Wednesday, November 29, 2017

A Blessing for Mercury Retrograde


As Prayer Month winds down and there's another Mercury Retro in the wind during the holiday season (December 3-22), here's a prayja vu we can all appreciate. Use your mind to make your Retro fit into your holidaze with its Rx of of taking even short breaks to slow down and breathe in the best of love and peace season.


Bless my mind
my short trips
communications devices
and all the words I exchange
in whatever form.

Bless me with the gift
of hesitation
the willingness
to shift my pace
to honor the slow dance
backward spin
the Great DJ in the Sky.

Bless me with patience
to reconsider
review
and renew

to discover
a slower rate
where less glitch happens
dancing to the beat
of the cosmic drum.

Let no words
Pass my lips about
the Curse of Mercury Retrograde

Let me open its gifts
and gossip about them.



© 2010 - 17 by Joyce Mason
Please credit when you share.
joycemason.com


~~~


Photo Credit: It’s My Life © Kydriashka Dreamstime.com


Suggested Use: Say at least once daily during Mercury Retrograde, preferably first thing in the morning.

Related Posts:  First Aid for Mercury Retrograde (10-Jun-14)
Mercury Retrograde can be such an ongoing thorn in the side of humanity, we treat it like a vampire who bites our neck and sucks out any semblance of order for three-and-a-half weeks, several times a year. It concerns us so much; The Mountain Astrologer dedicated an entire issue to it. Links to the articles below.

How to avoid Mercury Retro disasters by keeping your activities focused on what it’s good for—and by keeping your sense of humor. Personal cautionary tales from when I didn’t follow my own advice.

Here are some ideas about how to go with the flow and celebrate that every gear shift has Reverse for a reason. It’s true of your vehicle—your body—too.

What happens when the winter holiday season and Mercury Retrograde converge? Tips to make it a merry Mercury Retrograde.

Ten more ways to celebrate Mercury Retrograde. It almost always sneaks up on me, and I find it difficult to practice what I preach about setting aside time to reflect on the Mercurial issues in my life because I haven't  I haven’t planned for it. Here are some how-to planning tips.

~~~




Radical Recommendation
Mercury Retro is great for “re” words, including recreation! If you haven’t already, consider taking a break with The Crystal Ball. It’s my mystery novel, a romp that happens at a longevity organization’s silver anniversary costume party on New Year's Eve. The theme is “come as you’ll be in the future.” You’ll see a lot of wild Mercury expressed, including some pretty crazy Geminis and Virgos. Check out all 5-star reviews and 4.9 rating on Amazon as of this writing! Only $2.99 in Kindle . See sidebar or click here for details.



A Blessing for Mercury Retrograde is from my book in progress of astrological blessings, prayers, and meditations.

Friday, November 24, 2017

Prayja Vu 2: Another Rich Past Prayer Collection


Morning prayers and prayers for moving through the day. Graces. Prayers before an astrology reading and prayers for peace. Quotes and other thoughts on gratitude. Here is a reprise of 2015's Prayer Month that includes traditions from pagan to Native American, from Buddhist to Jewish and interdenominational. Best of all, a prayer to end your prayers and sent them up to the heavens.


Prayer and Gratitude Month 2015


~~~

Photo Credit: © Vera Kuttelvaserova - Fotolia.com

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Thanksgiving Grace



Blessed be the Earth for providing us this food.
Blessed be the Sun for helping it to grow.
Blessed be the Wind and Birds for carrying its seed.
Blessed be the Rain for the water’s loving flow.
Blessed be the hands that helped prepare this meal.
May those hands and our hands, bodies too, be well and quick to heal.
Blessed be our friends, our families, and all of our loved ones.

For the meal we are about to eat,
for those that made it possible,
and for those with whom we are about to share it:
We are thankful.

In these plates of food, we see the entire universe supporting our existence.

~~~
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: © russiandoll64 – Fotolia.com

Prayer Credit: A collage of prayers researched and compiled by my dear friend, Janet Walden. Thanks, Janet


Thank you for being part of The Radical Virgo family. I am grateful.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Heal Your Holidays with the Forgiveness Prayer and Lovingkindness




On this day may (whoever you have a grudge against) be happy.

