Deborah Lipp

Perhaps you think of meditation and prayer as two entirely different things; many people do. Indeed, meditation can be an entirely secular activity, or it can be spiritual, but unrelated to the worship of a specific deity. Meditation is a discipline of mind, focusing awareness, thoughts, emotions, or state of being in a particular way. Prayer, on the other hand, is communion with deity (God or a god or gods).

Prayer can take many forms. It can be supplication, thanksgiving, acknowledgment, or simply being in the presence of deity in a worshipful way. Most Western religions don’t have a specific tradition of meditation; instead, prayer is where meditation happens. To be in the presence of deity and still the mind in order to commune with deity, to receive wisdom or comfort or peace; this is meditation. It’s explicit in things like Quaker meetings, but implicit, perhaps in different language, in many practices of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

But this is a Pagan site, and so let’s talk about this in a Pagan way. My plan is to discuss the relationship between Pagan prayer and meditation today, and in the coming weeks, use the Sunday Meditation space to talk about specific aspects of that, like the use of home altars and so on. I’d welcome suggestions in comments about any specific topics you’d like to see.

First let’s talk about the mind in prayer. Assuming the intention of prayer is to speak with or commune with the gods in some way, then it would certainly help to be in a meditative state first. So there’s two ways of approaching this.

Method 1: Pray.

Method 2: Still the mind. Ground and center. Pray.

Now, right on the face of it, you can see that Method 2 is going to work better, and by “work” I mean “produce the desired result,” i.e. achieving a sense of communion with deity.

You can also prepare to pray in much the same way you prepare to meditate, and for the same reasons:

Phone rings while meditating, concentration broken: Bad.

Phone rings while praying, feeling of connection to deity broken: Bad.

So, preparing to meditate and preparing to pray are not that different. You want to take a little space, a little moment where you’re not interrupted. (On a future Sunday, I’m going to discuss small moments of meditation/prayer and how to find them in a busy life. This is super helpful if you’re the mother of an infant, for example.)

Use of a dedicated spot—an altar—for prayer or worship is actually more common than using such a spot for meditation, but I do it for both, and I do it specifically because it works. There’s a number of things a dedicated spot can achieve; it provides visual cues that help still the mind. Being there triggers a kind of post-hypnotic suggestion, indicating to the mind that it’s time to enter into a meditative state. Things you use during meditation or prayer (rosary beads, candles, incense) are all in a convenient spot, so there’s no fussing about.

I meditate at my altar, and I don’t always make much distinction between prayer or meditation. I’m stilling my mind in the presence of my Goddess. Or I’m stilling my mind in order to be in the presence of my Goddess. Whatever. These distinctions: Prayer, worship, meditation, communion; they’re for the intellect, they’re for thinking about afterwards. In the act, in the moment, it doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s simply what you do that enriches your life and brings peace.

There’s something that I’ve wanted in my life for quite a while and haven’t gotten. I’ve taken both practical and magical steps for it, and yet I’ve had no results. In fact, I’ve had tantalizing almost-results, and I’ve done things that seemed guaranteed to succeed, so at this point, I’m sure there’s some kind of psychic block, although I don’t know what it is.

This is something that happens to a lot of people. There’s something that you want, something real-world and attainable; a job, a house, a relationship, a baby, that somehow you haven’t been able to get. Or there’s something you don’t want, some persistent pattern, that you haven’t been able to get rid of. If you know it’s something possible, and you’ve taken steps, and you’ve reached out for help with those steps, and you’re still not there, then it might be a psychic block. This meditation is designed to help clear such a block.

Ground and center.

You are in a place outdoors, and you are comfortable and at ease. You are going to go on a journey. Perhaps you can begin from the beautiful area behind your meditation cottage, and choose a path leading from there.

Begin to walk on the path. The way is pleasant and relaxed. Your feet naturally find the easiest steps on the road. The air is soft around you.

Gradually the way becomes difficult. From time to time, you must watch your footing, and you begin to notice a feeling of effort and strain in your body, but it’s fine, it’s within your capabilities. It’s like light exercise, and you are happy to continue.

Notice what the path looks like. Observe its colors and shapes. Listen for sounds. What is this path like?

Now you come to a barrier in your path. Stop and observe this barrier. What is it made of? How big is it? What does it feel like to be blocked in this way? Before trying to change anything about this barrier, simply observe it, and meditate on the experience of encountering it.

Now start removing the barrier. You can use any means you like, and you can get help in any way you choose. You are in your own meditation space, and so you do not have to conform to any normal rules. Perhaps the barrier crumbles easily, perhaps it is stubborn and difficult to remove. Continue the process of removal.

