Prayer is our entrance into the Unseen World. It is by prayer we can call upon the powers and laws of the Great Spirit. The Spirit World has powers and laws that are different from the Physical World. The spiritual laws allow healing to take place; they allow forgiveness to occur; they cause miracles to happen; they cause hate to disappear; they heal broken relationships; they guide every moment of our lives; they allow us to love even when it’s hard. Prayer allows us access to the Spirit World.

(Elders Meditation, White Bison)

Every Mystic was and is deeply in love with God. And prayer is our tool.

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing make you afraid.

All things are passing. God alone never changes.
Patience gains all things. If you have God
you will want for nothing.
God alone suffices.

Look for God in the details

Teresa of Avila had that mysterious quality the Spanish call duende, which is characteristic of gypsies, flamenco guitarists, and dancers.

Duende is raw, primitive, tempestuous energy, a vulnerability to inspiration burning in the blood. Fiery, wild, and utterly original, duende cannot tolerate neat, tidy categories; cramped forms; or human limitation of any kind.

Duende makes us ready to be devoured in the human struggle for individuation and genuine freedom.

<Tessa Bielecki>

Let nothing, O Lord,
disturb the silence of this night.
Let nothing make me afraid.
Whatever this day has brought me,
whether joy and satisfaction,
or pain and frustration,
they are not worthy to be compared,
with the glory for which we hope.
My merciful and gracious Lord,
what more could I ask of you in this life
than to be so close to you
that there is no separation between you and me?
With St. Augustine, I pray fervently:
“Give me what you have chosen for me,
and bring about in me what you desire for me.”
For what am I without you?
What am I worth if I am not near you?
If ever I should stray from you, even a short distance
how would I ever find myself?
But if I have you, God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.

Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

The Prayer of Saint Francis                                                                                    

“O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light, and
Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh 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.”

St. Francis de Assisi followed his calling gladly and without resentment. His Earthly sacrifices were not seen as a burden to him but as a natural path towards oneness with creation and the Creator. His story is perhaps most powerful in that he was a young man with every worldly thing going for him - his family was wealthy, his friends saw him as a fearless soldier, he was a natural leader, and he enjoyed the pleasures of the earth. Yet he sacrificed everything for his heartfelt beliefs and took it upon himself to care for all creation over his own well-being. By doing so, he gained much more - a profound and enchanting harmony with all creation.

He is a heroic example of sacrifice, of selflessness, of humility, and likewise, a reminder of the attainability of achieving a harmonious state of peace and unity with all creation by simply exuding love.

Written by Claudia Herrera Hudson

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
-St. Francis de Assisi