Posts Tagged ‘fear and doubt’

 

Cursing toward Heaven

Posted on: August 15th, 2014 by Alden

DarksunG-d hears prayer. Some would say that G-d listens, with special attention, to the prayers of a suffering heart. This prayer rails to heaven with sorrow and anger, but never loses faith in G-d’s desire to hear even our most heart-wrenching woes. For some, the prayer may be too raw or too blunt. For others, it may be a gateway to a powerful conversation with G-d. In that sense, it is about releasing sorrow and anger to make space for holiness and love.

Cursing toward Heaven
G-d of Old,
Well of understanding,
Source of compassion,
I call out to You as witness
To my sorrow and my fear,
My anger and my pain.

Damn cancer.
Damn abuse.
Damn violence.
Damn rape.
Damn hit and run.
Damn alcoholism.
Damn Alzheimer’s.
Damn Parkinson’s.
Damn war.
Damn terror.
Damn torture.
Damn hunger.
Damn greed.
Damn abduction.
Damn _____________.
Damn _____________.
Damn _____________.

Oh sorrow and grief,
Too present in our days,
You will not win my life.
For my G-d listens to the aching heart.
My G-d listens to the suffering soul.
My G-d yearns to heal
All who cry out from the depths of despair.

Blessed are You, G-d of Old,
Who hears prayer.

© 2014 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Other prayers about difficult emotions include: “Doubt,” “Fear,” “Anger,” “Shame” and “Witnessing: A Meditation.”

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

The Spark

Posted on: May 28th, 2013 by tobendlight

campfireThis is a brief meditation on taking so-called negative emotions and harnessing them for sacred purpose. Although dark, it has an optimistic message: even when besieged by our worst thoughts and feelings, we can turn the power of these emotions toward healing. This theme is reflected in a set of prayers devoted to individual emotions, “Doubt,” “Fear,” “Anger” and “Shame.” This will appear in my forthcoming book, Song of the Spiritual Traveler.

The Spark
Oh strange fate.
Oh cruel humor.
I am stalked from within.
The dark night of my soul
Lurks heavy in the hollows of my veins,
Sometimes silent,
Sometimes wild with passion and revenge.

Oh odd fate.
Oh curious humor.
My fear and doubt,
My anger and shame,
Are a well of compassion
And a professor of justice,
A source of humility
And a guide to understanding.

Oh mystery and majesty.
Oh wonder and awe.
That alone, in pain,
The spark of holiness is ready,
Leading me to turn this power,
Toward healing the world.

© 2013 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: See also “Doubt,” “Fear,” “Anger,” “Shame” and “Witnessing: A Meditation.”

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Alaskan Campfire Fishing/Tours

Shame

Posted on: October 18th, 2010 by tobendlight

Can shame be a blessing? Can shame be blessed? This prayer is part of a series of prayers about difficult emotions, including “Doubt,” “Fear” and “Anger.” Listen while you read by clicking on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Shame
G-d of my heart,
Source of my spirit,
I’ve been swallowed by a dirge
And elevated by songs of celebration.
I’ve judged myself harshly
And given myself grace.
I’ve climbed to see the glorious sunset
And have laid low, shivering against a pounding storm.

I live between moments of joyous surrender
And times of lonely isolation,
Between calm and storm,
Between shame and wonder.

Shame is a mirror.
Shame is a doorway.
Shame is a guide.

Holy One,
G-d of mysteries beyond my understanding,
Help me to see my shames as teachers and guides,
As reminders of my sacred humanity,
Leading me to a vision of my best self.
Let shame be the gateway to truth
So that I may release it without fear,
In awe and righteousness.

Blessed are You, Redeemer of the lost,
Who created shame so that we might discover the path to wisdom.

© 2010 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here are prayers about “Doubt,” “Fear” and “Anger.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

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