On Thurs 7 Aug 08 @9PM I had a deeply moving and spiritual experience when I lit candles and deeyas for Tibet. This was in unison with everyone in my time zone and done globally. I'd like to explore this and share my experiences with you and hear yours as we participate in universal collective prayer events together. I hope to work together with all the universe's beings as we move toward the ideal of Universal Collective Prayer.

Come join me in Universal Collective Prayer!

May God Bless Us All!

UCP-Universal Collective Prayer is produced by Meady's Musings Production . Copyright 2006-2011

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Advent Calendar 2011:Christmas Day



Image burrowed from this site. Please let us know if we cannot use it and we will take it down.

During our Advent calendar times here on UCP we often consider the relationship between the Christ child, humans and animals. It always seems to us that this is so much a theme in the Christmas story and ironic then that the festival is celebrated by many by eating animals for lunch and dinner on the day itself and days prior.

Of course over on our sister blog Meady's Musings the human and animal story is very evident as we often tell the Christmas Adventures of the Purple Elephant and the little mouse. But even the original Christmas story so filled with animals. We have explored the relationship with animals and Jesus Christ of Nazareth before during our Easter blog postings. Consider this blog where we asked what about the feelings of the donkey as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday:

The Holy Week: Palm Sunday

Excerpts from that blog post:

"...What of the donkey? To me as a Hindu all through the stories I hear of Jesus the Christ’s life I wonder about the animals that surround him…to me these stories are filled with animals from cradle to crave! I mean there were camels, sheep, cows and donkeys at his birth, fishing expeditions, snakes (I think?) as he made his way in life and now here he was about to be crucified and he is riding in to it on a donkey. And as a Hindu looking on at this I can’t help wondering about the connection to the animals and how they feel about all of this. You see from my Hindu perspective I see it that all the animals are also with soul and part of the Universal spirit…so to me I keep thinking of how they would have felt to be surrounded by such an enlightened spirit that was embodied in the flesh of Jesus the Christ while he was on planet earth. However I’m sure Christians must see it differently and so it must be noted this is just my point of view being shared with…no malice…no spite…and certainly no disrespect but just plain enquiry from where I stand in the journey!

So for the intent of my story I shall proceed to name this donkey upon which Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. I shall name him Sam…don’t ask me why but it is just what pops into my head as I keep seeing him before me…I don't perceive him as a talking donkey a la 'Donkey' from 'Shrek' but more that his spirit can communicate on a more subtle level with the spirit of Jesus...So as Sam walks into Jerusalem's gate with Jesus on his back he feels it...he knows this is the week it will all end...but at the same time his donkey hairs stand on end to know that is part of something bigger than him...something on a grand scale Universally!:)

In terms of Jesus' interaction with the donkey, Sam as they had traveled to Jerusalem I feel it would have been a very loving one...he would have been gently stroking him and stopping frequently on the journey for Sam to rest, drink and eat...he would have recalled too how another donkey took his mother, the Holy Virgin Mary to the manger for him to be born some more than thirty years before...and at that moment he would have perhaps recalled how he was about to go beyond his earthly maternal ties and make a sacrifice on a bigger Universal scale...although it would no doubt hurt his mother on the material plane very much!

And now as he sat upon Sam the donkey at the gates of Jerusalem he again touched the animal's mane lovingly and in that moment connecting with the animals spirit feeling both his fear and awe...He would have alighted from the donkey Sam and come before his face...caressing his snout in both his arms and explaining to him through divine connection that...Sam, the donkey should fear not for he would one day be liberated from the earthly plane and he would a greater spirit be for accompanying him on this journey!:)..."


So now let's look at all the animals in the Christmas story in more detail. First of all let's list all of them as much as possible:

1. The donkey that Mary and Joseph were riding
2. The camels that the wise men were riding...possibly three
3. Oxen not sure how many
4. There was bound to be sheep in a place like that right? With all the shepherds and everything

There may certainly have been more animals and I understand there may have even been a snake at Herod's court but generally these are the main ones that usually make up the Nativity scene i.e. the creche.

So how so you think these animals felt on this night? The night that the Christ child was born and then when into the dawn many came to see him?

Did they feel his divine presence just like how Sam the donkey in our Palm Sunday story felt it?

