A Word on Prayer
There are many ways to pray to God. All methods are good, other than the ones in which you ask, instead of offer. To ask for things is pestering, whereas to offer your love and gratitude is devotion - this is true for both God, and your fellow beings. God has no need or desire for worshippers. He sustains you - you and your worshipping do not sustain Him. He was doing just fine, trillions of Earthly years before the Earth even came into existence.
God much prefers simple and good people who don’t worship him, and even deny him, than ones who worship him 10 times a day, yet slaughter and invade in His name.
Also, to offer God material is foolish – all matter is already His, which he’s given on loan to you. Pestering God for things, although may get you them, will do nothing good for your soul and consciousness. Also, with ‘The Law of Attraction’, whether you ask from the Universe, or from God - who contains the Universe - know that it is counter devotion – anti-spiritual – and it is just one of the tools used by the other side to gain more material than which they’ve already been given.
It is quite simply a way to materialise pre-existing inner greed, whereas the purpose of spirituality is to eliminate greed by refusing and starving the screaming and kicking Ego. Greed is one of the languages of Ego. Anyone that practices, teaches, or promotes the Law of Attraction, is yet to inherit even a drop of the ocean that is Enlightenment, let alone Union. These people have no true spiritual strength or stamina and are just puppets of their own egos. They’ve been deceived and seduced by that which appeals most to the Ego: Material.
So, material they manifest.
Know this: Material never has, and never will give anyone liberation from their sorrows, or Union with the Ultimate Truth. I’m not saying one has to renounce all material; I’m saying that actively and greedily seeking material is detrimental to the growth of one’s consciousness. This is how people sell out to Ego or devil – just for shiny metals and bricks and water. Why? You can work in the right ways, and if you’ve earned enough from these right ways, then buy whatever you wish. But hungrily seeking material, and lusting after it, will leave you vulnerable to temptation, and will never give you fulfilment even once you attain it. It’s infinitely better to own less external substance and have more internal substance, than the other way around. Also, any form of prayer, in which you pray to anything external, or praise anything or anyone other than the Ultimate, is to be avoided if you wish to grow your soul to eventually become at one with His. And once you have achieved Union, you will never even take notice of any external deity, let alone worship it, for you will be with the Almighty every time you close your eyes.
Anywhere is a good place to pray, but keep in mind: unclean places, noisy places and public places where others who are not joining you in prayer, but can still see you in prayer, are best avoided. The privacy, solitude, and comfort of your own room is always the best place to pray. The second-best place to pray is in congregation with your loved ones. Also, any time is good for prayer, but morning upon waking, and night before sleeping are the best times to pray.
I will share with you my method of prayer. This is not the only right method, but it is my method. Each of the four stages should be done for a duration that is comfortable to you, and during which, you can maintain complete and unwavering focus in what you are doing. If at any time you find yourself distracted by other thoughts, you are no longer fulfilling your primary goal, which is the expression of your devotion. If devotion ever becomes a chore, immediately abandon it, for it is no longer devotion. It is infinitely better to pray for one minute with all your concentration and focus, than for ten minutes while your mind is preoccupied elsewhere or while reciting words you don’t even understand. If your inner dimensions are unaligned and your mind is preoccupied with other thoughts, whilst your external body is contorting this way and that way pretending to pray, this is a waste of your own time, and quite simply: pretense. Pretense is possible even when you think you’re alone, for your ego never truly leaves you, and therefore you are never alone; it is always there, even when it is dormant – just waiting. So give up all pretense.
Besides, all pretenses are an insult to the Truth, and insulting the Truth only ever damages your consciousness, it never benefits it.
When praying to God, how you refer to Him is up to you. However, the more of a loving and personalised relationship you establish with Him, the more loving and personalised will be His Grace. If you treat Him like your Lord, you will be treated like a dignified subject; if you treat Him like your Father, you will be treated like a dear child. I say: respect Him like the Lord that He is, love and appreciate Him like the Father and Life-Giver that He is, and you will be off to a good start.
Also, if you are ill, or physically unable to stand or kneel, then just close your eyes, and imagine the same. Your Inner Body is more than able.
1) Stand and profess, ‘Ana Maujood ya Baba’, or ‘May Haazir ya Baba’, or ‘I am present, Father’ or the same in your own language - or any language you are most comfortable speaking. God does not require a translator, I assure you.
Also, direction of stance or type of stance is unimportant. Just be comfortable, and fully present. This stage of the prayer is about realigning the direction of your inner being to face the Ultimate Truth - the external aspects are less relevant.
2) Now kneel down, be comfortable, and join your hands together with fingers crossed in your lap. Think of all the things for which you are grateful, one by one. Endeavour to think of all that you are grateful for, and why it is that you are grateful for them. Talk to God. Tell him everything you appreciate. Take as much time as you want to. 3) Now lean forward until your torso is touching your thighs or is parallel with the ground, and your head touches the ground with your hands on the ground next to your head for support. Now profess whatever love you feel for the Deliverer of all that’s good in your life. Talk to God with your inner voice. Tell him why you feel love for him, and how much love you feel for him – if any at all. It’s okay if you don’t feel anything, for feelings grow with awareness. Love is not something that you do, it is either there or it isn’t. One simply finds oneself in love, and cannot ever be taught it, or ‘do’ it, just like devotion.
This stage of the prayer is about exploring, feeling, and beginning to realise to whom exactly you are expressing gratitude. Also, if done with full understanding, presence, and in a state of devotion, bowing the body and head of your matter to the antimatter, or Soul, of the Almighty is a way to heavily impair the inner Ego, which seeks to consume and therefore control all matter for its own goals.
Denying the Ego of what it wants, and devotion to the Almighty are the only ways to weaken and subdue the Ego. One who has a grip on his or her ego, has a grip of the devil by the throat.
Also, one should never bow to anyone or anything other than the Almighty if one wants to attain the Grace of the Almighty. If you feel like you need to ask forgiveness for anything, now is always the best time.
4) Now stand back up.
In your own language and with your inner voice, say:
“Even if you’re ever not here for me Father, I am here for you Father.
Test me if you like, for I am present, and I am becoming more aware Father.
I will do good, and be good, for you and for me Father.”
Now go about your day, and remember your promise to God. Whether you live up to it or not, is a matter of life-long practice; But constant remembrance of this promise is key to good practice.
This prayer is powerful beyond comprehension for your consciousness. It won’t enlighten you, but it will provide you with the fuel necessary for the journey. This fuel is the Grace of Him whom you are trying to reach. Some beings have been meditating and seeking Union for lifetime after lifetime,
deluge after deluge, Age after Age, yet still they remain unenlightened, because they lack this fuel: His Grace. They sit in frustration, full of disguised arrogance and impatience, demanding God. They are yet to understand a few things.
On the other hand, even if you don’t practice meditation, or walk the path of spirituality to reach Him, then just by attaining His Grace you will witness unprecedented changes in your state of being.
This is my promise to you.
_________________________
Harr khud jo khud ko bhooley
Sunney andar sey Khuda boley
Harr khud jo khud ko mitawey
Dekhey haato sey Khuda likhey
Harr khud jo Khuda ko manawey
Khud par khud, kripa ko paawey
*
Every self that forgets itself
Will hear God inside
Every self that erases itself
Will see God writing through their hands
Every self that pleases God
Will automatically attain His Grace.