Intention and Prayer
Recently, I read the book called “The Intention Experiment” by Lynne McTaggert. It’s a fascinating, if dense, review of current research (a lot of which is controversial) into the nature of thought, healing, intention and prayer. Although McTaggert has a different view of prayer than I do (I’ll comment on that later), I agree with her statement that “We can no longer view our… thoughts as the private, self-contained workings of an individual brain. Dozens of scientists have produced thousands of papers… offering sound evidence that thoughts are capable of profoundly affecting all aspects of our lives.” (p.194)
What a profound statement – our thoughts, negative or positive, are not at all private because they create energy. She suggests that our thoughts are communicated through what quantum physicists call the Zero Point Field or the vacuum. The Zero Point Field is that which remains when a container is emptied of all matter and is brought to a temperature of absolute zero, an extremely frigid temperature at which no energy should be perceptible. Yet, there is a huge amount of minute oscillations that scientists are beginning to measure and study. The Zero Point Field appears to be an active communication medium even in situations in which no electromagnetic energy can penetrate – it is all pervasive and ever present. Kinda like God. Indeed, the Zero Point Field may be the communication medium of the spirit world (my words).
Where I disagree with McTaggert is in her definition of the difference between intention and prayer. She says, “With intention, the agent of change is human; with prayer it is God.” I believe that God is immanent, meaning God is the spark of divinity that resides within each of us; God is the essence of our best self, our highest or true self. Therefore, if we make intentions from our true self, intentions are of God and the line between prayer and intention cannot be drawn. I do concede that human intentions may not originate from our highest self; they may arise from the less-than-altruistic thoughts we may have. Those are not prayers, but curses – against ourselves and against others.
The challenge is to be aware of our thoughts as much as possible. It is a call to mindfulness, a call to vigilance in thinking thoughts that are worthy of being heard by everyone around you. After all, on an energetic level, your thoughts are shared and have impact on both you and others, whether you like it or not.
We’ll talk in later posts about how to cancel negative thoughts and how to substitute positive ones.
Prayer:
Pervasive and Immanent One, help us to be aware of our thoughts moment by moment, everyday. Amen.
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