deeply,
and speak only when I have something helpful to say.

Help me to understand that the Friend
is always with me
and my only purpose is to be a Friend to others.

Help me detach from name and fame
and surrender all forms of external authority
so that I can be guided by the authority within.

Allow me to know at all times and in all places
that the highest good of others
is and will always be my highest good.

Let all that separates me from others fall away
so that I may recognize the One Self in all beings.

Allow me to complete my work on earth
with care and humility
and return to you when my work here is done.

May all veils and barriers that separate us dissolve
so that I may dwell fully and completely
in the heart of your love.

Amen.

Paul Ferrini

"Standing in Grace" by Joan Fullerton

May we discover through pain and torment,
the strength to live with grace and humor.
May we discover through doubt and anguish,
the strength to live with dignity and holiness.
May we discover through suffering and fear,
the strength to move toward healing.
May it come to pass that we be restored to health and to vigor.
May Life grant us wellness of body, spirit, and mind.
And if this cannot be so, may we find in this transformation and passage
moments of meaning, opportunities for love
and the deep and gracious calm that comes
when we allow ourselves to move on.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro