Posts Tagged ‘prayer and meditation pavilion’
Prayer And Meditation
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Simple Prayers Today versus Spiritual Meditation—What is the Difference?
Many of us communicate with God. Some choose to say they pray, while others use the word, meditate. Is there a difference, and if so, what is it?
Prayer
- Word is derived from the Latin word precari, meaning:
- to entreat (which means to beg, or passionately request); or
- ask.
- Webster’s dictionary definition provides the following additional definitions:
- ask earnestly;
- petition (which means to appeal or request from a higher authority); or
- commune with God.
Meditate
- Word is derived from the Latin word meditari, meaning:
- to consider;
- contemplate;
- ponder;
- think;
- practice;
- deliberate;
- intend; or
- speak to oneself.
- Webster’s dictionary definition provides the following additional definitions:
- consider thoughtfully;
- deep thought; or
- given to reflection.
While people may agree that both prayer and meditation are spiritual acts, you can definitely discern a distinct difference between the two words.
Specifically, the definitions for prayer are characterizations of acts done by someone who believes they are separate from God. If you think you are separate, you can assume you are inferior. Furthermore, if you think you are separate, then God is outside of you, and not within. Each individual meaning of the word prayer validates this premise.
Prayer
- Conveys an appeal, as in hearing a case before a superior court;
- Is a plea for understanding, as plea is the term used by a defendant in answer to a charge (you can only be charged if you are not equal);
- Is an urgent request, or politely asking for something to be given or done, as would be the case if something is outside of you;
- Is a desire, a craving for something, as determined if something is missing;
- Expresses a hope, something that somebody wants to happen or to be true; or
- Communicates a wish, which is a longing for something to be true.
However, each of the explanations for meditation is a representation of an action by a person who has taken a neutral approach to spirituality. If you are part of the whole, and not separate, then you can be neither inferior nor superior. Furthermore, everything, including the light of God is within.
Meditation
- Is consideration, which weighs all possibilities before deciding (as would be the case if you have a neutral opinion of something);
- Expresses reflection, a mirror image or likeness, determined if you are equal to the spirit of God, or if that spirit is within; or
- Is a conversation with oneself, indicating an action without the help of another.
The act of meditation is simply focusing one’s attention on something. You can make the same analogy for prayer. The differences between the two lie in one’s understanding of the connection to the spirit of God. It is your choice; choose wisely.
Copyright Statement:
This article was written by Cindy L. Herb and may be reproduced on any related website provided the text is not changed in any form and this copyright statement is displayed unedited in its entirety at the foot of the article and you use the exact same HTML code to ensure a clickable link back to the author’s site. Further articles are also available. Contact the author for more information. Copyright 2009 Cindy L. Herb, http://www.cherbchronicles.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
About the Author
Cindy L. Herb, author of Awakening the Spirit: The Open Wide Like a Floozy Chronicles, specializes in Mind, Body, and Spirit healing, and Physical/Sexual Abuse Recovery. As an inspirational speaker, Cindy L. Herb offers others an alternative approach to healing from any trauma, allowing people to view life’s tribulations as an opportunity for spiritual growth. http://www.cherbchronicles.com. To download your FREE report, Some Helpful Steps to Healing, please visit the author’s website.
You can also follow the author/speaker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cherbchronicles, on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/cherbchronicles, or request her as a friend on Facebook under the name Cindy L. Herb.
