Prayers...
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May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
-- Traditional Gaelic Blessing
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O God,
You are Peace,
From You comes Peace,
To you returns Peace.
Revive us with a salutation of Peace,
and lead us to Your abode of Peace.
-- Islamic
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Throughout all generations we will render thanks unto Thee
And declare Thy praise,
Evening, morning, and noon,
For our lives which are in Thy care,
For our souls which are in Thy keeping,
For Thy miracles which we witness daily,
And for Thy wondrous deeds and blessings toward us at all times.
-- The Kaddish, Jewish Sabbath Evening Service in Prayers for the Pilgrim Festivals
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O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos
you create all that moves in light.
Hear the one Sound that created all the others,
in this way the Name is hallowed in silence.
Your rule springs into existence
as our arms reach out to embrace all creation.
Let all wills move together
in your vortex, as stars and planets
swirl through the sky.
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight:
subsistence for the call of growing life.
Lighten our load of secret debts as
we relieve others of their need to pay.
-- Jesus, "The Lord's Prayer" / "Our Father"
(translation from the Aramaic)
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Let the rain come and wash away
the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds
held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory
of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and
fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us
wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that
we can see each other clearly.
So that we can see beyond labels,
beyond accents, gender or skin color.
Let the warmth and brightness
of the sun melt our selfishness.
So that we can share the joys and
feel the sorrows of our neighbors.
And let the light of the sun
be so strong that we will see all
people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers
to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven.
Amen.
"A Prayer for the World" -- Rabbi Harold Kushner
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Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, honor and blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong;
no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
We praise You, Lord, for all Your creatures,
especially for Brother Sun,
who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
of You Most High, he bears your likeness.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars,
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
We praise You, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air,
fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Water,
so useful, humble, precious and pure.
We praise You, Lord, for Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night.
He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Earth,
who sustains us
with her fruits, colored flowers, and herbs.
We praise You, Lord, for those who pardon,
for love of You bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
by You Most High, they will be crowned.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in their sins!
Blessed are those that She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
We praise and bless You, Lord, and give You thanks,
and serve You in all humility.
-- "The Canticle of the Creatures", St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
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Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun shall shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.
-- Cheyenne Native American
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Valiant Nuada of the white sword,
Who subdued the Firbolg of blood,
For love of the Tribe, for pains of Danu's children,
Hold thy shield over us, protect us all,
Hold thy shield over us, protect us all.
Danu beloved! Mother of the Shining Ones,
Shield, oh shield us, Lady of nobleness,
And Brigit the beauteous, shepherdess of the flocks,
Safeguard thou our animals, encircle us together,
Safeguard thou our animals, encircle us together.
And Ellen, beneficent, benign,
Governess of the trackways of power,
Invoke the star of power upon the path,
Guide well thou ourselves, shield our procession,
Guide well thou ourselves, shield our procession.
O Mother! O Maiden! O Crone of Wisdom!
Be the Triad with us day and night,
On the machair plain or on the mountain ridge,
Be the Triad with us and her cloak around us,
Be the Triad with us and her cloak around us.
-- Carmina Gadelica, Ancient Celtic Oral Tradition
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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.
-- "The Way of the Bodhisattva", Shantideva (8th century)
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We pray to the great Spiritual Power in which
we live and move and have our being.
We pray that we may at all times
keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma;
that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings
and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with
generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may strive to heal the hurts that we have inflicted on nature
and control our greed for material things, knowing that
our actions are harming our natural world and the future of our children;
that we may value each and every human being
for who he is, for who she is,
reaching to the spirit that is within,
knowing the power of each individual to change the world.
We pray for social justice,
for the alleviation of the crippling poverty
that condemns millions of people around the world
to lives of misery - hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving,
who are condemned to homelessness, slave labor, and prostitution,
and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture
even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war,
for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places
through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.
We pray for suffering animals everywhere,
for an end to the pain caused by scientific experimentation,
intensive farming, fur farming, shooting, trapping,
training for entertainment, abusive pet owners,
and all other forms of exploitation
such as overloading and overworking pack animals,
bull fighting, badger baiting, dog and cock fighting and so many more.
We pray for an end to cruelty,
whether to humans or other animals,
for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving
and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;
that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being.
We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us,
and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.
-- Dr. Jane Goodall
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O little self, within whose smallness lies
All that man was, and is, and will become,
Atom unseen that comprehends the skies
And tells the tracks by which the planets roam.
That, without moving, knows the joys of wings,
The tiger's strength, the eagle's secrecy,
And in the hovel can consort with kings,
Or clothe a god with his own mystery.
