Robbins Hopkins

Spiritual Health: Being at Peace in Everyday Life

earth healing

Authentic Prayer and Global Healing

Sermon – Comm-Unity On the Hill Congregation, Washington, D.C.*

Rev. Robbins S. Hopkins, Ed.D.

Thank you for asking me to speak.  It is delightful to be here this morning. The question I am exploring today is, “What is authentic prayer”?  Just plain and simple, authentic prayer is prayer that works.  It is prayer that brings results. It is prayer that produces energy shifts.  Authentic Prayer is powerful business.  Well then, how do we accomplish this?

The Bible has a few things to say to us about prayer.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds ….” (Philippians 4:6-7).

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:18).

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).

 

Atlantic Beach HDR Sunset – Explored by L1mey

The week before Hurricane Irene, exactly 7 days before it hit this area, we decided last minute to book a house in North Carolina for the week for my husband and myself.  We have been going to the beach in August for 41 years and we realized we were not going to go because none of our family were free to join us.  We discussed this at length and decided to make a reservation and take a weeks’ vacation just for us. That felt very wonderful, celebratory in fact! One day later, we realized that there was a Tropical Storm in the Atlantic. We thought, we had better arrange for trip insurance in case something more serious became of this storm. We called for the insurance and were told that we could not get insurance now because there was a named storm in the Atlantic, specifically now called IRENE.  So, my energy was very focused on this storm not only because of this reservation but also because I had been going to the North and South Carolina coasts literally all my life except for 4 years when were lived overseas.

So the prayers began in earnest.  Every time I went into prayer, I got the feeling I was simply nipping at the heels of Hurricane IRENE. I did all the things I usually do in working at the global level but I could not feel any shifts in energy which is how I know the prayers have been effective.  One day about the 4thday into the prayer effort, I finally asked in sacred space, “How do we do this?” I was feeling overwhelmed and completely under effective.  Someone had shared with me that the Hurricane itself covered an area as large as Arizona.  This left me totally amazed.  I could feel the power and strength of Irene when in prayer and something I called powerful fury but I did not know how to address it in prayer.

To continue reading this sermon, follow this link to the full  text.  http://robbinshopkins.com/sermons/authentic-prayer-and-global-healing/

 

*Comm-Unity on the Hill, meets at 10 Street and G Street, N.W. in jointly shared space with  First Congregational Church of Washington D.C..  Services begin at 1 PM on Sundays.  Comm-Unity can be reached at cothdc@verizon.net or  703-379-4450 . All are welcome.

** This sermon was preceded by a guided meditation for the congregation. This was offered October 2011

 

 

Global Prayer

For nearly a year, I have been working with a group of folks to publish a newsletter on conditions and areas of the globe needing prayers.  We have over 85 people getting this newsletter through email.  Recently I was asked how I pray for global healing and what my thoughts are about such processes.

NASA Blue Marble by By NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

As our bodies indicate imbalances in the form of infections, viruses, diseases and pain, so Mother Earth indicates her own set of  imbalances when unseen energy is out of balance. Our globe is a vibrant alive organism much as our bodies are vibrant alive organisms. Global imbalances  manifest as violence, corruption, terrorism, war, poverty, epidemics, economic instability, air, earth and water pollution, ethnic hatred, religious hatred, subjugation, slavery, sexual trafficking, volcanic eruptions, tectonic plate shifts, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes and many other imbalances.

When the unseen energy of a given city, state,  nation or a continent is out of balance, Mother Earth visually indicates imbalances at the physical level of the Earth.  All global imbalances no matter how deeply flawed or seemingly intractable can be affected by prayer.  Our prayers can directly affect the re-balancing of  chronic imbalances around the globe.

How do we as a people, for example, heal from prejudice, hatred and subjugation of those different from ourselves? We have ethnic and religious hatred the world over.  Each geographic area of the world has its own form of hatred and darkness history unique to that area of the world manifesting as ethnic hatred, prejudice and subjugation.  However at the root of all hatred and violence against others are humanly created thoughts, feelings and fears which we may have carried for centuries passed down from generation to generation.

Through the calling in of Divine Presence, we can clear the old stagnant, gnarled energies of the past and present.  All fear, thoughts and feelings which are out of Right Relationship with All That Is, can be cleared beginning with us. Even centuries of blocked fear and blame can be cleared through our partnering with God for our people now living around the globe.  Our prayers can hold the intention for global peace and healing in infinitely powerful ways.

