THE GREAT INVOCATION I

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THE GREAT INVOCATION   I

Prayer and Meditation

Deep in each one of us there is an inner pull toward some higher form of life.

An underlying but insistent urge prompts us to look toward something greater

than ourselves like the flower that innately turns to the sun and seek for more

than we already encompass. This inner impelling force may not always be

recognized, but in most of us it results in some form of more enlightened

living, whether inner spiritual belief or outer practical service.

Around this inner force are to be found the many techniques of spiritual

progress, the practices of the different religions, the methods of bridging

between the outer and the inner life, and of blending the material and the

spiritual to express a new and vital " whole. "

Prayer has always been the lifeline between the outer and inner worlds between

each of us and God and forms a magnetic channel for the sustaining force that we

all require.

Four Kinds of Prayer:

1.      For material benefits and help

2.     For virtues, grace and healing

3.     For others  intercessory prayer

4.     For illumination and divine realization

All these have their roots in feeling and desire, but the fourth type brings us

to the point where prayer can end and meditation begin. Meditation differs from

prayer in that it is primarily an orientation of the mind and brings about

realizations and recognitions that become formulated knowledge. Meditation is

not an abstract activity as it is frequently considered to be. It entails

concentration, reflection, understanding, a clear conception and formulation of

ideas and thoughts, and then consideration and visualization of ways and means

of bringing them to outer expression. While prayer will always be a foundational

approach for many of us, the present-day development of intellect demands a more

mental form of inner action: meditation of a creative nature and having a

positive and scientific method of working with spiritual laws.

Affirmationis a method that fills this need and includes both prayer and

meditation.

Invocationis a synthesis of these three; the simultaneous, combined activity of

Meditation  (mind)

 Prayer       (feeling)

Affirmation(will)

It is this synthesis that gives invocation potency as yet unrealized. Invocation

means " calling down " , or " calling into " . It is a demand, an appeal to something

higher, asking for help or intervention. The same can be said of prayer, but

there is an important difference between the two. In its specific sense, prayer

is the " heart " approach and involves the use of the feeling function.

Invocation, on the other hand, is an inner action that includes and combines the

use of all our inner functions. It is a simultaneous activity of the mind

(meditation), of feeling (prayer), of the imagination (visualization), and of

the will (affirmation). It is obvious that this comprehensive and synthesized

action of our whole being, when rightly carried out, gives invocation potency

incomparably greater and richer than the separate use of any single inner

activity.

continues 2 mrw.........

 

Regards

Bharathi.A