I once read that worrying is like praying for the things you don’t want to happen and that helps me to be more conscious of how much I’m worrying.
In reality, I believe worrying makes absolutely no difference to the outcome of things and sometimes just writing down my worries can be enough to get them out of my head so I can enjoy the present moments x
I’m currently visiting a Muslim country and have been asking myself, as a person without formal religion, ‘what would my life look like if I stopped to pray 5 times a day?’ It will be my next substack! Watch this space!
Praying to me has always felt like a way of paying attention to the world. I do that religiously, but I like the idea of kind of prescribing 5 times a day in times of difficulty eg when hopelessness abounds.
Thank you as always for writing so beautifully about what we need to hear. (This felt like a sister to the Mary Oliver poem, I Worried ❤️)
Yes !! If we consider our thoughts and actions as devotional by nature, what are devoting ourselves to? Worry, control, fear, trust, openness..? How does it feel to devote yourself to the gods of worry?! 🥲
I’ve tried to put a happy face on my eclipse experience today, but I’m fairly crushed that I took a risk, spent lots of money, and saw mostly clouds in Texas. I told myself I was ready for whatever comes. But that isn’t true. - I’m going back to read your post because I know there are things in it that it’ll help me to hear.
“PRAY MORE, WORRY LESS means Turn down your neurotic thoughts and attune yourself to the real magic around you.”
Yes! If you haven’t read Maggie Ross’ Silence: A User’s Guide yet, I highly recommend it. She’s very powerful in describing this type of prayer, of BEHOLDING the universe rather than simply SEEING it, and its history within Christian mysticism.
Wow, there is so much golden wisdom in your words. Thank you for this. It is feeling so aligned with my morning of praying, allowing and dissolving. I just read the Rumi poem Emptiness prior to opening up your article, it feels aligned too. Many blessings and thank you. 🙏🏽
Great post, thanks for sharing. I've accepted the perspective that the reason why "they" try to keep us paralyzed with fear, worry, doubt, etc in order to bring us in and under a lower vibration. The evil powers (wickedness in high places) feed on negative vibrations - despair, agony, terror, etc. If the vibration of our planet changes to TRUSTING IN GOD - majority will rule. There was a reason why early America stood upon its national motto "IN GOD WE TRUST"
First rule in a free society under free government is being in alignment with the Laws of Nature and of Nature's Gpd - spoken of in the Declaration of Independence. The sacred volumes tell us that the MOST 2 IMPORTANT LAWs - superior to every other spiritual, civil or societal law is LOVE GOD with all your heart and mind and soul and love others as yourself (NOT more than you love yourself but as you love yourself -no martyrs under a free nation and free government).
When an individual or a nation brings themselves in alignment with the Laws of Nature then God can work through us / we won't be working against God and goodness, truth, justice and freedom. It's all about vibration. It's either trust (high vibration) in an ALL GOOD and ALL KNOWING GOD / or you exist in a lower vibration and will trust in yourself or government or idols.....
This is fantastically written. I am a Christian but your words landed. It is all about being absorbed in the Divine. Thomas Merton talks about this is in Seven Storey Mountain, the Divine Love. Worry is just a distraction from all the amazing.
Reminds me of when my car’s hood mysteriously flew up and I couldn’t get it down. No cell service zone, phone battery dead, middle of nowhere on the coast, with the last minutes of light. I decided to breathe and laugh at how hilarious it was. Minutes later I met a man who tried to help, and twenty minutes later a family. We found out we all needed each other in different ways that night.
I said no to something recently that ended up causing pain. Reading this is a reminder that those moments are brief and we survived and I WILL get another chance for yes.
I DEFINITELY make a religion out of worrying. I 100% feel like if I worry enough bad things won't happen or, to be more precise, that if bad things do happen it's probably my fault for not worrying enough. That's the only religion I've inherited from my grandmother and mother: worrying as a sign of love, and as a protective spell. It is very hard to undo that sort of wiring, but I feel like me and my kids would all benefit greatly if I manage to leave it behind me. Also, I've been listening to Marilynne Robinson's novel Gilead and I just had the exact same realization about praying a couple of days ago! So thank you for one more column that seems to speak directly to me :)
I once read that worrying is like praying for the things you don’t want to happen and that helps me to be more conscious of how much I’m worrying.
