Pray Without Ceasing: Essays and Godwinks

By Robin P. Currie

Pray Without Ceasing is a philosophy, filled with original concepts that will keep you moving in one direction: forward!

Whether you want insights on science, religion, spirituality, history, or something else altogether, you’ll find novel and practical approaches to experiencing growth in life, love, and spirituality in this collection of essays and God-winks.

In addition to sharing her own insights, the author examines the ideas of Jesus Christ, Buddha, Albert Einstein, Saint Paul, Carl Jung, Mother Earth, and God. There is no limit to where these ideas, and your own, will take you.

Throughout the book, you’ll consider questions such as:

Why have so many people been taught to fear God? Why do we pray, and why should we pray? Why do we struggle with trusting others?

The author also examines topics such as yoga, meditation, exposure to toxic beliefs, the role of personal boundaries, and more. Weaved throughout the book are prayers of intention, daily mantras, and daily verses.

Gain a greater understanding of yourself, humanity, and the world around you with the lessons in Pray Without Ceasing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781480870512

Robin P. Currie

Robin P. Currie is a writer, a philosopher, one who loves scripture, and the founder and director of the Central Massachusetts Freedom Coalition, which is dedicated to eradicating human trafficking and modern-day slavery.  She writes about love, family, enlightenment, and God. She is also the author of Pray without Ceasing: Essays and Godwinks.

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Copyright © 2019 Robin P. Currie.

Interior Image Credit: Mark Buckawicki

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible with Apocrypha.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7053-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7052-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7051-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018964801

Archway Publishing rev. date: 1/7/2019

Pray Without Ceasing

Essays and Godwinks

By Robin P. Currie

For God.

Cry out therefore, and write thus! Saint Hildegard.

I write.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1     Prayer

Chapter 2     Trust

Chapter 3     Generosity

Chapter 4     Health

Chapter 5     Yoga

Chapter 6     Prosperity

Chapter 7     Boundaries

Chapter 8     Freedom

Chapter 9     Empowerment

Chapter 10   Self Esteem

Chapter 11   Intention

Chapter 12   Mastery

Chapter 13   Love

Chapter 14   Forgiveness

Chapter 15   Gratitude

Chapter 16   Hope

Chapter 17   Partnership

Chapter 18   Words

Chapter 19   Focus

Chapter 20   Faith

Chapter 21   Grace

Chapter 22   Wisdom

Chapter 23   Meditation

Chapter 24   Purpose

Acknowledgements

Bibliography And Suggested Reading

Introduction

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

I am a writer. In my wildest dreams, in my every waking moment, and throughout my entire life I have said those words: I am a writer. Writing has always been an indescribable creative outlet for me, where I can freely express my deepest ideas and ask my most profound questions. But I have rarely shared my work or my imagination with others. I guess one could refer to me as a hidden writer. All my creations have been kept private, locked away in files and notebooks, secreted from the outside world. I’ve been described as one who plays things close to the vest. But then a moment arrived when I decided that being a writer could be so much more—I should and must share what I write with people who may find it helpful, entertaining, useful, or inspiring. As I began to share what I was writing, it also became a holy activity for me. I began writing for God. This shift, for me, has opened a door into a world of inspired learning and artistic expression. This new world is exciting beyond what I could have imagined. So, I asked God for some powerful guidance. Deep in prayer one day, I was feeling in need of direction and, being a person who likes structure, and shirks in the face of uncertainty, I prayed. In my communication to God I explained (although He already knew) that I needed His precise instructions, and I needed it now.

Pray without ceasing.

That was the whispered message I received.

Pray without ceasing.

I paused, but like an impatient child, I brushed off the message. That wasn’t what I was looking for. So, back into prayer, deeply meditating, I received the message for a third time.

Pray without ceasing.

Now I became testy. I had already developed a lifelong, robust prayer practice so that was still not the answer I was expecting. I began to question what was happening. I was seeking solid direction, in a predetermined manner I suppose, and I had engaged into my prayers that morning with specific expectations. I was unwittingly giving God parameters. I was trying to control God. I was making demands. Have you ever abruptly stopped praying because you thought that your messages were not getting through to God, and His were not getting through to you? I’ve done that. I’ve done that many times over the course of my lifetime. I have allowed frustration and impatience to creep into my intimate time with God and corrupt it. I have let my human desperation hijack a loving and healing exchange with the Holy Source of all healing and wisdom. But today felt different. So, I waited.