O with what darkness do we cloak thy light,
What dusty folly gather thee for food,
Thou who alone art knowledge and delight,
The heavenly bread, the beautiful, the good.
O living self, O god, O morning star,
Give us thy light, forgive us what we are.
-- John Masefield, "Sonnets" (1915)
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And now, Grandfather, I ask you to bless the white man.
He needs your wisdom, your guidance.
You see, for so long he has tried to destroy my people,
and only feels comfortable when given power.
Bless them, show them the peace we understand;
teach them humility.
For I fear they will someday destroy themselves and their children
as they have done so Mother Earth.
I plead, I cry, after all, they are my brothers ...
"Prayer for the White Man" -- Native American
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God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
"The Serenity Prayer", Reinhold Niebuhr (original version)
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Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
-- Attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
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Grant, O God, thy protection,
and in protection, strength,
and in strength, understanding,
and in understanding, knowledge,
and in knowledge, the knowledge of justice,
and in the knowledge of justice, the love of it,
and in that love, the love of all existences,
and in the love of all existences, the love of God,
God and all goodness.
-- "Gorsedd prayer", Iolo Morganwg (1792 Summer Solstice)
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Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart,
alone with you, God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond,
the world that rushes in on me
till the waters come again and fold me back to you.
-- St. Aidan of Lindisfarne (ca. 600-651 AD)
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OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM
(Tibetan pronounciation - Om Ah Hung Benza Guru Péma Siddhi Hung)
I invoke you, Vajra Guru, Padmasambhava,
by your blessing may you grant us ordinary and supreme realization.
-- Mantra of Padmasambhava
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O Lord! Make my self such that I may have love for all beings,
Joy in the meritorious, unstinted sympathy for the distressed
And tolerance towards the perversely inclined.
O Lord! May my soul always find fulfillment, in friendship and love towards all beings,
In all the virtuous, in compassion toward all suffering creatures,
And in remaining neutral towards those hostile to me.
This is my prayer.
-- Ancient Jain Prayer of Love for All
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Father-Mother God,
Loving me, -
Guard me when I sleep;
Guide my little feet
Up to Thee.
“For the Children” Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910)
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I am one with my father and the universe.
I am one with mother earth.
I am one with everyone within the reach of my voice.
And, in this togetherness, we ask the divine intelligence to eradicate all
negatives from our hearts, from our minds,
from our words, and from our actions.
And, so be it.
-- Babatunde Olatunji (1927-2003)
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Through your blessing, grace, and guidance,
through the power of the light that streams from you:
May all my negative karma, destructive emotions,
obscurations and blockages be purified and removed,
May I know myself forgiven
for all the harm I may have thought and done,
May I accomplish this profound practice of phowa,
and die a good and peaceful death,
And through the triumph of my death,
may I be able to benefit all other beings, living or dead.
-- Tibetan Buddhist Phowa Practice, "Care for the Dying"
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Fire of the Spirit,
life of the lives of creatures,
Spiral of sanctity,
Bond of all natures,
glow of charity,
lights of clarity,
taste of sweetness to the fallen,
be with us and hear us.
Hildegarde von Bingen -- 12th Century
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Hear the words of the Star Goddess,
the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven,
whose body encircles the universe:
I who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon
among the stars and the mysteries of the waters,
I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.
Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices,
for behold-- all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.
Let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion,
honor and humility,
mirth and reverence within you.
And you who seek to know Me,
know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not,
unless you know the Mystery:
for if that which you seek,
you find not within yourself,
you will never find it without.
For behold, I have been there with you from the beginning,
and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
“Charge of the goddess”, Doreen Valiente (Adapted by Starhawk)
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With humbleness,
may I face everyone with compassion
With devotion to enlightened life,
may I abide in true compassion
So that others may know their true Heart,
may I have the wisdom and True Knowledge to bring out the best in everyone
With compassion for this world with all and everyone in it,
may I fight in every way for a better world, for the generations to come
Accepting any hardship for myself,
may I abide in the Energy of the Universe,
the source of wisdom and compassion
Empowered,
may I have true compassion in sharing the wisdom of life and death with others,
by being present in meditation, of any shape or form of everyday life
May this branch of Love
be of benefit
-- "Compassion", Steinar Almelid
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Oh, watch the day
Once again hurry off.
And the Sun bathe
Itself in the water.
The time for us to rest approaches
O God, who dwelleth in heavenly light.
Who reigns above in heaven's hall.
Be for us our infinite light
In the valley of the night.
The sand in our hourglass will soon run out.
