About Our Prayer Requests

The way we ask for prayers is as much a dance as it is an act of conscious awareness. Be circumspect, aware, discerning WHAT you ask for and HOW you ask for it. Creator is listening, and answering even before you can finish the sentence.

Spirit moves in mysterious ways. In our ongoing DIALOG with Great Mystery, do we have the eyes, ears, and open heart to perceive the answer that is coming our way in response to our prayers?

Prayer is digging deep inside, tilling the soil; it’s not a Starbucks drive-through. Sometimes we have difficulty knowing how to proceed. Often the best thing we can do for ourselves is to say our best prayers, then step into a place of peace, focus, and silent listening for guidance. Let Creator begin the heavy lifting as you attend to action you can undertake.

About Prayer

  • Prayer is a DIALOG with Creator. It is a back-and-forth that calls for digging deep inside. The time you spend in prayer is sacred; it is your own personal conversation with Spirit. Prayer is not a vending machine  — just because you put your quarter in doesn’t mean answers appear, nor does it ensure that you will recognize them if they do. Paying attention is also required. Says Grandmother Anna: We have to listen very carefully because sometimes we inject our wishes and not Creator’s.

  • Prayers come in all shapes, all sizes, all denominations. One size does not fit all. That is, there is no right or wrong way to pray, as long as it is heartfelt and authentic.

  • Pray for what you DO want, not what you don’t want. Frame your prayers in positive language.

  • Pray for peace, not war. To invoke prayer as a weapon against someone/some thing is not prayer at all but an act of aggression that tears asunder. Instead, pray for your healing and renewal to see things differently.

  • Pray for the root cause. We often ask to alleviate pain and suffering, for example — which may address the symptoms but does not address their source. We may need to sit with illness or suffering and start a dialog with it in order to discover how to proceed and what to pray for.

  • As you pray for yourself, prepare to partner with Spirit in your own healing process. Where needed, do seek intelligent counseling and level-headed medical attention from professionals you trust. Healing can take place on many levels, sometimes spontaneously, sometimes outside the realm of time and space.

  • Dream BIG! If anything, err on the side of the seemingly impossible… The best prayers come from a passionate place, deep inside your heart. Let the heart (not the emotions) craft the prayer.

  • Do be vigilant and attentive to what you pray for. Spirit can respond to us in unexpected ways, not always recognizable, and can be easily missed unless we are quiet enough to listen.

  • Do act on your prayers in the world in positive ways that pave the way for your dreams and visions to manifest.

  • Gratitude is the most powerful prayer there is. Find deep gratitude for your life. Find deep gratitude for all your loved ones. Find deep gratitude for the elders in our Dance community. Now act from that gratitude. Say a prayer for them, send them an email, do something to say thank you.

Our Prayers have a life of their own

yet they need attention, care, and feeding. In whatever way we can, clearly and simply, we want to communicate our prayers not from a fearful mind but from an open heart. We will reap untold benefits as we witness the mysteries and power of prayer in our never-ending dialog with Great Mystery.

Composing Prayers for the Prayer Network & Daily Life

As dancers we have opportunity to participate in the Prayer List Network that is a private, dancer-only Google Group. In operation since 2001,  it helps us to weave together as community, to access a support network when we need it, and to discover how prayer works in the world. To join, click on the link below.

Many people and elders have shared guidance over the years about our prayer requests. Here are a few things to consider as you compose a prayer for the Prayer Network, and about praying in general:

  • PRAYER LIST: Pray for yourself first, as our Dance Chief Clyde Hall has said. It’s not selfish, it’s intelligent. When you are vital and strong, your prayers are even stronger for others.

  • PRAYER LIST: Do be concise. Lengthy, rambling prayers don’t get read. Please give us enough information about your situation to help guide us in the way we pray for you or a loved one.

  • PRAYER LIST: Do be clear, specific and intentional in what you pray for. If you are praying for abundance, is it for an abundance of joy, money, shelter, food, what? Your precise language shapes the nature of the outcome.

  • PRAYER LIST: The focus of the Prayer List is prayer; every post must contain some form of prayer request. This is not a discussion group, a ride share list, or a place to pontificate. An announcement may be posted if it contains a prayer request. All messages are moderated and will not be posted until scrutinized. On rare occasion a prayer request may be returned to the sender for a re-write or clarification.

  • PRAYER LIST: If you are praying for a loved one, please ask for their permission for us to pray for them. When creating your prayer, include their name and their relationship to you.

  • PRAYER LIST: Please keep us updated. It’s important to hear how things turn out; it affects the way people pray in support. If someone has recovered from catastrophic illness, we want to be able to envision them in their new healthy state. These updates are best framed as a prayerful request for continuance and/or expression of gratitude.

  • PRAYER LIST: Not every prayer has a storybook ending, nor is that the goal. What matters is our courage and persistence to work with our challenges and dreams in the form of prayer, trusting in community and Spirit to be at our side.

  • PRAYER LIST: We also acknowledge the unspoken prayers as Grandmother Anna has so eloquently stated, the prayer that someone is afraid to utter. We know you’re out there; trust that the community holds you, even in silence. Speak from your vulnerability the true prayer of your heart, if only to yourself. Spirit hears everything.

As dancers we have opportunity to participate in the Prayer List Network that is a private, dancer-only Google Group. In operation since 2001,  it helps us to weave together as community, to access a support network when we need it, and to discover how prayer works in the world. To join, send a message letting us know what dance or dances you have attended.

REQUEST TO JOIN PRAYER NETWORK

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Gratitude is the most powerful prayer there is. Find deep gratitude for your life, the elders and Bundlekeepers in our Dance community, and all your loved ones. Say a prayer for them, send them an email, send them a silly Hallmark card, do anything, but just say thank you!