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Meditation Prayer on Mary Immaculate $3 One of Padre Pio’s few writings, plus a brief sketch of his life. Numerous pictures of this saintly stigmatist. Though brief, it can be read over and over with benefit since it is both a meditation on the meaning of Mary and a prayer. |
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Healing with the Universe Meditation and Prayer $3.44 The Masters of the Spirit World hear our cry for help. Channeled by Toni Ann Winninger they explain how we may elicit the aid of the universal god-force use our own healing power benefit from various healing modalities and harness meditation and prayer to aid us. They comment on prayers used currently by world religions and explain the basis for effective prayer both for ourselves and others. |
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Treatise on Prayer and Meditation $11 In this famous Treatise, St Peter of Alcantara assists the Catholic soul to find devotion, that supernatural affection that removes distaste for spiritual effort and urges one on to serve God joyfully and generously. St Peter made this book short and simple, yet packed into it “all that is necessary to know about prayer.” It is full of saintly counsels on prayer, which is the key to the entire spiritual life. The reader of the Treatise will access the classic Catholic wisdom on mental prayer, including what to think about, how to follow a method, when to disregard a method, the importance of the heart over the head, what to do in times of spiritual dryness and much more. This introduces souls to mental prayer as a means of obtaining all spiritual goods. St Peter of Alcantar was a 16th – century Spaniard and a spiritual director of St Teresa of Avila, the great Doctor of Prayer. He was known for his severe penances and after he died, he is said to have appeared to St Teresa and exclaimed: “O blessed penance that has led me to Heaven!” |
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Paths of Prayer : A Textbook of Prayer and Meditation $23.35 No Synopsis Available |
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Meditation, Prayer & Affirmations $13.28 No Synopsis Available |
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer : Meditation and Prayer $12.97 No Synopsis Available |
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Meditation and Contemplation: An Ignatian Guide to Prayer with Scripture $12.95 “The cornerstones of Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual practice–meditation and contemplation–are clearly explained in this simple guide to the Ignatian method with examples from the experience of practitioners and quotations from Catholic spiritual teachers. In the process, the deeper structure of the spiritual practice is illuminated, and advice about adapting it to individual needs is offered. Topics include methods of praying, struggles and growth, and the importance and role of grace. Individuals who desire to pray with scripture, spiritual directors, and all who teach prayer with scripture will benefit from the counsel in this resource.” |
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Simple Graces: Poems for Meditation and Prayer $15.99 “For centuries, poems have been written describing God’s simple graces. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorist Order, was a great poet who conveyed God’s love through meaningful and poignant verse. The selected poems in this body of work are divided into themes common to all human experiences, including love, forgiveness, commitment, faith, and hope. The chapters are shaped to give the reader a chance to hear the deep stirring of their hearts put into words, and this can be done on an individual basis or as lectio divina, or group prayer, when a verse is read aloud to the group. Some of the poets included: Wendell Berry, Anna Akhmatova, Emily Dickinson, Robert Hayden, Naomi Shihab Nye, Maya Angelou, T.S. Eliot, and Patrick Kavanagh.” |
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Prayer: A Primer $13.99 “Prayer is often identified by people of faith as of first importance in the life of faith, at the same time, it is one of the least understood and least consistently used of spiritual practices among ordinary Christians. Prayer: A Primer, clears up misconceptions and myths about prayer that often stand in the way of actually praying, and offers the reader “a way in” to a life grounded in and enriched by daily prayer. A variety of forms of verbal prayer, meditation, and contemplation (or the prayer of silence) are clearly described with the needs and questions of beginners at prayer in mind. The book aims – through prayer – to move beginners at prayer to a growing and deepening awareness of God’s presence in our complex and often morally ambiguous world.” |
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Hymns of Praise, Prayer, and Devout Meditation $32.17 No Synopsis Available |
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11: God Breaks His Anonymity $30.49 Used – I found God in the “stillness.” This book is a testimony to the incredible healing power and the promises of the Twelve Step Recovery Program. As a recovering alcoholic I quickly worked through the Twelve Steps with a sponsor. Step “11″ states that we must seek through prayer (asking God, ) and meditation (listening to God, ) to form “conscious contact” with the God of our understanding. I practiced this step faithfully. On May 15, 2005 to my utter amazement a dialog with God began whom I |