The day is conquered by the night.
The glares of the world are ending,
So brief their day, so swift their flight.
God, let thy brightness ever shine.
Admit us to thy mercy divine.
-- from the movie, Babette's Feast
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Throughout all generations we will render thanks unto Thee
And declare Thy praise,
Evening, morning, and noon,
For our lives which are in Thy care,
For our soulds which are in Thy keeping
For Thy miracles which we witness daily,
And for Thy wondrous deeds and blessings toward us at all times.
-- Jewish Sabbath Evening Service in Prayers for the Pilgrim Festivals
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He who consists of the mind, whose body is breath,
whose form is the light of Consciousness, whose resolve is true,
whose Self is space, containing all actions, containing all desires,
containing all odors, containing all tastes, pervading this whole world,
the unspeaking, the unconcerned;
This my Self within the heart is smaller than a grain of millet,
or the kernal of a grain of millet;
This my Self within the heart is larger than the earth, larger than the sky,
larger than the heavens, larger than all these words.
-- The Upanishad Chandogya
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The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
-- The Bible, Numbers 6:24-26
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Oh Allah!
I consult You as You are all Knowing,
and I seek ability from Your power and I ask you for Your great favor,
for You have power,
but I do not,
and You have knowledge,
but I do not,
and You know all hidden matters.
Oh Allah!
If You know that this matter is good for me in my religion,
my livelihood and my life in the Hereafter,
then make it easy and bless it;
and if You know that this matter is evil for me in my religion,
my livelihood and my life in the Hereafter,
then keep it away from me and keep me away from it,
and choose what is good for me wherever it is,
and make me pleased with it.
-- Muhammad, (7th Cent AD)
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I arise today
through the strength of heaven,
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
-- "The Deer's Cry" (aka"St. Patick's Breastplate"), Ancient Celtic Prayer
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May we harness body and mind
to see The Lord of Life,
who dwells in everyone.
May we ever with one-pointed mind
Strive for blissful union with the Lord.
May we train our senses to serve the Lord
Through the practice of meditation.
Great is the glory of the Lord of Life,
Infinite, omnipresent, all-knowing.
He is known by the wise who
meditate and conserve their vital energy.
-- Shvetashvatara Upanishad
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Great and Eternal Mystery of Life, Creator of All Things,
I give thanks for the beauty You put in every single one of Your creations.
I am grateful that You did not fail in making every stone, plant, creature,
and human being a perfect and whole part of the Sacred Hoop.
I am grateful that You have allowed me to see
the strength and beauty of All My Relations.
My humble request is that all of the Children of Earth
will learn to see the same perfection in themselves.
May none of Your human children doubt or question
Your wisdom, grace, and sense of wholeness in giving all of Creation
a right to be living extensions of Your perfect love.
-- Native American Prayer of Thanks for Creation
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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
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With the mountains, with the stone
Will I call Thee, Lord, O Lord!
With the birds in the early dawn
Will I call Thee, Lord, O Lord!
With the fishes of the sea,
With gazelles in deserts free,
With the mystic's call "O He!"
Will I call Thee Lord, O Lord!
-- Yunus Emre
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Grandfather, Great Spirit,
once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice.
You lived first, and you are older than all need, older than all prayer.
All things belong to you -- the two-legged, the four-legged,
the wings of the air, and all green things that live.
You have set the powers of the four quarters of the earth to cross each other.
You have made me cross the good road, and the road of difficulties,
and where they cross, the place is holy.
Day in, day out, forevermore, you are the life of things.
-- Black Elk
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Too late I loved you, O Beauty so ancient yet ever new!
Too late I loved you!
And behold, you were within me, and I out of myself,
and there I searched for you.
-- Saint Augustine
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Holy Spirit
think through me
till your ideas
are my ideas
-- Amy Carmichael
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Each morning I offer my body, my mind, and any ability that I possess,
to be used by Thee, O Infinite Creator,
in whatever way Thou dost choose to express Thyself through me.
I know that all work is Thy work,
and that no task is too difficult or too menial when offered to Thee in loving service.
-- Paramahansa Yogananda
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O you who covers the high places with waters,
who sets the sand as a bound to the sea and who upholds all things:
the sun sings your praises, the moon gives you glory,
Every creature offers a hymn to you,
his author and creator forever.
-- Eastern Orthodox
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Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music of the singing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical power of sleep.
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations of slowing down
to look at a flower;
to chat with an old friend or to make a new one;
to pat a stray dog;
to watch a spider build a web;
to smile at a child;
or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my greater destiny.
-- Wilfred A. Peterson
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