To begin any and all healing prayers, I open a sacred space with Divine Beings including the Angelic Host, Ascended Masters, Highest Divine Cosmic Light Beings, Divine Ancestors, Divine Physicians and Nature Intelligences.  I then listen.  I work with the Sacred Flame image of the Divine Presence.  This concept is helpful for consuming all blocked, humanly created energy manifesting as global imbalances.

Let’s take the energy of  hatred between Jews and Christians as our example of imbalance in the Americas. Here is one way to pray for this clearing.  I say these prayers out loud to give more power to their form in our earthly dimension.

Sunset Flames by Brian Auer

Sacred Flame, come forth in all your power.  Clear all blocked emotional, mental, thermal(self-protective) and spiritual (fear and doubt) energies originating from the 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21st centuries now manifesting as the energies of hatred between Christians and Jews in the Americas. Clear all blocked emotional, mental, thermal and spiritual energies,  back through all time and space manifesting as the peoples of the Americas, attracting hatred energy to themselves between Jews and Christians.  Let there be full Forgiveness, Peace and Love with regard to these imbalances.   And So It Is.  Our thanks, Amen.

Sometimes I am then guided to take these same prayers to the rest of the globe. I work with six geographic areas as given by Divine Presence in supporting me in global prayer.  The other five areas of the globe beyond the Americas which I work with include Africa, Europe and Eastern Europe, India and China, [Russia, Middle East and Asia], and [Oceania, Oceans and the Poles].

When I complete this process,  I go back and ask if these geographic areas are in Right Relationship with All That Is in regards to the energy of hatred between Christians and Jews for this day.   If not, I continue until there is Right Relationship indicated for the day with the issue being addressed.  When balance for a given day is indicated, healing at the physical level can begin.

Let’s use the AIDS epidemic in Africa as our next example. This is one way to call for the clearing of the old compromised and blocked energies which are fueling the present imbalances we see as the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Sacred Flame, come forth in all your power.  Clear all blocked emotional, mental, thermal(self-protective) and spiritual (fear and doubt) energies originating from the 18, 19, 20 and 21st centuries now manifesting as the AIDS epidemic in Africa.  Clear all blocked emotional, mental, thermal and spiritual energies,  back through all time and space manifesting as the peoples of Africa attracting an AIDS epidemic to themselves.  Let there be Balance, Healing and Wholeness with regard to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and So It Is.  Our thanks.  Amen

The core blocked energies from the past for a government, nation, condition or group of people contribute to the visible imbalances in the country or region in current times.  If these old patterns of energy are cleared back through centuries, then the present imbalances can clear.  I ask how far back the imbalances go and usually I get a century. If you are not sure, pick a century and call for the clearing from that century forward. Anything we do to clear the present of old blocked energies from the past allows for balance to be restored.

Apophysis-Globe by HocusFocusClick – Johanne

All clearing of this sort will contribute to balance.  So, whatever you do will be helpful. When we work in Divine Space with Divine Beings our prayers can be significantly amplified and are therefore more powerful than if we think we are working as lone individuals.  When we pray in earnest from our hearts, all that is needed is provided and so we are truly contributing to the greater whole within the world.

Let us hear from you.  May powerful praying be actualized by us all!!

Gratitude: for others, for our Earth

Gratitude and negativity can not exist at the same time.  Gratitude and worry can not hold the same space.  Neither can gratitude and anger,  blame or resentment coexist together. Therefore choosing the energy of gratitude is a life giving activity.

Smiling Buddha by elycefeliz

It fills up the places where draining energy might have dared to roam.  Being grateful takes us out of negative attention and connects us with Love.  Gratitude is a part of the large body of Love feelings which are available to us.   How can we cultivate gratitude?

One early step towards gratitude is to be aware of times and places when we are feeling angry and drained.  We have to train the mind to “jump the track” to gratitude when we are angry, frustrated or feeling simply down.  We can focus on that which is draining energy or that which is life affirming and the later creates good endorphins throughout the body. This then helps us glide through situations which might have snagged our good feelings in the past.  If we practice focusing on our blessings and on that for which we are grateful, we literally feed ourselves a diet of Love. This affects every single aspect of our lives, including our chemical balance, our ability to sleep soundly and our ability to attract mates or live peacefully with the mates we have.