Suddenly, it washed over me! Pray Without Ceasing is the title of a book, and I am going to write it! By the end of the day, my familiar inspired hum of creativity had been set into motion and the book was assembling itself in my mind. I laughed out loud for a few moments in adoration of God’s humor. As always, I was in a state of awe and reverence of His vision for me. With humble gratitude, and in a state of exhilaration, I opened myself up to His perfect guidance. The ideas flowed, and as I wrote the book over the span of several months. I could tell when I was going off track, and I could tell when it was right. I began, for the first time, to trust my emotions to guide me. Assembling this collection of essays has brought me great joy, a sense of renewed worth, and has absolutely brought me closer to God. This is His work, which I have the great honor to be able to prepare and present for Him, and to Him. And although I previously had considered myself as constantly engaged in a state of prayer, as you will read in Chapter 1, I now understand there is always more available with our infinite God. This project has given me fresh and exciting insight, and a transformed experience of what it is truly like to pray without ceasing.

There are several additional elements which I was led to incorporate into this book. Those features are to be considered sub-themes and they are connected to the prayer topics in a powerful way. The following sections each provide a brief description of this additional information and why each item was included. Some of the sections below are not descriptive of elements within the chapters, yet they are theories and concepts which supplement daily life with empowering knowledge and skills. They, too, are like doors to another world, which only need be opened and passed through. The new realms we enter in this manner are mysterious, energetic, and holy. There is knowledge, and there are skills available to us, right within our reach, yet not always visible. Explore the esoteric, the ancient spirituality, and gnosis through the Holy Spirit. By doing so you will equip yourself and others to experience the joy and bliss of living in a transformed and beautiful world.

Prayer

The Holy Bible describes numerous ways that people can and should pray. But what may be reasoned by all of these choices is that, perhaps, the message is a simple one: there is no right or wrong way to engage in prayer. One could cite hundreds of verses which describe where, when, and how to pray. The meaning which is then extracted from those various teachings is this: pray. The act of prayer itself is a conversation with God. We come to Him to give thanks for blessings, ask for relief from crises, request guidance, offer confessions for wrongdoing, and to seek divine messages and affirmations which will keep us aligned with our holy purpose. Socially conditioned teachings may be lurking in your mind, which may make you feel compelled to pray in a certain manner: kneeling, quietly, in secret, while fasting, as you get into bed, as you awake, and so on. Is it, therefore, irreverent to pray while sitting down? Or perhaps it could be construed as lazy if you are lying in bed when you pray. If you pray while you are commuting to work, would that be considered by some to be multi-tasking? The answer, to some, is that prayer is unique and the relationship with God is distinctive for each person. Do we pray only at night? Only in the morning? Only at church? After decades of pondering these questions and battling the social and religious conditioning which formerly directed my relationship with God, I have developed a very, very personal and very, very intimate form of prayer with God. I pray without ceasing. This style contains activities which are unique and peculiar. My ritual is extremely specific, special, and highly satisfying to me. I truly believe that the way I pray is right, because it is right for me. Today we discover the availability of many choices of objects and ideas that may serve as enhancements to your prayer life: guided audio sessions, aromatherapy and essential oils, online study plans, shawls, beads, interactive groups, and even a practice of reading aloud from the Bible. Any of these elements may be part of your exceptionally designed and distinctively personal prayer life. The point is to pray, and to pray without ceasing.

Intention

This work is about setting intention. Powerful intention has been articulated and has been prayed into this book. The intention is that my words will provide positive solutions and resources. I intend that this creation, coming straight from my heart, can be utilized to improve lives. The intention includes attention to exclusively positive themes, and positive topics. The prayers, scripture references, and mantras are designed as footsteps along the path. This journey begins by executing each day’s intention and maintaining that intention for the entire day. While you are carrying out your bedtime routine, reflect on the day, and on the intention which you have carried with you. How did it go? Purposefully let yourself feel whatever emotions are evoked through these musings and let them be your guide. Do you need to repeat a topic for a second, or perhaps a third day? That’s all right. Are there topics you aren’t interested in, and would like to skip? That’s all right as well. Each topic stands alone and is there for you always, if and when you may need it.

