Celtic Prayer of the Senses

Meeting God Face to Face

Prayer of Presence

  

The majority of Spiritual Traditions all 

 emphasise a sense of the presence of 

  the Mystery,  we call God by so many names.

  In Celtic Spirituality this  MYSTERY is often

  referred to as PRESENCE  .  

  

In  other words a sense of an Indwelling Spirit or Presence

Prayer and Presence  are two of the 4 essential Ps of Celtic Spirituality .  The other two being Place and Pilgrimage.

 These Four Ps, inform and include all aspects of Celtic Spirituality  They underpin the whole Celtic Approach to Spirituality and its many Spiritual Practices or Sadhanas.( Sanskrit for Spiritual Practice) 

In Celtic Spirituality, Prayer is seen as an on-going and constant sense of being present to the Mystery both within and without. Every moment and every action or thought can be seen as Prayer. There is no distinction between Normal Life and Religious or Prayer life. That is modern , mainly Western, dualism. The Celts, share many of the ideas and concepts of Eastern Spiritual Traditions 

Prayer is not merely seen as an action that requires one to kneel or to go to a special 'place of worship'   Neither does it require special formulations or words.   It is an attitude of relationship with the Indwelling Presence and one that requires both a Heart and Mind connection.

The following  Prayer/ Practice, that uses the senses,   can be a helpful aid in any Practice of the presence of the Presence.

The practice can be done either sitting, lying down or standing.  It can be particularly effective if done standing out in Nature.

Modern Neuroscience emphasises the importance of 'holding'  each of the  5 short 'prayers' for at least 5 seconds.

An easy way to do this is the 'hold' each moment/movement for 3 slow rounds of breathing 

Prayer for Openness

 
Gently touch finger tips to forehead as you say either aloud or silently:

"Open my mind to remember Your Presence"







Gently touch or place your fingertips to your lips and silently say 

" Open my mouth to speak Your Wisdom"



Touch your heart with the palm of your hand as you say:

"Open my heart to extend Your Love"

Hold our your open hands , palms up, together as you silently say

"Open my hands to serve You generously"



Finally , with arms open wide, standing firm and aware of your presence say:

"Open my whole being to You"