Never more true than now as we embrace 2012, the consciousness of mankind has risen beyond mere survival and extended to us the opportunity to actually influence possibilities and outcome. Our hearts and wishes for the best possible outcome move us to hold space for those to whom we feel connection.
We hear news of tragedies and circumstances that beg for intervention. Who among us doesn’t recall those 17 men buried deep within the mine or a little girl rescued from a well or any number of other natural or man-made crises? We all stopped our lives for a moment to take notice, to wish them Godspeed, to say a prayer or more.
What may not be as immediately or fully known is that we each had something to do with those resolutions. It can be called prayer, energy, hope, or healing or perhaps simply divine. Yet what we’ve come to understand not just in our hearts but more recently with scientific confirmation is that we can and do directly impact outcomes as a result of our intentions, focus, and actions. But when and how do we extend this ability of our collective connection through directed thought, intention and prayer beyond our inner circle and to the rest of the world?
You can imagine, a thousand years ago we were primarily interested in the feeding and surviving of our own, in basic survival, and that was our world. Sixty years ago the same was true but something else was also happening, changing. In the 60’s a transformational shift occurred that changed our collective mind in this country forever; and pro activity became a lifestyle for a very large portion of the population.
Today, we are in touch with the entire Earth and the world is our back yard. Whatever happens on the coast of Japan will influence the air and water quality on another coast. Likewise, the decisions and changes that create the benefits of a more green and flourishing environment will certainly be enjoyed and appreciated by the rest of the world sharing the same air stream and water source. And what about those lands and individuals to which we aren’t directly “connected”? What if we are all connected at a cellular level?
The truth is, we are. The idea that there is separateness is merely an illusion. Every cell has its own unique language, part of which is shared with other cells. This begs the question: Is there anything in this world that isn’t influenced directly or indirectly by every action on our planet, either man-made or natural? Some will say that we are like the aspen trees, knowing and feeling for each other - if one is cut down, they all respond.
Then how in the world can we just stand by and watch as if we are not a part of what is happening globally? The truth is that we are not just watching from a distance. Gone are the days when we can believe that our actions and thoughts don’t impact others. We understand now more fully and completely just how thoroughly we are all connected.
Part of our evolution has been through technology. Technology and media have brought every one of us into everyone’s home and we have more information as a result than we know what to do with. While at times it can be possible to feel overwhelmed by such vast amounts of information, it can also be enormously empowering. It enables us to take on larger amounts of responsibility, to see the impact of our actions more immediately, and to see where there is a need. The technology we have today enables us all to no longer be just the passive observer.
Science, too, has enabled us to continue to evolve in our collective, human and social consciousness. A 1998 study from the Weizmann Institute of Science says it all: “Quantum Theory Demonstrated, Observation Affects Reality” Even though this sounds more like a philosopher’s hypothesis than a scientific conclusion, the paper describes how we affect reality just by watching it.
Hundreds of studies have been conducted which support the conclusion that it does not matter if the subject of attention is mold, or moss, people or pets, the results are a distinctive change for the better. Further notice demonstrates that when you add to the mere observation an element of emotion, caring and love the outcome and positive response from the subject is far greater. Time after time these results have been repeated and shown to be true.
This powerful phenomenon has attracted the attention of innovators ranging from doctors and scientists to clergy and artists. Quantum theory has shown the impossibility of separating the observer from the observed. The mind-boggling implication of this conclusion forces us to become mindful of the interconnection we share with the entire world, all living things, and the earth.
As suggested by scientist Gregg Braden in his science meets spirituality best seller, The Spontaneous Healing of Belief, he states, “We are intimately connected with everything from the cells of our bodies to the atoms of our world and beyond.”
Braden asks, “Could our role as Participators explain mysteries such as spontaneous remission of disease or miraculous healings? It is possible that we’re born with the power to reverse disease, create peace and abundance, and even change reality itself. And if this is so, what do these connections tell us about our own well-being and abilities to heal the world? It is our consciousness that makes this possible, when converted into an intention for our world and her inhabitants, and here lays our connection; to hope to do more than just survive but to thrive and flourish freely, collectively. We are influenced by others as others are influenced by us, our choices, attitudes, Love, connections to one another and more… our cynicism, mindlessness, negativity, entitlement, selfishness, you get the picture.”
