Consciousness and Prayer Part 1
June 29, 2025
Consciousness and Prayer Part 1
Welcome to this week’s Daily Reflections on Consciousness and Prayer.
What is prayer? Is it a request to the Divine? Is it a method to transform our minds? Is it a ritual to meet a spiritual obligation? Is it a perfunctory nod to the Divine? Is it an act of desperation? Is it bargaining with the Divine? Is it a practice to restore our peace? Is it to intercede on behalf of others? Is it a conversation with the Divine? Is it a plea to the Divine?
Prayer can be any or all the above and more. However, there is one thing all these forms of prayer have in common—they are acts of submission, predicated on the understanding that whatever the prayer’s purpose, it is to a higher power. A power that transcends all human power. But how we pray and what we pray for vary among us and are decided by our personal theology.
Where do we get our theology— our beliefs about being and about God. Plain and simple, our theology is formed from our level of consciousness. To understand the levels of consciousness, we turn to thinkers, theologians, and philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Jean-Paul Sartre, G.W. Leibniz, Kathinka Evers, Carl Jung, Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, Jean Gebser, James Fowler, Don Beck, and Clare Graves. But we can go to someone else in history who taught us about levels of consciousness in the most fundamental yet profound ways —Jesus Christ. Some of his examples of different levels of consciousness are in Matthew 6:5-8, right before he taught what is now called “The Lord’s Prayer.” He said:
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your unseen Father. Then your Father, who sees what is done secretly, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6: 5-8).
Jesus realized that most of us can relate, albeit embarrassingly, to all of the types of prayer that human beings can offer. After describing these types of prayers and the levels of consciousness from which they come, he instructed us how not to be in the levels of consciousness of the hypocrites and pagans. Jesus inspired us to have a private, even secret, relationship with the Divine, who sees all and knows what we need. This is the way to higher consciousness.
Some may argue that levels of consciousness are an elitist concept—that God does not relate to God’s children according to their spiritual ritual, insights, knowledge or accomplishments. And in my opinion, these people are not misguided. If God is truly a God of inclusion and love, how could God come closer or love us according to our level of consciousness? All prayers are valid and reach the ears of the Divine if they have the intention of doing so.
This week, we will reflect on our prayers, our level of consciousness, and the purpose of prayer.
Spiritual practice: Pray the Lord’s Prayer. Does it have a different meaning to you when you pray it alone, as opposed to when you pray it in a group? Why so?
Dear God,
As I sit and pray, I ask your Holy Spirit to give me the words. Amen
