CALLING ALL PRAYERS

Great Spirit, hold my hand...

I’m feeling a strong call to pray long, in earnest, and regularly. How about you? As the world of human creation continues to melt slowly into a pile of indeterminant gray goo that threatens to slime us all, I want to send a voice out to the Holy One and say, “I love you, and I need your help. We all need your help.”

Sometimes I forget to pray. I am easily distracted into believing that I am all alone in my bumbling efforts to survive down here on this lovely planet. It helps for me to have a plan, then stick to it. So I am making a plan to pray, and inviting you join in with me.

I’ll start tomorrow. Each month near the new moon, I’ll be hosting a small gathering here at my home. We’ll begin our ceremony by reading from Jamie Sams’ “The Thirteen Original Clan Mothers.” This book—always at my bedside—explores the energies and wisdoms bestowed to us through each moon cycle. It is a wonderful, grounding text full of insight, power, and guidance, and I’ve turned to it again and again for many years. The lunar cycle of thirteen moons offers—like the four seasons—a firm and nourishing anchor month to month as we seek clarity in troubled times. Nature offers us many such grounding cycles: The seasons, the tides, the stars, the day-night circling of the Earth, but I am drawn right now to Grandmother Moon…

This month’s new moon ushers in the beginning of the tenth moon cycle, October. The Grandmother of this cycle is Weaves the Web. This ancient one represents the creative principle in all things. She is also the Keeper of the Survival Instinct, in addition to her many other roles (Get the book, and study along with me…)

I’ve carried a Medicine Pipe for many years now—a Native American portable altar, as I’ve come to see it. My pipe has heard many prayers, and sent them on through smoke to the Mystery. If you would like prayers sent for you, or for someone or something you love, write to me. I’ll keep your post private if you wish, and make a prayerstick for you. I’ll load my pipe with your prayers, and whomever gathers at my house with me will send your prayers in a column of sacred smoke up to Great Spirit. The prayer sticks will be burned in a sacred fire.

Tomorrow, I’ll get the ball rolling. I know this is short notice, but we’ll be doing this each month, and I’ll make sure my reminders are posted earlier, so you can get your thoughts together. If you have a prayer (or six, or ten) for tonight, just pass them my way.