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Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts. For out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment, of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.” James Allen. Do you pray? What form does your prayer practice take, and what is the desired affect and effect of prayer for you? Firstly, let's consider the meaning of the words affect and effect for the purposes of our consideration and conversation today. Affect is a verb, meaning to affect, influence, or have an impact on something. Effect is a noun, meaning to have an effect, a positive or a negative effect, the result of being affected by something. Effect can also be a verb, meaning to effect a result or outcome, to bring something about. Does prayer affect God, in a way that results in Divine action or activity, that effects a desired outcome in our lives? In traditional Christianity, there are considered to be these types of prayers: Petition; Confession; Intercession; Praise, and thanksgiving; Adoration; Mystical union or ecstasy. In metaphysical spirituality, we consider prayer as the practice of denial and affirmation: Denial of ego error, and the affirmation of Divine truth, that affects and effects that truth into realization within us, demonstration through us, and then material manifestation in our lives. “Truth is within ourselves; it takes no rise from outward things, whate'er you may believe. There is an inmost center in us all, where truth abides in fulness; . . . and, to know, rather consists in opening out a way whence the imprisoned splendor may escape, than in effecting entry for a light supposed to be without.” Robert Browning Charles Fillmore described what he called true prayer: “In true prayer, we take with us words of Truth, a statement of Truth, or an affirmation, and turn our attention within to the very center of our being, where the Father dwells. We affirm these words of Truth and meditate on them, then get very still and wait in the silence for God to make them real to us.” The affect of true prayer is not to petition and affect, influence, or impact the will or behavior of God. The affect of true prayer is to affect ourselves, to bring us into the realization of Divine truth, to transcend and release the separation of ego error in our consciousness from the union and unity of Divine truth, and to effect the demonstration of that truth through us, and the manifestation of that truth in our lives, through our truth aligned and applied thinking, feeling, speaking, and doing. Faith is an active aspect of the practice of true prayer and the affecting and effecting of the truth, right, and good we desire in our lives. Faith is not passive, it is the intentional and active affirmation and application of Divine truth to ourselves and our everyday life experiences. The Apostle Paul gives us insight and inspiration to live our lives active in faith: “But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” James 2:18 So, the practice of true prayer is to firstly affect us, to bring us into the conscious realization of Divine truth, and then to effect the demonstration of Divine truth through our actions of thinking it, feeling it, speaking it, and doing it, living it, thereby effecting its material manifestation in our lives, and its good in our world. For more detailed info on the lesson content of this blog or any other Unity Magna Ministries services contact Rev. Clive deLaporte at: admin@umagnam.org
Clive deLaporte Spiritual Director at Unity Magna Ministries UWM Ordained Minister & Licensed Teacher CSL Affiliate Minister IWA Integrative Life Coach |