With the barrier removed, you can get to the other side. What is it like there? Enjoy your time on the other side before returning home.

Some people may find that they cannot remove the barrier. That’s okay. Your work was effective and helpful, and there’s more work to do. You can repeat this meditation to finish the work another time. Feel good about the progress you made.

You should make time to return to this path and this journey another time, to walk past the remnants of the barrier and enjoy the path you’ve cleared.

This is another expanded grounding and centering meditation. There is a section at the end for extending it outward for a group meditation. If you were working in a group, one person would read aloud (or speak from memory).

Begin by being aware of your breathing, and as you breathe deeply, in and out, with long, cleansing breaths, allow yourself to feel the movement of breath in your body.

As you breathe, notice the breath moving through your human body. Become aware that you have a body, that you are a human being and of the Earth.

You are also a being of Spirit. Notice your center, the place where spirit resides in your body. It is round and glowing with the light of your spirit. Notice the beauty of its shimmering glow. It is iridescent white, like a pearl.

Feel the glow extend through your body. With each breath, the glow fills you more deeply. The glow extends to the tips of your fingers and toes, to the top of your head and the ends of your hair, and at the core of it remains the bright pearl of your center, shimmering and shining, bathing you in sacredness and peace.

In your life, there are challenges, blocks, hardships. Notice again that your center is a pearl, and see the pearl forming its beautiful shell around those challenges, making them beautiful and perfect. Just as an oyster turns its irritations into pearls, so your pearl center can transform your problems into precious gems.

Allow yourself simply to bask in the light.

(For a group)

Now notice you are in a circle of such glows. It is a beautiful necklace of pearls, bound together in a strand, united and individual, and glowing as one.

Last time, I introduced the concept of a Cloak of Peace, and suggested that it could be used for a variety of purposes. Today, I’d like to continue that exploration.

Let’s start with a couple of caveats. First, you’re going to be building up the energy and efficacy of this cloak over time, over a number of meditation sessions. So choose one concept that is most meaningful to you; one cloak that will be most useful to you. Think about your day to day life and ask yourself: Where do I get into trouble? Where do I stumble? At what moment do I most need a helping hand? I chose “peace” as the helping hand, but yours may be different.

Second, make sure your color symbolism really works for you. You can research various color systems, or you can work intuitively, but make sure the color clearly conveys the feeling you’re going for. You don’t want to change your mind six months down the road. So think about color before creating the cloak.

Finally, you may find this technique so useful and easy that you decide to have a second cloak, in a very different color (and/or fabric and/or style) for a different purpose. But you want to be very good at having and using the one cloak first, so assume you’re only going to have one, and choose the one you want the most.

Okay, now that’s out of the way. Let’s talk about uses for the cloak.

I went to sleep last night thinking of all the things I want to accomplish, and thought about creating a Cloak of Energy. I often feel lazy, dragged out, unmotivated. My knee hurts, I had a long day, there’s something good on TV. Things don’t get done.

What would a cloak of energy be like? I imagine the color should be red (Mars, strength, aggression, motivation), orange (vitality, success, fire), or yellow (the Sun, achievement, ambition, strength). I would make it of a light fabric, like a silk or a jersey, that moved easily as I moved. Maybe even a short cloak, like a capelet, because that feels like something someone energetic would wear. In creating the meditation, I would focus on feelings of excitement, energy, and motivation, and visualize myself accomplishing small household tasks that require lots of moving around (carrying laundry, cleaning off clutter, that sort of thing).

I originally devised this meditation to help with ADHD. Put on the Cloak of Focus in a classroom to help stay focused. There’s a problem with that though, a Catch-22. When you’re unfocused, it’s hard to do the meditation to create the cloak. So the thing to do is to create the cloak and reinforce it when you’re at your most focused. That way, putting it on later will require less focus.

This is a meditation that creates a post-hypnotic suggestion that can be used to help you with ungoing problems. I am here creating a Cloak of Peace that can help with anxiety, but you can use a Cloak of Calm or Focus to help with hyperactivity or restlessnes, you can use a Cloak of Serenity to deal with mood swings or rage, you can use a Cloak of Contentment to help manage depression.

Ground and center.

Breathe in and feel peace. Suffuse yourself with peace.

Breathe out and release anxiety. Anxiety, worries, and unhappy thoughts rush away from you as air leaves your lungs.

Breathe in: Peace.

Breath out: Release anxiety.

As you begin to feel more and more peaceful, visualize yourself putting on a beautiful cloak. It is a lovely color, a color you associate with peace. (For most people, this is a deep sky blue, but you can choose any color you like.)