And we here at UCP wish you a happy and holy Christmas filled with divine blessings as we leave you to contemplate on this. Merry Christmas everybody! :)

And we leave you with even more to contemplate on as the Cherry tree bends to the Divine will in this which is one of our fav Christmas carols by Joan Baez.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Advent Calendar 2011:The Christmas Eve Prayer!



All the animals came over from "The Christmas Adventures of the Purple Elephant and the little mouse" over on our sister blog to join Brother Greg in the Christmas Eve prayer! And here is how the prayer was said:

"Gracious and loving God: With hearts filled with gratitude for the endless ways you come to us, and love us, we again remember your greatest journey - being born in humility, as a child among us. Your birth into our world brought us light, love, peace and joy, and they are eternal gifts. This Christmas, may your Son once again be born into the hearts of your people. Make us instruments of your peace, and bring us to a deeper awareness of your unconditonal love this season.
Amen"

Merry Christmas from UCP and from all the animals over at the Meady's Musings Production House!


Saturday, December 10, 2011

Advent Calendar 2011: A Christmas Prayer!

We have been so asunder this year that even on a blog entitled Universal Collective Prayer after already opening the Advent calendar late...we OMG! forgot the Advent calendar opening prayer! We surrender on to the Divine and beg for forgiveness and we didn't even ask Bro Greg to come say the prayer but as a result we shall contact him for our Christmas Eve mass prayer for sure!

Now in our lateness we had to take inspiration from the little mouse who is on his Christmas Adventures next door on our parent blog Meady's Musings. So here is the mouse's Advent calendar Christmas prayer!

"Dear Lord although I may but a little mouse be
You well know that I let little scare me
Apart from those cats of course
And even then I just surrender to you as the divine source
And although the start of this Advent calendar maybe late
It won't affect what will be on any of my guest's Christmas Eve dinner plate

You know better than I great spirit that in the Universal sense of things we are all one
And so please don't let my Christmas plans be undone
You see the owner of the house was late to open the Advent calendar
But she must not be blamed for such a blunder
As her world I'm told was a bit asunder

So let's now work together
To make this Christmas the best one ever
Keep the cats at bay
And let all our house guests enjoy their stay
This dear Lord is my Advent calender opening prayer!"

And speaking of prayer we here at UCP would like to ask you to take a moment and reflect on the year gone by so far and ask you to look within and consider what is your Christmas prayer? For now and for the New Year?

And with that we leave you with this lady singing about her grown up Christmas prayer or wish or list well all the same no?! :)


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Advent Calendar 2011: The Opening and Happy St. Nicholas Day!

We at the Meady's Musings Production House have left many a story untold this year and many a blog post unfinished and unposted! You our readers must realize it really was never our intent! However we were just too taken up with travelling to different lands and putting on real live blog displays on UCP this year but mostly too involved in our day job! Yes as you know we must pay the bills and we have just been putting our shoulder to the wheel all year long this year!

But we really have just gone and done it now! As we've started our Advent calendar late now too! The Purple Elephant and Little Mouse were just very cross indeed and so they had to make it out of their imaginary house over into our real world to let us know just how they felt! And it wasn't a good sight I will tell you for many a passerby to see a cartoony looking elephant purple at that with a cartoony looking mouse on this back scolding a real life lady on the street! In fact many of the passersby ended up on the psychiatric chair! And for that we at the production house all yell out an 'Oh dear!' But it must have been worth it for here we are to declare the Advent Calendar 2011 open!

The rules again this year will be that on Meady's Musings we will be telling the story of 'The Christmas Adventures of the Purple Elephant with the little mouse' of course at times we may pause for a little this and that.

And on UCP-Universal Collective Prayer we will be keeping to the reverence and prayer of the season.

However there will be days that the two blogs will collide like today as we join to launch the calendar and celebrate St. Nicholas Day! Yes Happy St. Nicholas Day 2011 folks! So although the Advent calendar is declared open late this year it is not that bad as it is on this very special day that celebrates that old saint of giving whom has forever been Americanised as a fat man in a red and white suit!

As we celebrate the day this year we look back at these times when we asked:

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

and when we said:

Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus!

And remind you again this year that if you need to learn more about St. Nicholas the St. Nicholas Center is a pretty good place to start!

And remind you that we do believe in Santa Claus as we also recall the gift giving that was done for the baby Jesus!


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