Prayer: I and All That I Am

            During a challenging time in my life I composed a prayer. Among my faith practices, I am also a believer in signs and things cosmic. I believe that God is still speaking to us, and will choose any method through which we are truly willing to listen or speak. I believe there is something to the power of astrology and the moon. I won't pretend to know what it is, but at the very least, human civilization has empowered the heavens to give us signs.

Perhaps these signs come from within us, but since we doubt ourselves we would prefer to get our information from “above.” In truth, I believe that whatever can connect us to something larger than ourselves, even if only in our own imagination, has both value and merit.

The new moon symbolizes new beginnings. The number nine symbolizes completion. I had reached a saturation point where it was time to take what I had learned of my life to that day and begin anew. I thought of it at the time as ‘going back to square one with everything I have now learned.’ It’s fascinating to consider what has become of my life since that moment. Since first reciting that prayer. How different literally everything is. How much better.

On the occasion of a new moon, which happened to occur on September 9, 1999, I decided to compose my prayer. I imagined that there could be energy to the circumstances of both the completion and newness of the moon cycle combined with the sense of both completion and newness in the numerology of the date. 9+9+1+9+9+9=46  4+6=10  1+0=1 The date is loaded with 9’s but ultimately adding up to One. Perhaps there is no value to this thinking beyond my own mind, but should that matter? If it has value to me, would God ignore it? For those who think in stricter terms, perhaps they might give God a bit more credit.

Today I would choose my words a little differently. But not much. I would change the word Tolerance to Acceptance, for who wishes to be merely tolerated? And perhaps I would make it a little more poetically balanced. But I don't think I should change it.

I should let it be what it is.

It is a declaration of my theology, my cosmology, my sense of duty to humanity. It is also my gift to others who would choose to recite it for themselves to declare their own significance, for we are every one of us equally significant to the Universe. It is, even after four years of seminary, still my truth. There is much to say on it, but for now, I’ll allow it to speak for itself.

I, and all that I am, increasingly from this day forward, give intent to grow. Grow spiritually, mentally, physically. I choose to see my obstacles for the opportunities that they are. Opportunities given to me through my own choosing and given to me by God. I give solemn intent to seek out my fears and act in spite of them, approaching each and every opportunity with Peace, Love and Tolerance. More and more I will see myself and others for the light beings that we are. And I expressly invite the marriage of my higher self to my physical one. I actively choose to fulfill my life contracts and ask God that the signs be clear and the roads be marked. I ask that my karma be opened, freeing me to do the True Work. I choose to do my part to enlighten the world and guide it through the changes to come. I am an integral part of this new age and I acknowledge my significance within the Universe. I send all of my Love outward with a golden white glow that all may receive and adopt for their own. My Love is as limitless as the Universal Source of which I am a glorious fragment. My Love is for All and my all is for Love. My Love is for All and my all is for Love. My Love is for All and my all is for Love.