Meditation

Prayer is a form of meditation, and meditation is a form of prayer. Both meditation and prayer are beneficial to humans. The Chopra Center website contains an interesting article written by Dr. Deepak Chopra, entitled What Happens to the Brain During Meditation? This piece describes the benefits which occur, and sometimes they occur profoundly, when we practice skilled and habitual meditation. After perusing the research, there isn’t much more to be said about the rewards of meditation: to your mind, your body, and your soul. At our fingertips are hundreds of methods, recommendations, and programs available to assist those who are new to meditation. A commitment to continuous meditation is not unlike a commitment to more devoted prayer. If you are not already engaged in a regular meditation practice, now is a good time to start exploring! "Blessed is the man that doth meditate good things in wisdom, and that reasoneth of holy things by his understanding". (Ecclesiasticus 14:20).

Vibration

All humans operate at and emit a unique vibrational level. This theory is becoming more widely accepted throughout the world, as a growing number of people, including scientists, study and report about vibrational level activity.

The theory expresses that through higher vibrational frequencies humans experience more positive emotions; are better able to reduce stress and anxiety; and maintain healthier bodies. By operating with a high vibration, many also report an ability to attain what is perceived as a greater and deeper connection with the Holy Source, God. I consciously set out to explore vibrational levels and to notice, track, and work to improve mine. Over the course of a couple of years, there had been a palpable change, most conspicuously in my spiritual life and in my ever-strengthening connection to God. As one becomes more attracted to positive activities and emotions, and as one achieves more effective meditation and prayer, one can truly expect to attract and experience miracles. High vibrations are good.

Lower vibrational frequencies are believed to keep people bound to poor health, negative emotions, lack of prosperity, and dysfunctional personal relationships. If one has previously been stuck in a low vibrational lifestyle, one may remember the negative people, and challenging circumstances. Without dwelling too much, can you remember the desire to renounce those negative aspects of your life? We all go through seasons of uncomfortable situations, events, and mindsets. That is not where most people prefer to be. Low vibration is considered difficult at best, or, at worst, insufferable.

Author Cassandra Sturdy wrote an insightful piece, which was published on the Conscious Life News website and is entitled How to Raise Your Vibration. Her article offers practical steps to assist you as you endeavor to elevate your own vibrational level. Raising your own vibration is not only good for you, it has a ripple effect on the people in your life and beyond. By improving your own vibration, healing and health can manifest for yourself, your family and peers, and for the entire planet. Isn’t that what we all dream of doing: saving the world?

The following sections provide insight into the structure of Pray Without Ceasing. Is there a method to my madness? Find out.

The Topics

The essays in this book lay out a journey— my odyssey, and perhaps yours as well. A quest into ourselves, our self-awareness, and discovery of our holy purpose is not for the faint of heart. It requires patience, endurance, a loving heart, and an open mind. The pilgrimage requires God: ever present, ever guiding, ever supporting, and always smiling down upon us throughout our adventure called life. The topics, as mentioned earlier in this introduction, can be studied separately, at your own pace, in your own time. But consider the view from the top. The chapter topics are parts to a whole, spokes on a wheel, a tapestry. And the topics are as an intricate web: woven, connected, interrelated, engineered. As this project blossomed in my hands, in my mind’s eye it became for me a dreamcatcher: beautiful, powerful, and decorated with jewels of the earth. I adorned it with feathers, colors, stones, beads, textures, and all the gifts I had unveiled and collected along the way. And, in the center was, always, the Great Spirit, God, knitting together Heaven and Earth through my heart, mind, and soul. This has truly been an epic journey Home.

Chakras

Each topic chapter displays a graphic which depicts one of the seven chakras. As I was writing the book, and as a person fascinated by the chakra system, I began to associate a particular chakra with each topic. Below is a brief description of the chakras, and from this chart you will see why I envisioned specific topics with a corresponding chakra.