May he or she be…" also fill in the blank, but here's an example drawn from the Buddhist Metta (Lovingkindness) Prayer where you speak directly to the heart of the individual:


May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be free.


~~~


Photo Credit: © nnudoo - Fotolia.com

Prayer Contribution: Thanks go again to my friend and colleague, Linda Byrd.

The Radical Virgo Recommends: Say this prayer several times before you meet relatives or friends over the holidays where strained relationships exist between you. It is amazing how much releasing like this between your Higher Selves will soften the situation ... and possibly avoid indigestion at the Thanksgiving table.


Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Welcome the Day: The Prayer of Intention






I welcome this day and give thanks for
all of the gifts and blessings that I 
am, that I give, and that I receive. 
 
I am filled with grace, joy and possibility.
I celebrate, embrace and 
bless this life and my place in it.  

~~~

Photo Credit: © kevron2001 - Fotolia.com


Prayer CreditsHeard on NPR by my friend Linda Byrd. Linda is an astrologer and spiritual life coach you might want to get to know.  

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Great Spirit Prayer


"Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,
Whose breath gives life to all the world.
 
Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
 
Make my hands respect the things you have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice

Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - Myself.
 
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit may come to you without shame.

~Author Unknown

~~~

Photo Credit:  © ruslan1117 - Fotolia.com

Tradition: Native American

Recommendation from The Radical Virgo: 
Change terms as needed to fit your own belief system. There are so many names for Higher Power: God, Goddess, All That Is, Lord/Lady, Spirit and the Universe to name a few.

Monday, November 13, 2017

A Peace Prayer of Wonder and Surprise





Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe. Each day enrapture me with your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all: I ask only to share the wonder of it all.

Grant me peace. Your most precious gift, and give me the will to proclaim its message to all the people of the Earth.
Although differences in thought and belief divide us, let love of truth and the pursuit of holiness, unite me with all life.

Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart. May the one who makes peace in the heavens make peace for all.

~~~

Photo: My great-niece Ana in wonder at the Menorah.

Tradition: Judaism

Recommendation from The Radical Virgo: Change terms as needed to fit your own belief system. There are so many names for Higher Power: God, Goddess, All That Is, Lord/Lady, Spirit and the Universe to name a few.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Prayja Vu: Past Prayer Collection





Prayer Month comes but once a year in November, but many of the prayers are wonderful to revisit. 

Here are 10 prayers and two articles from 2013. They range from traditional to astrological and cover many many spiritual orientations.






Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Peace Offerings



Prayer in Action

© 2017 by Joyce Mason

Growing up Catholic, I was taught to offer up my suffering. The nuns said that suffering, when united with Jesus’s suffering on the Cross, helps convert sinners and atones for sins.
That sounds dark, preachy and almost borderline masochistic from my 2017 view of spirituality, but I realized it has both something to offer on its own face and the potential for a more positive spin. If we tone down the punishing language a bit, sinners and sins are just people who miss the mark of best behavior and sins are errors made in learning how to really live. Our suffering can lead to better behavior and paths for others by their option to learn from our mistakes and our wisdom to share what we learn from our own pain. All relationships, I’m sure even our one with Spirit, are about sharing joys, woes and growth.

The astrological/mythical spin. The idea of offering up suffering is the same thing mythical Chiron did when he chose to take on Prometheus’s punishment for him, giving up his own immortality in the process. Prometheus is a symbol for Uranus, society, freedom and the higher mind, the same pool into which we all pour our pain. Poolside we are witness to great acts of love and altruism, compassion and to suggestions for ways to do—or not to do—things. If you think everyone’s suffering doesn’t affect everyone else, think of the Americans for Disabilities Act and how there is now access for all in public places. That’s a blessing for everyone, because even if you have no mobility issues now, as we age, most of us get wobbly and need a cane or other assistive device.

The positive spin. What if we were to do the same thing with acts of kindness? Offer them up not just to the individual who directly benefits from them but to be aware how they benefit us all. In doing these things, we put more kindness into the Cosmic Cloud, where all acts are documented just like our written documents are saved in another kind of Cloud. The idea is similar to the Akashic record of all happenings. Think of it as putting money in a world bank where kindness, good deeds and fun add to the world’s wealth while crime, bitterness and power trips are like bank robberies and major losses. What can we do to keep the world afloat and everyone’s needs met?

Awareness is the key. In these times of turbulent change where the festering boil of hate, racism and an icy winter of discontent can easily cloud the vision of truth (speaking of clouds), acts of kindness and consideration are needed more than ever. Example at Walmart yesterday: I was waiting in line for my deli order when a man who said he had “terrible vision” wanted directions from the clerk to the bread aisle. He clearly could not see where the deli man was directing him several aisles down, so I offered to take him there while my order was being filled. Since it was still a bit of a wait when I got back to the deli, I took the extra minutes to compliment the woman next to me on her choice of glasses frames. We had a pleasant chat.

