One Big Moving Prayer

We would all like to do more to heal and uplift this world and our fellow beings, but we often feel powerless. Yet there’s one thing we can all do, which is to use the energy of our thought, knowing that our minds are all connected and that we can, at least in small ways, make a difference. In fact, we can make a big difference if our day is One Big Moving Prayer…

This is a simple spiritual practice that can not only have a real effect on the world’s energy, it helps loving kindness to grow within ourselves. We are creatures of habit and over time our habitual behaviour eventually becomes natural. Even though our loving and healing energies are not ‘aimed’ towards anyone in particular, this way of being naturally creeps up on us.

One Big Moving Prayer simply means that in the course of our normal day we resolve to reflect on kindness and compassion as much as possible, towards ourselves as much as towards others (which admittedly can be difficult at times!). We are created in love, so showing and sharing love is a natural expression of ourselves. We already do this in many ways such as nurturing and healing, being gracious towards strangers or supporting our family and friends – and in doing so we also grow daily – but the power of loving thought is just as effective.

Let’s consider a routine day to see how easy it is to develop this practice. When we wake up, we can express gratitude for our restful sleep, greet our family and pets with love and give thanks for our breakfast. When bathing or washing up, let’s be grateful for the clean, hot water so easily available to us in the developed world. Travelling to work, we should be glad of our car or for public transport and send out a simple thought for other road users to be safe. We may see a vehicle broken down and put in ‘a cosmic order’ for them to receive help, or maybe an ambulance passes by and we can say a short prayer for those needing help as well as for the emergency services who work so hard for us all.
Pierre Praadervand’s book The Gentle Art of Blessing is an inspirational source of suggestions for everyday life. For example, when we see pets or wildlife we can pray that they remain safe near our busy roads. Let’s acknowledge the beauty of the trees that we pass by regularly (perhaps the spirits of the trees can hear us!).

If we have work, do we give thanks for our jobs, even though things can be frustrating, when so many are unemployed and struggling to get by? Do we greet our colleagues and visitors with kindness? Speaking gently and with empathy is a natural expression of love. It’s easy to forget that this is just as true of emails and telephone calls too, which can play a major part in our daily life and work. Some of us may be lucky enough to live or work near a park, so we could take along food for the birds during our breaks; in doing so we come ever closer to living One Big Moving Prayer by caring for all life around us.

During our day, we can try deliberately to maintain a sense of calmness and peace so that when difficulties or crises arise we naturally extend this high-vibrational energy to others around us. Black Elk, of the Oglala Sioux, is recorded as saying, “The first peace, which is most important, is that which comes within the souls of people…”

When we return home at the end of the day, let’s think with gratitude about what we have learned from the day, even if it’s been difficult, and focus on the moments that lifted people’s spirits. And of course we should give thanks for our secure, warm and comfortable home and for our family members arriving back safely. For many, ‘work’ means remaining at home and perhaps looking after children or older, disabled relatives; this way of life is itself One Big Moving Prayer of care and nurture given to those in need.

There are many other activities that are genuine spiritual practice without, perhaps, our thinking of them as such. We may do some volunteer work, even simply checking on our elderly neighbours, or do a bit to help organise clubs for local children; by offering our time, we are helping them to grow up as well-balanced adults.

Small acts of everyday kindness are spiritual too, such as charity donations, ‘paying forward’ in a café and even making sure we do our recycling! All of these things send out an energy of love and kindness. Finally, at the end of the day as we retire, we can make a mental list of all our good experiences and express gratitude for them and for life itself.

In these small ways, we are already living much of each day as One Big Moving Prayer and our energy of love, gratitude, kindness, compassion and nurture become something that all benefit from. The flow of our words, actions and thoughts permeates the interconnected web of the universe – we are not powerless at all.

Sandra Bray is the author of Odd Days of Heaven
and Even More Days of Heaven, spiritual guidebooks
full of inspiring suggestions for everyday life.
www.local-legend.co.uk