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11 $30.48 I found God in the “stillness.” This book is a testimony to the incredible healing power and the promises of the Twelve Step Recovery Program. As a recovering alcoholic I quickly worked through the Twelve Steps with a sponsor. Step “11″ states that we must seek through prayer (asking God,) and meditation (listening to God,) to form “conscious contact” with the God of our understanding. I practiced this step faithfully. On May 15, 2005 to my utter amazement a dialog with God began whom I now lovingly refer to as “My Holy One.” There is one major reason I do believe that I established this communication, I BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD ANSWER ME IF I ASKED! Enclosed in this book are some of the questions I always wanted to ask God such as: Creation, Souls, Heaven, evolution, the physics of the Universe, Biblical accuracy, the devil, war, poverty, Mary and Jesus, and much more. I also discovered that God has needs. He needs us to listen to Him. This extraordinary contact is not for the “special” or for the “chosen ones.” Anyone can do this if they truly desire it. It is our birthright. We All inherited this ability from God. God also wants us to know that He does not exist in a far away corner of the universe, He exits everywhere. He is even in the dirt that we walk upon. He assures us that We Are One. There is no separation between “Us.” God lives and breathes with us. He experiences our life journeys by way of an exchange of information with our souls. As spiritual entities we were ALL born in One Holy Moment of Creation and when we leave this earth we will surely return to Our Divine Nature once again. If you aresearching to fill a void in your heart when or if all other Gods have failed, if you are looking for a Higher Power who can be a mentor, a friend, and a Father, I humbly ask you to give this “One” a try. As I was taught in AA…………. God is either EVERYTHING, or He is NOTHING. |
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12 Years: The Long Road Back $17.93 New – Using years of alcohol abuse for his backdrop, Kezer offers insights into using prayer, meditation, visions, goals and Urantia revelation to redirect one’s life. |
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12 Years: The Long Road Back $10.86 Used – Using years of alcohol abuse for his backdrop, Kezer offers insights into using prayer, meditation, visions, goals and Urantia revelation to redirect one’s life. |
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12 Years: The Long Road Back $11.36 Used – Using years of alcohol abuse for his backdrop, Kezer offers insights into using prayer, meditation, visions, goals and Urantia revelation to redirect one’s life. |
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12 Years: The Long Road Back $21.57 New – Using years of alcohol abuse for his backdrop, Kezer offers insights into using prayer, meditation, visions, goals and Urantia revelation to redirect one’s life. |
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15 Days of Prayer With Charles De Foucauld $2.91 15 Days of Prayer Collection Now distributed by New City Press, this popular series is perfect for those looking for an introduction to a particular spiritual guide, those searching for gift ideas and those who merely wish to know more about the person and his or her spirituality. Additional volume planned in 2 to 3 months intervals. Each volume contains A brief biography of the saint or spiritual leader introduced in that volume A guide to creating a format for prayer and retreat 15 meditation sessions with focus points and reflection guides |
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15 Days of Prayer With Saint Thomas Aquinas $7.95 This series provides an introduction to spiritual masters of both modern and historical times, and gives the reader an opportunity to have a spiritual relationship with a great teacher. Each book provides a spiritual break from a busy and distracted life. These are practical volumes with a brief history of each figure, an itinerary for 15 days of prayer and meditation, and a bibliography. This series provides an essential spiritual resource for active Christians. |
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15 Days of Prayer with Dietrich Bonhoeffer $9.99 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran pastor, theologian, opponent of Hitler and martyr, stands as one of the boldest examples of twentieth century Christian witness. By the time that the Gestapo hanged him in Flossenberg Concentration Camp for involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler, Bonhoeffer had marked out not only a firm Christian defense of the rights of God’s Ancient People the Jews but had sketched out an undogmatic Christianity for “a world come of age.” The essence of this Christian vision was the belief that God is always present in Christ and always present in suffering. In a twenty-first century when trivial quarrels can still divide Christians, Bonhoeffer’s witness to this core gospel truth and his willingness to die for it, offer an enduring example. This book offers a fifteen day course in Bonhoeffer’s spirituality, drawing abundantly from his writings.A book in the “15 Days of Prayer” CollectionThis popular series is perfect for those looking for an introduction to a particular spiritual guide, those searching for gift ideas and those who merely wish to know more about the person and his or her spirituality. Additional volume planned in 2 to 3 month intervals. Each volume contains:• A brief biography of the saint or spiritual leader introduced in that volume• A guide to creating a format for prayer and retreat• 15 meditation sessions with focus points and reflection guide. |