Little things, but they benefited two people and everyone in the Cloud. I imagine it like one of those electronic boards on the Commodities Exchange. Acts of Kindness up two. Yet the energy of the entire universe is a web of light that each person’s actions affects. I believe that thinking or saying to yourself " ... and I'm offering this up" adds energy to those acts and pitches them into the Cloud with extra strength.

This is a simple idea—offering these things up not only for the direct recipient but for all of us. Imagine what peace would come from strengthening the Cloud with love, knowing how light overcomes darkness. What a return on investment for the real wealth of a world that works for all.

~~~

Photo Credit: Hand holding heart cloud -© nnudoo, Fotolia.com


Sunday, November 5, 2017

An Earthy Prayer of Peace


Lately I have become fascinated with all things Celtic, especially Celtic spirituality from its pagan roots to its Christian expressions. I am reading with great excitement The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth by John Michael Greer. I am convinced I was a druid in a past life. Actually, I am beginning to suspect I still am one. As we approach the time of Thanks and Peace on Earth, enjoy this prayer painted in Earth tones.


Deep within the still center of my being, may I find peace.
Silently within the quiet of the Grove, may I share peace.
Gently and powerfully within the greater circle of humankind, may I radiate peace.
May the peace of the goddess go in our hearts and the dance of the god enliven our days.

And may we care for the Earth and each other because our lives depend on it.
May our intention be to empower the true light within that enables us to transform our lives, reach out to others, and heal our ailing Earth.

~~~

Tradition: Pagan

Photo Credit: 
Forest park in Newcastle, Northern Ireland, UK, © M-image – Fotolia.com

Recommendation from The Radical Virgo: Change terms as needed to fit your own belief system. There are so many names for Higher Power: God, Goddess, All That Is, Lord/Lady, Spirit and the Universe to name a few.


Friday, November 3, 2017

Sky-ping with the Universe: 5th Annual Prayer and Thanksgiving Month


  
Since 2013, The Radical Virgo has devoted November to interfaith prayers combined with posts about gratitude.  As my own spirituality has evolved, I perceive God/Goddess/All That Is as the ultimate energy source rather than a Man in the Sky, an energy that is the substance of the Universe itself. It is the ethereal stardust that attracts and forms all things, or as I like to say, it’s Creativity with a Capital C or the Creative One. For me there is no separation between science and religion. They are the same. Quantum physics proves this hypothesis more each year.

I like to include as many flavors of spirituality as possible in these posts, something for everyone. I’m not just aiming at inclusiveness but at discovery. There is also something for everyone in traditions that you weren’t raised in or don’t believe in as an overall philosophy. That’s why I love November on The Radical Virgo. I always get new inspiration.

In honoring the orientation that gelled my own spirituality the most, astrology, I realized once again that we pray to Someone or Something in the Sky. The earliest religion was sun worship, and while I don’t believe the planets “make us do it,” I think the right place to look is Up. There are so many metaphors in that upward glance, positivity and the gesture that goes with believing in something bigger. It reminds me of an endearing phrase my husband and I use, “I love you bigger than the sky.” 

For most of us, the sky is as big as it gets. (“The sky’s the limit.”) Astrology fits right into this plan as does a pen-and-ink I own called Time, the zodiac as a clock. The universe is a giant mechanism with lots of moving parts that shepherds us across the human construct of time by repeating cycles just like the wheels in the clockworks. We are made of the same stuff as the stars. Prayer is star conversation, the act of evoking the Creative One to help us in our dense, daily, earthly joys and challenges. It is communicating with the god/good in which we’re all connected, the web of stardust and Creation.

My first spiritual teacher used to say that prayer is talking to God; meditation is listening.

When I finally managed to achieve a daily meditation practice this year after 40 years of trying, I realized I had nearly stopped praying and missed it.  Listening is great but I also want to chat with the literal Powers That Be. However you perceive Higher Power, talking to Him/Her/It feels very good for me—and I hope for you, too.



The Celtic Caim Prayer

I’d like to start this year’s Prayer Month with a beautiful audio meditation/prayer from David Cole on Insight Timer.  The Caim Prayer is one of protection, where we draw an energetic circle around ourselves, keeping in what we want such as love and keeping out what we don’t want, such as fear.

Every blessing,
Joyce


~~~

Photo Credits: Fotolia: Thank the Universe - ©Nikki Zalewski, Celtic Circle - ©macrolink