You are wearing your cloak, and breathing in peace. Notice how peaceful you feel, while visualizing the cloak as clearly as possible. See its color. Feel the texture of the fabric, and the weight of it on your shoulders. Feel the warmth as it envelopes you.

Your cloak envelopes you in peace.

After doing this meditation several times over a period of days, you can begin to put on the cloak in order to feel more peaceful. Say you’re out in public and feel a lot of anxiety. Visualize putting on the cloak. Or you’re sitting down to take your SATs and waves of anxiety hit you. Visualize putting on the cloak. You can put on the cloak before entering into a situation that you know will make you anxious.

It’s important to occasionally do the full meditation, creating peace, putting on the cloak, and then feeling the peace. Do it once in a while even after the cloak is working on its own, to reinforce it.

For several months, we’ve created and worked with a Meditation Room. Let’s revisit what we’ve achieved.

You have a peaceful location where you feel good, and in that location is a cottage containing your Meditation Room. When you created this room, you took the key with you, so you would always have it with you.

In the meditation room is a comfortable place to sit, a closet, and a table or shelf. These allow you to return, be comfortable, and find things you need (including surprises).

Whenever you wish you can revisit this room. Note details of decor, lighting, temperature, and texture. This atmosphere is entirely yours, and feels good to you. You can also go to the peaceful place outdoors that approaches the cottage, you don’t even need to enter, if you don’t feel like it, because this, too, is a great place to meditate.

On our next visit, we spent more time creating a comfortable place to sit. We also found a painting in the closet, and hung it so our gaze could rest upon it as we sat in our comfy space. Whenever you wish, you can return to gazing at the painting. You can also take it down and put it back in the closet, and see if there are other paintings in there to explore.

On the table or shelf is a book labeled “Memories.” Whenever you wish to meditate upon your past, you can use this book as a starting point.

Finally, we found that the back of the cottage is an entirely different place than the front; a different outdoor meditation area. There is a wonderful place to sit out here, and you can meditate here whenever you wish. There are also paths leading off into the unknown from here. This “back yard” is a great place to begin pathworking and journeying meditations.

Other than what we’ve already spelled out, how might you use your meditation room?

You can go to the room, or to either outdoor location (front or back) every time you meditate. For example, when working on your chakras, you might come here first, and visualize yourself doing the chakra work in this location rather than your ordinary world. You might also find it is a place of power. When doing a healing work, or using Reiki, you might visualize yourself standing here to gather your power and your focus.

If your cottage has windows, looking out the windows might lead you to new explorations.

There might be other books besides “Memories” on your table.

And whenever you leave, take your key to assure yourself of privacy and a safe return.

In our Sunday meditations, we almost always mention grounding and centering, and emphasize its importance as the beginning of all meditation.

Today, though, we’re going to use the contrast of grounding into the earth with reaching to the sky to meditate on polarity.

Take a deep breath and let it out.

Again, a deep, deep, lung-expanding breath. Let it out.

Now, feel your breath go all the way down to your hips. Let it out.

Now feel it go all the way to your toes, and let it out.

Visualize the glowing energy of your center, and move that glow down through the lower half of your body, from your middle to the soles of your feet.

Breathing into the glow, feel the energy extend out of your body, down into the earth. If you are standing, you can see the glow coming from the soles of your feet, if you are sitting or lying down, see it coming from the base of your spine. See tendrils of energy reaching out of your body and mingling with the earth.

The rich, moist, cool soil of the earth embraces your tendril of energy.

You are touched by the earth. Mother Earth holds you, and you feel Her love. Allow yourself to know that you are deeply rooted in the earth. Feel Earth energy coming up into your body. Feel rooted and solid and sure.

Now allow the glowing energy of your center to fill the upper part of your body. Breath it out into your arms and hands. Breath it up into your neck and face and head.

Extend the glowing energy that fills you up and out through your crown. Reach past the ceiling and roof if you are indoors, up into the sky. Extend your tendrils past the atmosphere, until you are in the starry blackness of infinite space.

The infinite expanse of the Sky Father embraces you. You are filled with possibility. As you touch the infinite, you know yourself as infinite. You can reach into any adventure, any dream, any choice.

Now notice that the energy from the sky is being fed back into you, coming into your body through your crown, and mingling with your own energy.

Now notice that the energy from the Earth Mother and the Sky Father meet within you. You are Their child and Their meeting place. You are a mixing of possibility and certainty, of solidity and adventure, of infinity and time.

Blessed be.