Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer
 

THE HIDDEN POWER OF BEAUTY, BLESSING, WISDOM, AND HURT
  

By Gregg Braden

excerpted from Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer

The force that created the unimaginable splendors and the unimaginable horrors has taken refuge in us, and it will follow our commands.

~ St. Catherine of Siena  ~

There is something “out there.” Just beyond our perceptions of the everyday world there’s a presence or force that’s at once both mysterious and comforting. We talk about it. We feel it. We believe in it and pray to it, perhaps without even understanding precisely what it is!


Calling it by names that vary from the Web of Creation to the Spirit of God, ancient traditions knew that this presence exists. They also knew how to apply it in their lives. In the words of their time, they left detailed instructions to the people of their future describing how we may use this invisible force to heal our bodies and relationships, and bring peace to our world. Today we know that the language connects all three as a “lost” mode of prayer.


Unlike the traditional prayers that we may have used in the past, however, this technique of prayer has no words. It is based in the silent language of human emotion. It invites us to feel gratitude and appreciation, as if our prayers have already been answered. Through this quality of feeling, the ancients believed that we’re given direct access to the power of creation: the Spirit of God.


In the 20th century, modern science may have rediscovered the Spirit of God as a field of energy that’s different from any other form of energy. It appears to be everywhere, always, and to have existed since the beginning of time. The man widely regarded as the father of quantum physics, Max Planck, stated that the existence of the Field suggests that a great intelligence is responsible for our physical world. “We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind.” He concluded, simply saying, “This mind is the matrix of all matter.”1 Referring to it by other terms such as the Unity Field, contemporary studies have shown that Planck’s matrix does, in fact, have intelligence. Just as the ancients suggested, the Field responds to human emotion!

Regardless of what we call it or how science and religion define it, it’s clear that there’s something out there—a force, a field, a presence—that is the “great magnet” constantly pulling us toward one another and connecting us to a higher power. Knowing that this force exists, it makes tremendous sense that we’d be able to communicate with it in a way that is meaningful and useful in our lives. Ultimately, we may discover that the same power that heals our deepest hurts and creates peace between nations holds the key to our survival as a species.