Lotus and the Lily. Janet Conner

me? What do I want in it? When does it fit into my day?

       If I truly were a powerful shaman, what kind of ritual or ceremony would I create to support me as I call in a new life of abundance and joy?

      Write

      Dear Voice,

      I knew in my gut that this program could produce big changes. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Help me with this whole idea of ritual. It's a bit foreign to me. What shall I say or do or use? Candles? Music? How about movement? What kind of sacred ceremony can I create to bring me into a state of readiness? I want the result, but I'm not sure how to get there. Talk to me.

      Explore

       Create a special space or altar. It doesn't need to include anything elaborate—perhaps just a candle in front of a picture or a precious rock in a bowl.

       Design your ritual. Decide what you want to say or do. Pull together the things you want for your ritual: candles, music, etc.

       Go through your ritual once today. (You'll write the prayer for it tomorrow.)

       Pay attention to how you feel during and after your ritual.

      Nourish

      I create my own lifting rituals.

      Want More?

       Read Of Water and The Spirit by Malidoma Patrice Somé, a renowned shaman who performs divinations around the world.

       Search for Joseph Campbell's talks online or at the library.

       Read Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore.

      Day 5

      write your own prayer

      It is impossible for you to come full circle in this way of empowerment without prayer.

       It is not enough to want or to intend or to meditate. You must pray. You must talk. You must ask. You must believe. This is partnership. Think of what you are doing as entering into partnership with divine intelligence.

      —Gary Zukav, The Seat of the Soul

      Prayer is necessary. This necessary ingredient is a most interesting phenomenon. In a matter of moments, prayer can alter your vibration, lift your heart, and lighten your load. You know this instinctively from your personal experiences with prayer.

      But if, when you began to pray today, someone had attached instruments to your head and heart and body, you would be able see the effects of prayer on printouts and screens. You'd see your heart rate slow down and your brain waves shift from beta to alpha and possibly even theta. You might not see immediate results in your outer world—that is, whatever you are praying for might not manifest right away—but you would see immediate results in your inner world. After years of research in the new area of study called neurotheology, Andrew Newberg, MD, director of the Center for the Integrated Study of Spirituality and the Neurosciences at the University of Pennsylvania and author of How God Changes Your Brain, concluded that “different types of meditation and prayer affect different parts of the brain in different ways, and each one appears to have a beneficial effect on our neurological functioning and physical and emotional health.”

      If you want to explore the impact of prayer on all realms, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, read the books of Larry Dossey, MD, starting with the book that woke the world to the efficacy of prayer, Healing Words. No one has written more prolifically or more magnificently on the power of prayer.

      But even if we didn't have all this scientific input, most of us would still acknowledge that prayer works. Mysteriously, perhaps. Erratically, perhaps. But it works. And that's our focus. We want prayer that works, prayer that creates a beautiful life.

      The best prayer, the most powerful prayer, is the one that rises from the wellspring of your soul. Yes, religious traditions have many gorgeous and powerful prayers, but there's something transcendent about writing your own prayer. Coming from your life, your situation, your emotions, your needs, your dreams, your fears, your purpose, and your personal relationship with the Divine, your words have a power that words written by others may not have. This doesn't mean you should relinquish the prayers of your tradition. If you love them, continue to say them and incorporate them into your rituals. But give yourself permission to write your own prayer. It's really quite easy. Just sit down and have a conversation with your Voice. Talk about what's important. Talk about why you're writing this prayer and what you hope it will accomplish. From deep within your soul, ask for the perfect prayer for your daily ritual. Write fast. No thinking, no editing, no judging. Just write.

      I started talking with my Voice about how important partnership is to me. The more I wrote, the more I realized that's what the next phase of my life was all about. Once I knew my heart was set on partnership, I asked for my special prayer, and it flowed quickly onto the page:

      Today dear God, I declare my commitment to live in partnership.

      I am rich in partnerships. Michael protects me. Gabriel sends the words.

      Spirit guides me. My spiritual community loves and supports me.

      Now, I step forward into my magical new year as a partner

      calling forth my partners—speaking partners, teaching partners,

      writing partners, publishing partners, publicity and administration

      partners, learning partners and my life partner—

      all the partners I need to live the life I'm here to live.

      In return, I commit to be the partner they are looking for—

      present, active, generous, creative, helpful, kind, and grateful,

      and filled with the love of God.

      I share my bounty and together we do great and meaningful work

      that blesses and heals many, many souls.

      Thank you for this past year of learning and growing.

      It is my foundation for my new year of purpose and joy.

      Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God.

      I am so blessed. I am so blessed. I am so deeply blessed.