{"id":719,"date":"2019-05-08T19:11:43","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T00:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/?p=719"},"modified":"2019-05-08T19:11:43","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T00:11:43","slug":"a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD’S PRAYER"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin. Certainly it is not possible to launch into the prayer while entrained in the current of our daily associations. This is often a powerful current, sweeping us up even in an early morning session. Because we are so easily snared, it is helpful not to check email on awakening, for example.<\/p>\n

Each time, we bring ourselves to the prayer and find we are not certain about whether we are ready to begin. We sense that there is a kind of door through which we must pass. Though it is as high as the sky, and reaches from horizon to horizon, and nothing impedes our passage, yet still we must cross a threshold.<\/p>\n

We have come to listen to the prayer, not say it. It is going to speak, and to hear, a quite natural state of quiet must be allowed to establish itself. It is not a quiet that is imposed. We have no need to muffle inner chatter or suppress agitation and tension. But how to open to this always-present inner quiet?<\/p>\n

First of all, we experience that this quiet is not to be found in the mind, but in the body. We begin in a place where we can be alone and undisturbed. It is fine to be seated on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, to stand or to kneel. What is important is to find a position that allows the spine to be free and aligned, erect but not rigid, like the stem of a plant oriented to the sun at noon. If seated on a chair, the knees should be slightly lower than the hips.<\/p>\n

Watching the breath is the next grounding. While aware of the sensation of one\u2019s weight on the chair or floor, sit quietly for a few moment and begin to count from one to ten, and from one to ten again. More important than the counting is to follow the flow of the breath as it enters the nostrils and to sense the hinge of the breath in the\u00a0 bellows of the abdomen as it changes from the in-breath to the out-breath, and to the in-breath again.<\/p>\n

Under no circumstances alter the breathing. If the breathing changes, let it change, if a deep breath comes, let it come. If the counting causes tension, drop it and stay with the sensation of the body and of the breath. The counting has no value in itself, it is a study, a way of seeing the way in which watching, by itself, brings us to the quiet within. It is an exercise that simply alerts us to the dawning state of prayer.<\/p>\n

After counting to ten twice, close the eyes if they had been open. \u00a0Say the first phrase of the Lord\u2019s Prayer either silently or aloud. Listen. Allow four breaths to pass before moving on to the next phrase. Stay longer if \u201cheld.\u201d It is important to remember that the whole of the prayer is in the now: you are invoking now, petitioning now, affirming now.<\/p>\n

This exercise is intended to slow us down. If a few phrases have passed by without stopping, return to the last phrase said with awareness and go on from there. Otherwise say the prayer only once through in this way during the period of prayer.<\/p>\n

It is a prayer of the whole being, so maintain an awareness of the breathing and of the body as the prayer continues. Notice when the words sound in the mind alone, and come back to the awareness of the whole body situated in the radiance of the prayer. Best not to try to relax but notice the release of tensions as they fall away.<\/p>\n

Again, this exercise is not intended to muffle inner chatter or to suppress tension. Instead, its aim is to alert us to a field of vibration already present, a living silence out of which the words of the prayer emanate and in which they resound. The silence we enter is not and cannot be imposed. It is instead the deeply informing silence of the Father.<\/p>\n

Adapted from The Prayer of Fire: Experiencing the Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/em>. http:\/\/www.lorrainekisly.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Image<\/strong>: Don Fletcher, tree peony. Used by permission.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin. Certainly it is not possible to launch into the prayer while entrained in the current of our daily associations. This is often a powerful current, sweeping us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4027,"featured_media":725,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nA FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lorraine Kisly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-09T00:11:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1183\/2019\/05\/peony-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lorraine Kisly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lorraine Kisly\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/\",\"name\":\"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-09T00:11:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-09T00:11:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#\/schema\/person\/12af083f7f104e2d83109d6141d0deb8\"},\"description\":\"Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD’S PRAYER\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/\",\"name\":\"Lorraine Kisly\",\"description\":\"The Lord\u2019s Prayer as the foundation of a contemplative Christian practice\u2014and where it leads\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#\/schema\/person\/12af083f7f104e2d83109d6141d0deb8\",\"name\":\"Lorraine Kisly\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1286b6432c7062b5b63116ddd5580340?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1286b6432c7062b5b63116ddd5580340?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Lorraine Kisly\"},\"description\":\"For many years the Editor of the quarterly journal,\u00a0Parabola: The Search for Meaning. Founding Publisher of Tricycle: The\u00a0Buddhist \u00a0Review, and Publisher at Pilgrim Press. Author and editor of books on inner-core Christian teachings, including The Prayer of Fire: Experiencing the Lord's Prayer. Currently working\u00a0with the Lord\u2019s Prayer in parishes and congregations and elsewhere. More information at\u00a0www.lorrainekisly.com\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/author\/lkisly\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER","description":"Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER","og_description":"Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/","og_site_name":"Lorraine Kisly","article_published_time":"2019-05-09T00:11:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1183\/2019\/05\/peony-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lorraine Kisly","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lorraine Kisly","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/","name":"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-05-09T00:11:43+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-09T00:11:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#\/schema\/person\/12af083f7f104e2d83109d6141d0deb8"},"description":"Once we embark on the daily practice of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we will find ourselves in question at many points, but, for a while, particularly as we begin.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/2019\/05\/08\/a-first-experiment-with-the-lords-prayer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A FIRST EXPERIMENT WITH THE LORD’S PRAYER"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/","name":"Lorraine Kisly","description":"The Lord\u2019s Prayer as the foundation of a contemplative Christian practice\u2014and where it leads","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#\/schema\/person\/12af083f7f104e2d83109d6141d0deb8","name":"Lorraine Kisly","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1286b6432c7062b5b63116ddd5580340?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1286b6432c7062b5b63116ddd5580340?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","caption":"Lorraine Kisly"},"description":"For many years the Editor of the quarterly journal,\u00a0Parabola: The Search for Meaning. Founding Publisher of Tricycle: The\u00a0Buddhist \u00a0Review, and Publisher at Pilgrim Press. Author and editor of books on inner-core Christian teachings, including The Prayer of Fire: Experiencing the Lord's Prayer. Currently working\u00a0with the Lord\u2019s Prayer in parishes and congregations and elsewhere. More information at\u00a0www.lorrainekisly.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/author\/lkisly\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4027"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lorrainekisly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}