Gratitude energy is of a very high vibration,  not simply the fleeting thought of gratitude but the real feeling of being grateful for the blessings we have.  This actually opens and strengthens our connection with the Divine Presence as well, because we begin to exude Love energy which attracts us to Divine Presence.   This is a totally awesome experience filled with love and support which can only improve our lives.

In fact, developing the choice for gratitude is a wonderful way to become closer and more connected with All That Is on many levels.  When we feel grateful or appreciative, we actually calm our nervous system. This brings us into greater balance and we cultivate the feelings of goodness and well being.  So the question is why would we not choose to live in this energy all the time?  Basically, fear.   Fear keeps us in a state of vigilance, anxiety, stress or all three. Fear and gratitude are not compatible with each other.

Beth kept feeling fear and anxiety for her son, Greg.  In fact, every time she thought of Greg, her body constricted due to her very real concerns about him.  She was afraid that he would suffer because of his excessive weight.  She was concerned that he was not happy in his job and she worried that his current relationship was unsupportive.  She was unable to think about Greg without a sense of deep sadness, worry and discomfort.  Their interactions began to suffer, become strained and eventually Greg did not want to see his mother very much at all.  This added to Beth’s  angst and generally sense of loss and impotence regarding her son.  She needed a change of thoughts and feelings regarding her son.

" Attitude ... Eye choose the left side " by gmayster01 .... Trying to keep up !

Beth began by writing down all the fears she was carrying about Greg and his life.  She named over 22 fears she had for her son.  She allowed as how it was probably impossible for him to come for a visit and not feel the energy of fear she had for him.  One by one, she began to call out the specific fears she had for Greg and turn them over to All That Is/Divine Oneness/God.  At the SAME time, she began to list the things she was grateful for about her son.  This was a much harder list to compile because she hardly ever thought in this way.  Eventually, though there was a complete shift in her thinking about her son.  She began to fill her thoughts with the energy of gratitude and this began to transform their time together and their relationship.  Love heals anything and gratitude is a form of Love, pure and simple.

Sunset at Theologos by Giorgos

This is also true about our Earth.  When we feel gratitude towards her beauty, it is a healing energy.  When we drink in the beauty of a sunset or bask in the warming rays of the sun or work with our flowers or food, and feel gratitude, we become a healing presence for Mother Earth.  It is harder to feel gratitude for our Earth if we are worrying about pollution, animal extinction, strip mining, insect imbalances, genetically enhanced foods, clear cutting, pesticides and dwindling oil supplies.  If this is your relation with our Earth, consider praying to Divine Presence to bring forth re-balancing energy for Mother Earth.  This is something we can readily do which can clear us of the draining energy of worry and concern.  This allows us to focus on the gratitude we feel for the beauty of the Earth, and we can stay in a state of gratitude for the other aspects of the Earth which feed our soul.

Prayer Process for our Earth

1. Open a Sacred healing circle with your highest I AM self, the Angelic Host and the Ascended Masters.  You can include any and all Divine Presence you want to help you hold the space.

2. Set the intention to call forth Divine Healing Energy for Planet Earth.

3. Clear you own concern, fear, anger or sense of outrage regarding Earth conditions which you know are particularly draining you.

Sacred Flame, I call forth my blocked emotional, mental, thermal (protective) and spiritual energy originating from this lifetime or from any previous lifetime which is manifesting as my outrage with the practices of strip mining I am seeing in West Virginia. ( fill in the blank for you)

4.  Call for the Sacred Flame, the Presence of All That Is which knows nothing but the Divine, to clear blocked energies manifesting as imbalances on our Earth.

Sacred Flame  (Divine Presence in this form)  clear the blocked emotional, mental, thermal and spiritual energies from our Earth from this century and from any previous centuries which are now manifesting as strip mining in West Virginia.  I call for energy of the Great I AM/Divine Presence/Mighty God to fill the strip mining industry with the perfect vibrations to bring strip mining into Right Relationship with All That Is.

5. My deep appreciation and lasting thanks.

In the process of clearing our blocked energy and blocked energy from other sources, we ourselves benefit greatly by being able to remain in a state of gratitude.  When we are in a state of gratitude, this grows and blesses all whom we meet and all we come in contact with including our Sacred Planet.