The subject of prayer can evoke religious practice for some people. Although both of us were raised in faith traditions, both of us have also taken our prayer practices to a level that transcends any particular tradition. We pray because we believe in a universal higher power that tunes into our desires. This is the essential belief underpinning our wish practice.
So, is there a difference between praying and wishing?
For some, wishes are one form of prayer, among many. There can be prayers of gratitude, requests, or forgiveness. Wishing, for most, parallels either prayers of request and/or gratitude.
The commonalities we see between wishing and prayer are…
A belief that there is a universal higher power that is listening, aware, and responsive.
This universal higher power knows more than we do and can source our requests in ways we cannot imagine.
We recognize this source and direct our gratitude towards it.
How do we decide if we want to form a wish or say a prayer?
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. The reason it doesn’t matter is that a conversation with our higher power in any form that we choose is a good idea. It takes us beyond the immediacy of ourselves, our rigid thoughts, our narrow vision. It opens us up to the flow of positive vibration and greater connection to humanity. It helps us realize all the good things that come into our lives and the positive impact we can have in community and the world beyond.
A word about the specifics of prayer.
We have talked a lot about the importance of gratitude elsewhere in this blog. To say a prayer of thanks at any given moment is always a good idea. We will talk about forgiveness another time because that’s another very important topic.
And if you would like us to be a little more specific about “requests,” if what is on your mind feels like it begins with “I want…,” try a wish. If what is on your mind feels like it begins with “I can’t…,” try a prayer.
Next week, our post will be brought to you by the letter “v” for vision.
Until then,
Peace and All Good
Margie and Barbara
The Wish Mavens
Photo Credit
The photo featured in this post was taken by (and is copyrighted by) Margaret A. Herrick.