This manta reminds us that reverence leads to amazement.
Breathing in: I stand in awe . . .
Breathing out: of all Creation.
Other Prayers
Everyone by Ron Miller presents a daily meditation and prayer to see the divine in everyone you meet.
Let There Be Life
Where there is gunfire, let there be silence.
Where there is silence, let there be laughter.
Where there is laughter, let there be light.
Where there is light, let there be love.
Where there is love, let there be hope.
Where there is hope, let there be you.
Where there is you, let there be life.
— Leonardo Alishan in A Forgiving Heart by Lyn Klug, editor
Prayer for Dialogue with Greater Religions
I bow to the one who signs the cross.
I bow to the one who sits with the Buddha.
I bow to the one who wails at the wall.
I bow to the OM flowing in the Ganges.
I bow to the one who faces Mecca,
whose forehead touches holy ground.
I bow to the dervishes whirling in mystical wind.
I bow to the north,
to the south,
to the east,
to the west.
I bow to the God within each heart.
I bow to epiphany,
to God’s face revealed.
I bow. I bow. I bow.
— Mary Lou Kownacki in Prayers for a New Millennium
The Seven Directions
(STAND ON MOTHER EARTH. FACE EAST.)
Oh Great Spirit of the East, I face you to understand birth and new
beginnings. I look to you bringing forth a new day and am
reminded that life is about birth – of babies, puppies, new
seasons, new ways of doing things. Teach me the mysteries of
Beginnings.
(FACE SOUTH.)
Oh, Great Spirit of the South, I look to you to understand
abundance, fertility, warmth, and the extravagance and colors of
creation. Come to my mind and feet and lead me into the adventures of the South.
(FACE WEST.)
Oh Spirit of the West, I turn to you to understand dying. As the sun
goes down each day, I am reminded of many deaths: friends, generations,
the seasons, and old ways of doing things. Let the sunset
remind me that, like the sun, I too shall arise in a new life and color.
(FACE NORTH.)
Oh Strong, Powerful North, I face you to remember that life
sometimes comes to us in cold and harshness. Not only do the
days grow cold, but others may turn cold toward us. Give me the
strength of the Buffalo, that I may stand in blizzards with my face
toward the North, without being blown down or overwhelmed.
(FACE EAST AGAIN. LOOK UP.)
Oh Great Spirit of all that is Up, all that soars, all that floats or flies
above us, all that comes to us from on high to enlighten us, I cherish
this direction. Give me visions, and let my mind walk among
the stars and moon, and in the daylight of the sun. Oh, sweet power
of Up, lift me high to my Father, the Sky.
(STILL FACING EAST, LOOK DOWN.)
Oh Great Spirit of all that is Down, I thank you for my Mother, the
Earth. I ask to be humble, to be simple, to never consider myself
above all my relatives in creation. And may I walk with such respect
upon the earth, that when it is time for me to go to her, she may
receive me sweetly to her heart.
(STILL FACING EAST.)
Oh Wondrous Direction of In, I put my hand on my heart to remind
me of the mysteries, the unknowns that lie within me. Teach me to
guard the simpler beauties. To walk closely within the circle of my
God in my heart. Let me share only with those who can be loyal to
my secrets.
Ho! So it is!*
*The content of this prayer will vary every day and with every person. Only the form is given.
— Unknown in Woman Prayers: Prayers by Women from Throughout History and Around the World by Mary Ford-Grawbosky
