I am Finally Back to Dance in Universal Collective Prayer!

I meant to be back much sooner than this but unfortunately just days after my vacation I got a flu...don't know if it was swine but it was bad none the less...but I'm recovered fully now...and was able to get my things in order..so now I'm back! It will take a while to build and feel the energy and love as strongly on here again but I hope to soon and to have you...dancing, singing, spinning, loving and surrendering in Universal Collective Prayer again in no time on here! :)

As we build the energy back this might be a good time to pause and not dance and seriously let you know a bit more about my thoughts behind the prayers...

You will see I have finally introduced that new banner at the top and a little logo at the bottom of the page. It was designed by my sister in Universal Collective Prayer- Adriana Ochoa and is meant to reflect what the prayers is all about. My idea is that there is a lot of spiritual talk out there on the planet in recent decades...people love to say they are spiritual and not necessarily religious...but all of us came from some religious origin...even if our parents were atheist we had grandparents perhaps who followed some religion...at least religion is out there and it for sure impacts us...yes for decades religion has been misused in so many ways by its leaders and followers...but why we only hear the bad side? I think it is wonderful all the rich and lovely religious heritages that are out there on the planet...and why can't we all just dance and share in it! :) In fact I feel that dancing energy building already! :) Yes there are different things in certain religions that make them different from others...some things cannot be reconciled...but there are also so many commonalities...and I believe it is possible to in essence dance in Universal Collective Prayer.

Here on the prayers I mostly try to embrace the commonalities...but I am just a human being like others visting the prayers and really this is also simply my humble journey into the prayers...I am merely dancing forth myself...this is my journey...this is my song...and sometimes my feet may stumble on a pebble...my toe can be pricked by a thorn! So I can only engage in Universal Collective Prayer in the best way I know how...I am from a hinducentric origin and so I will always be looking at the prayers from those eyes...but I am honestly trying here to find universality...this is not a blog about pushing any religion over another but it is however limited by the abilities of the human who is writing it...and so it will start from my eyes and spread from there...So far I find it easiest to embrace the other South Asian religions in origin that are very similar to Hinduism i.e. Buddhism and Jainism. However I also see and feel the dance in Sufism and to me the ultimate surrender for sure resides in Christianity especially in how it is expressed in Catholicism.

I continue to wish to learn more on the prayers though and comments and feedback are always welcomed. Also if someone wants to guest blog on a specific aspect of Universal Collective Prayer that they feel they would be good at...please contact me by emailing me at admin(@)meadysmusings.com

One more thing I should explain before I leave you tonight is that the reason the prayers...I wanted it to be collective is apart from the need to have universal prayer i.e. prayer across the religions I believe there should be collective prayer too. I write about this at the top (in the blog's description) to some extent...as in 2008 I took part in an event where candles/deeyas were being lit across the world...in the name of freedom...it was an event for something not against anything...it was not a protest but a prayer...and at the little local event I had...I really felt the power of it...I really felt there was indeed universal collective prayer...and so I wanted to continue that on here...the intention experiment is also a bit like that...and I have taken part in it before...

So I will continue with the prayers from now on as I see it on my journey...this is not necessarily a blog to capture all the religious festivals...and I've done quite a bit of that already since the inception of this blog...so you may start to see where I won't re-do a festival I covered before...doesn't mean I won't do festivals either...what I am saying is I will go wherever the universal dance takes me! :) And of course I want this to be collective so if my readers want me to cover something...let me know and I will try as best to show that dance here! :)

I can never only be all straight face and so I leave you tonight with some of the sights of my vacation. It was parts where I went on a journey into Universal Collective Prayer...taking shots of some of the churches in Santa Fe, New Mexico...especially noted here is how the Native Americans started to join in Universal Prayer as they embraced Christianity (I know some will say by force which can never been seen as good but surely some stayed cause they saw light in there too?) and below you will see the first Native American saint. And at the end of the pics you will see when Universal Collective Prayer gets so cheesy and cheeky...I guess only in America but they charge you too see a Miracle and then tell you can only take pictures for your personal use...it maybe a genuine miracle...I believe in 'em...but you will just see the external in the famous case of the Loretto chapel's staircase! :)As I play by the rules and will keep the staircase pics for my personal use only! In particular though I hope you look on in awe as I did at St. Francis and his doggie...aaawww! :)



The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis Asisi

Meditative and Reflective Ash Wednesday to All!

Tonight on Universal Collective Prayer I wish all a meditative and reflective Ash Wednesday as I feature the voice of my brother in sharing the Eucharist that is the Christ...Deacon Greg Kirk! :)
Oh...the dance that is Universal Collective Prayer! And guess who is the muse?! :)

Ash Wednesday


Feeling my way through the church, the darkness is a stark reminder of how much darkness there is to overcome: the darkness that comes from wanting more and more, the darkness that comes from seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, the darkness of duality. The scents of beeswax and incense beckon me to the sanctuary. Slowly, I turn up the light. As the Roman lights begin to burn, I once again appreciate that enlightenment is a "process," something that can't be forced or rushed. I feel the words of Jesus vibrate through me "I am the light come into the world" and "you are the light of the world." Of the many words I've heard to describe enlightenment, "light" is no doubt my favorite.

I move to the altar and begin lighting candles. As candles flicker, I remember Jesus the light and I smile. I'm not thinking of the rural rabbi, the historical man. I'm not thinking about Jesus, the construct of theology. I'm mindful of the Third Jesus, the teacher of God-consciousness who came forward to offer a path, a way that is universal, a way that is open to everyone. I offer a prayer for three special friends who share in this understanding of Jesus: a shaman-Candyman in the north of Mexico, a beautiful historian in Mexico City and a metaphysical tea drinking muse in Trinidad.

I strip the altar of elaborate fabric. Beholding the stark, grainy wood I am reminded of the beauty of simplicity, I silently pray the mantra "keep it simple." Turning, I gaze above on the massive crucifix hanging behind me. The corpus on the wood speaks of another stripping - a naked man who bared his soul to the world and finally turned self over to Self, in a heroic act of trust. Throughout this process, he offered many lessons on how to enter the kingdom of God, a kingdom that is love and only love. This is my task, this is our task, regardless of the path we follow. To strip away fear, to let go of everything that hinders us from embracing the One beyond name and form. To live is to trust in the non-local, trust in the universe, trust in the power and eternal dimension of love.

The people file to the front of the church where Father John and I await them with ashes - burned palm leaves from last year's Passion Sunday. The ashes remind me ot the brevity and unpredictible nature of human praise and affirmation, the ashes remind me of the certainty of death. I impose ashes on foreheads repeating "turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel." Each face I gaze on, each sign of the cross I make with ash is a prayer for this person in front of me to experience the Third Jesus. Each cross I trace is a request for this brother or sister to experience enlightenment, to reach Self-realization. Each time I hear myself say "turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel" I know that I am really intending "may your self trust the Self."

Goodbyes have been said and the parish has gone home. The candles are extinguished and lights turned off. As I feel my way out of the church, I realize that this is how it is now. One of the most important teachings the Third Jesus imparted to those who follow him is that one's greatest teacher is oneself. I must feel my way through life. I must feel my way to enlightenment. Gaining from the knowledge, experience and wisdom of others will always be important. But ultimately, I am called and you are called to the same unity, the same oneness with God that Jesus of Nazareth experienced and lived. Each way is unique, each life will experience and express it differently. As I leave the church I am certain that someplace deep inside of me, a place so deep it cannot be seen or touched, the following words are whispered - " be yourself."

"I come from Elsewhere, and though I do not know where that is, I am certain to return there in the end." - Rumi

Love, +Greg