In reality, I believe worrying makes absolutely no difference to the outcome of things and sometimes just writing down my worries can be enough to get them out of my head so I can enjoy the present moments x
Awesome piece.You are a master of full circle storytelling and hiding lessons like Easter eggs.
I’m currently visiting a Muslim country and have been asking myself, as a person without formal religion, ‘what would my life look like if I stopped to pray 5 times a day?’ It will be my next substack! Watch this space!
Praying to me has always felt like a way of paying attention to the world. I do that religiously, but I like the idea of kind of prescribing 5 times a day in times of difficulty eg when hopelessness abounds.
Thank you as always for writing so beautifully about what we need to hear. (This felt like a sister to the Mary Oliver poem, I Worried ❤️)
Yes !! If we consider our thoughts and actions as devotional by nature, what are devoting ourselves to? Worry, control, fear, trust, openness..? How does it feel to devote yourself to the gods of worry?! 🥲
I’ve tried to put a happy face on my eclipse experience today, but I’m fairly crushed that I took a risk, spent lots of money, and saw mostly clouds in Texas. I told myself I was ready for whatever comes. But that isn’t true. - I’m going back to read your post because I know there are things in it that it’ll help me to hear.
Pfff Heather making me cry at the office AGAIN 🥰
Not to go off topic, but PLEASE update us on the viewing experience!
“PRAY MORE, WORRY LESS means Turn down your neurotic thoughts and attune yourself to the real magic around you.”
Yes! If you haven’t read Maggie Ross’ Silence: A User’s Guide yet, I highly recommend it. She’s very powerful in describing this type of prayer, of BEHOLDING the universe rather than simply SEEING it, and its history within Christian mysticism.
Wow, there is so much golden wisdom in your words. Thank you for this. It is feeling so aligned with my morning of praying, allowing and dissolving. I just read the Rumi poem Emptiness prior to opening up your article, it feels aligned too. Many blessings and thank you. 🙏🏽
Great post, thanks for sharing. I've accepted the perspective that the reason why "they" try to keep us paralyzed with fear, worry, doubt, etc in order to bring us in and under a lower vibration. The evil powers (wickedness in high places) feed on negative vibrations - despair, agony, terror, etc. If the vibration of our planet changes to TRUSTING IN GOD - majority will rule. There was a reason why early America stood upon its national motto "IN GOD WE TRUST"
First rule in a free society under free government is being in alignment with the Laws of Nature and of Nature's Gpd - spoken of in the Declaration of Independence. The sacred volumes tell us that the MOST 2 IMPORTANT LAWs - superior to every other spiritual, civil or societal law is LOVE GOD with all your heart and mind and soul and love others as yourself (NOT more than you love yourself but as you love yourself -no martyrs under a free nation and free government).
When an individual or a nation brings themselves in alignment with the Laws of Nature then God can work through us / we won't be working against God and goodness, truth, justice and freedom. It's all about vibration. It's either trust (high vibration) in an ALL GOOD and ALL KNOWING GOD / or you exist in a lower vibration and will trust in yourself or government or idols.....
Reframing prayer as presence feels not just profound, but also so practical and useful. I might even start praying?!?
This is fantastically written. I am a Christian but your words landed. It is all about being absorbed in the Divine. Thomas Merton talks about this is in Seven Storey Mountain, the Divine Love. Worry is just a distraction from all the amazing.
Reminds me of when my car’s hood mysteriously flew up and I couldn’t get it down. No cell service zone, phone battery dead, middle of nowhere on the coast, with the last minutes of light. I decided to breathe and laugh at how hilarious it was. Minutes later I met a man who tried to help, and twenty minutes later a family. We found out we all needed each other in different ways that night.
I am from Dayton so it's fun to see a shoutout, especially one related to adventure... it doesn't get many of those!!
I said no to something recently that ended up causing pain. Reading this is a reminder that those moments are brief and we survived and I WILL get another chance for yes.
I DEFINITELY make a religion out of worrying. I 100% feel like if I worry enough bad things won't happen or, to be more precise, that if bad things do happen it's probably my fault for not worrying enough. That's the only religion I've inherited from my grandmother and mother: worrying as a sign of love, and as a protective spell. It is very hard to undo that sort of wiring, but I feel like me and my kids would all benefit greatly if I manage to leave it behind me. Also, I've been listening to Marilynne Robinson's novel Gilead and I just had the exact same realization about praying a couple of days ago! So thank you for one more column that seems to speak directly to me :)