“Prayer is the voice of longing; it reaches outwards and inwards to unearth our ancient belonging.”
John O’Donohue, Book: Eternal Echoes.
I experienced the transforming power of Mindful Prayer a few years ago. I was faced with an autoimmune disease called Sarcoidosis. I was one of the chosen ones to be in the 1% that it travels to another organ besides the lungs. Typically if you get Sarcoid it’s only in the lungs. The lucky organ was my heart. My heart was fine but my conductive system was not. One of my three wires was working. YIKES! Which meant if that one wire gave out, it was lights out for FOREVER!
Which is hilarious to me now, breath is my job. I use breath to connect all the time. How could I get this in my lungs (breath) and my conductive system (connection)? Was somebody playing a joke on me?
After 3 surgeries, a pacemaker and a defibrillator I had some major reflection to do. How did I get here? What was my body trying to tell me? Lungs represent taking in life (inhale), (exhale) letting go of what no longer serves you. Heart connection….hmmm. I connect to everyone I meet! Maybe it was connect to myself? Maybe it was connection to God?
The only way to get the answer was to get to my cushion. I had meditated for years, never very disciplined though. I actually was aggravated that Depok Chopra meditated for two hours a day. Who has two hours to meditate? I now meditate for an hour in the morning and an hour before bed. What motivated me to commit this time? Everyday I look at the scar on my chest in the mirror. The gift my heart gave me was to force the hand to connect to myself and god. The reward, my heart is healing miraculously and I hope to have my conductive system back soon. The Power of Meditation/mindful prayer.