If we explore the archives, the Gospel of Thomas offers a beautiful example of a powerful belief. In the pages of this controversial Gnostic text, identified as a rare record of Jesus’ sayings, the master is describing the key to living in this world. He explains how the union of thought and emotion creates a power that can literally change our reality. “When you make the two one (thought and feeling) you will become the sons of man, and when you say, ‘Mountain move away,’ it will move away.”
As we’ve all seen in recent months, the power of the collective can become a powerful force, and this is consistent when it comes to prayer and the impact on our world. Just as we saw with the originating idea behind the Occupy movement, our voices, our intentions and our actions ARE powerful. Joined together with individuals who have a similar desire or intention, we can accomplish miracles. We can literally change our world and our experiences within it.
When viewed in the context of healing the world, the power of prayer or directed consciousness is demonstrated in our ability to influence the healing of someone we love or for the refugees of Somalia. We have the potential to influence the outcome of a specific situation in a positive way, or to call for wisdom in our world leaders.
Imagine if our collective mind were to ask for the same miracle such as world peace. It matters not what you call it whether prayer, intention or will - when that desired outcome is called for with more than just words but as if it is all up to you, the results can be magnificent.
As humans, it’s challenging for us to understand and to know ALL things, particularly in regard to things that are divine in nature and so much bigger than ourselves. We’ve all had experiences of praying fervently for something that didn’t happen, of feeling despair that something hadn’t gone the way we’d hoped or intended.
We’ve also been privy to experiences that were considered miracles – finding or getting something when you needed it the most, healing that occurred that by medical standards is inexplicable, even finding peace or comfort in the midst of despair. There are simply things that are outside of our realm of ability to know and greater forces at work than ourselves. What we do know now though is that we can and do impact outcomes simply by our directed thoughts, attention, intention and prayer. We have only to look at nature to imagine the collective force of power that arises when more than one of us intends to affect an outcome.
Consider in nature the rain. The force of one raindrop will moisten the surrounding area on which it falls. That raindrop may assist sustaining life for a bird or other creatures that need it. Millions of raindrops at the same time in the same place over time have the ability to carve through mountains, sustain entire cities and even more. The same can be said for our prayers and the impact on our world.
Just as we’ve seen in the experiments in quantum physics, through our directed thoughts, intentions, and prayers, we can affect change just as if we’d physically changed something. When you reach deep into your heart and visualize and hope for the absolute outcome you desire, you are participating. The result is the same if you envision the outcome you desire, bring your thought and feeling for it together, selflessly believe that it already is and wrap it in unconditional Love.
Imagine how our world might change for the better, imagine how the prayer of another may have carried you through your toughest times and imagine that now it is your time, your gift to do the same.
We are no longer mere observers. We are participants and together, we are making a difference. As we watch our television, or listen to someone venting from the seat behind us, or feel angry at the person who just cut us off in traffic, we have the power to choose how we will meet that moment, and we determine what our response will be. In that moment we can change our thoughts and thereby our reactions and yes the outcome too; there is the power.
Simply, the power of prayer is our greatest connection and instrument for change. Spiritual leader and author Marianne Williamson said it best in her poem about our innate abilities. Our greatest fear really isn’t that we aren’t powerful enough, it really is that we are more powerful than we can even imagine. The joy and the blessing of being alive at this time in our world is that we are embracing that truth and together discovering that we can use that innate and magnificent power within each of us to make our world and our lives better for every single one of us.
Our desires for a better world, for more connection and meaning have already impacted our outcomes. We recognize that prayer has the power to change our world and we also recognize our roles in bringing forth those changes. The interconnection and changes we’ve prayed for and wished for have already begun to form. Our view of what the world can be for our future generations is already more than just a glimmer of hope. It has become a powerful thought and higher intention for our world… it can and will move mountains.
As we become purer channels for God’s light, we develop an appetite for the sweetness that is possible in this world. A miracle worker is not geared toward fighting the world that is, but toward creating the world that could be.
-Marianne Williamson