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15 Days of Prayer with Dietrich Bonhoeffer $8.36 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran pastor, theologian, opponent of Hitler and martyr, stands as one of the boldest examples of twentieth century Christian witness. By the time that the Gestapo hanged him in Flossenberg Concentration Camp for involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler, Bonhoeffer had marked out not only a firm Christian defense of the rights of God’s Ancient People the Jews but had sketched out an undogmatic Christianity for “a world come of age.” The essence of this Christian vision was the belief that God is always present in Christ and always present in suffering. In a twenty-first century when trivial quarrels can still divide Christians, Bonhoeffer’s witness to this core gospel truth and his willingness to die for it, offer an enduring example. This book offers a fifteen day course in Bonhoeffer’s spirituality, drawing abundantly from his writings.A book in the “15 Days of Prayer” CollectionThis popular series is perfect for those looking for an introduction to a particular spiritual guide, those searching for gift ideas and those who merely wish to know more about the person and his or her spirituality. Additional volume planned in 2 to 3 month intervals. Each volume contains:• A brief biography of the saint or spiritual leader introduced in that volume• A guide to creating a format for prayer and retreat• 15 meditation sessions with focus points and reflection guide. |
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15 Days of Prayer with Johannes Tauler $3.93 This series provides an introduction to spiritual masters of both modern and historical times, and gives the reader an opportunity to have a spiritual relationship with a great teacher. Each book provides a spiritual break from a busy and distracted life. These are practical volumes with a brief history of each figure, an itinerary for 15 days of prayer and meditation, and a bibliography. This series provides an essential spiritual resource for active Christians. |
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15 Days of Prayer with Johannes Tauler $1.99 “15 Days of Prayer” CollectionNow distributed by New City Press, this popular series is perfect for those looking for an introduction to a particular spiritual guide, those searching for gift ideas and those who merely wish to know more about the person and his or her spirituality. Additional volume planned in 2 to 3 months intervals. Each volume contains:• A brief biography of the saint or spiritual leader introduced in that volume• A guide to creating a format for prayer and retreat• 15 meditation sessions with focus points and reflection guidesFollow in the footsteps of Johannes TaulerJohannes Tauler (c. 1300—1361), one of the great Rhineland mystics, was born to a prosperous and apparently religious family, both he and his sister entering religious orders at a young age. He began his Dominican novitiate in 1314 and spent several years studying logic, philosophy and theology before his ordination to the priesthood, after which he dedicated his life to the spiritual direction of Dominican nuns and the laity and above all to preaching. Under the influence of Meister Eckhart, Tauler developed a mystical approach to Christian spirituality rooted in the concept of God’s “birth” and continuing presence in the human soul.Make room for GodJohannes Tauler invites us to prepare the “ground of the soul” to receive God, so that the Word of God may be born in us as it is in Mary. Focusing on themes such as God in Creation and the return of all things to God, Tauler nevertheless insists that the union of the human soul with God is by grace and not by nature. Through prayer, we surrender our own striving and open our hearts to God’s purposes: this is not abandonment of moral purpose, however, but detachment and openness to the movements of the Holy Spirit. A 15-day retreat with Johannes Tauler, then, offers true depth to the soul that welcomes God. |
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15 Days of Prayer with Saint Augustine $3.6 Used – Using this volume of work, readers can gain insight and wisdom from the spiritual master Saint Augustine, a medieval theologian, philosopher, bishop and mystic. This practical collection includes a brief history, an itinerary for 15 days of prayer and meditation, and a bibliography. |
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15 Days of Prayer with Saint Augustine $6.7 Used – Using this volume of work, readers can gain insight and wisdom from the spiritual master Saint Augustine, a medieval theologian, philosopher, bishop and mystic. This practical collection includes a brief history, an itinerary for 15 days of prayer and meditation, and a bibliography. |
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15 Days of Prayer with Saint Augustine $60.48 New – Using this volume of work, readers can gain insight and wisdom from the spiritual master Saint Augustine, a medieval theologian, philosopher, bishop and mystic. This practical collection includes a brief history, an itinerary for 15 days of prayer and meditation, and a bibliography. |
