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| Preparation If the prayer/photo mount you requested is for your own healing, we suggest that you do the following: Look through your photo albums and find a photograph of yourself that you really like. The photograph must not evoke any negative emotions in you. Ideally, the photograph should bring back only happy memories. Praying for healing in a deep soulful way while being immersed in an image of yourself at a younger age, when you were happy, healthy, and just young, may have an interesting added benefit. Not only will your health improve, but so will your appearance. This practice of prayer and meditation may actually rejuvenate your physical body. Such is the power of our subconscious mind through which the power of God works and gives to us according to the level of our faith! If the prayer/photo mount is for another person’s healing, any photograph of that person will work, because your praying for that person will bypass his or her conscious mind. There will be no antagonistic beliefs or resistance in that person’s mind that may impede the healing. A word of caution. While praying for another person, remember that it is not wise to encroach on his or her freedom of choice. It is ultimately that person’s choice as to when, how, or if at all, they will allow God to heal them. God honours that same freedom He Himself gave us. Shouldn’t we follow His example? Do not become too emotionally invested in a positive outcome. Try to stay as detached as humanly possible, trusting God to do His Will. By intruding into a delicate cause and effect scenario of somebody else’s life, you risk to develop similar changes in your own health. And although it is sometimes possible to take another’s disease onto ourselves as a sacrifice, it may not necessarily help that person to learn the important lesson contained in a health crisis. We cannot learn somebody else’s lessons for them. And we shouldn’t presume that we can. What we can and should do is affirm God’s perfect plan for their life and pray deeply that their subconscious mind become more receptive to their own healing Presence. In preparation to your regular practice, spend some time with the text of the prayer you will be working with. You might feel rather emotional at the beginning. If you feel like crying, do it now. During the exercise itself you should be as calm as possible. Internalize the prayer, make it your own. Memorize the text of the prayer. During the first half of the exercise you must be aware of the entire text, its meaning, and its rhythm, preferably without having to read it. It is important to understand that this exercise can help you regardless of your religious background. If it feels more natural and comfortable for you to identify God by the name you worship, by all means do so. It may be especially important when you reach a deep meditative state in which you experience the Presence on a very personal level. At this point you may feel that “Dear Lord” or “Lord” are not close or intimate enough. previous chapter | next chapter |
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| Guide to Effective Prayer |