Category Archives: Prayer

Metaphysical Call Debrief #1 POSTPONED

talk-to-god-seni-karya-peserta-burning-man

UPDATE: This call has been POSTPONED to a later date to be announced. Thank you!

An initial debriefing call is scheduled for Saturday, September 6 at 7pm PST to share inspiration, prayers and challenges that came up throughout the Healing Foot Wash Camp’s recent journey to Burning Man.

We will be having another call again in the near future; this short notice call is to share some initial thoughts and gratitude while there is still so much momentum around the event.

Call in: 619-326-2772
Code: 1246521

The on-playa team cannot begin to say how much all of the prayers of the prayer-watch team sustained us throughout our time at Burning Man and how incredibly grateful we are for this support.

We are all Prophets – by Michael Morgan

Washing feet at Burning Man 2013To me, Burning Man is primarily a prophetic experience – the entire experience out on the playa is an opportunity to exercise your power as a prophet. And what exactly does that mean? The Bible is full of prophets. Every author of every book of Scripture expresses spiritual insight through their writing that is still remarkably poignant millennia later.

In preparing for this year’s Burning Man, I have come up with a list of Biblical prayers to focus on each day on the playa. If you’d like, you are more than welcome to join in! Your prayers, your willingness, your active support will affirm this golden truth: We are all Prophets.

Day 1: “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, yet you can’t interpret the signs of the times?” — Matthew 16:3

Dear God, help me focus my thought on hearing God speak to me through every situation and circumstance. Help me set aside preconceived notions about what is right and wrong, good or bad, and be willing to really read the signs of the times in everyone I meet – no matter what they look like or how they act. I want to see your beautiful, majestic work of creation in everyone I meet.

Day 2: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” — Revelation 21:1

Dear God, I want to experience heaven wherever I am. I want to feel the presence of your angels, the glory of your goodness, and shout hallelujah that the old has passed away and the fresh, vibrant, holy and new has been revealed.

Day 3: “Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!” — Micah 4:4

Dear God, help me dwell in peace and security alongside others. I want to be at peace to be me even when I’m around people who seem so different! Help me be attentive to the needs of others and not to forget that my shade could be shade for another – and that the seed of potential for the awakening of the Holy Spirit lives in every one of God’s children.

Day 4: “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” — Joel 2:28

Dear God, I want to receive your prophetic anointing in order to share your glory with the world. I want to see signs and wonders, not for my own amusement, but in order to open the eyes of others to your awesome love. I want the love of your Son Jesus to be so attractive, so unique, and so irresistible that we forget about religious belief and unite in spiritual affection.

Day 5: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” — Romans 12:2

Dear God, let my activity and interaction with others reflect your model for covenant relationship. Let my conversation, my thoughts, and my actions be acceptable according to heaven’s standard. May I see every man as a brother made in God’s image and likeness, and every woman as a sister in Christ. Let there be no separation between me and them, but let us all represent an individual piece of a most exquisite whole.

Day 6: “‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism'” — Acts 10:34

Dear God, may I set aside prejudices and old concepts today. May I examine myself and discover what might be keeping me at a distant from others or thinking pridefully. Give me your eyes to see your children the same way you see them. Give me your voice to speak with joy and gratitude. May I be blind to hate and receptive to the many gifts waiting for me today.

Day 7: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” — Matthew 5:23-34

Dear God, let me leave behind any and all resentment, bitterness, or envy directed towards my self or my fellow man. Let me be bathed in forgiveness on this day. Let me rejoice that I am made new, that the old man is burned away and the new man is established. Let all that is useless to my spiritual mission burn away, and may new strength and revelation follow me all of the days of my life. Amen.

Mary Baker Eddy, the female prophet and apostle of the 19th and 20th centuries, defines the word prophet in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures as “a spiritual seer; disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth” (pg. 593: 4-5).

Isn’t this what unites all of us at Burning Man? No matter our background, we all see and experience spiritual reality unlike anywhere else on the globe. We awaken to the nothingness of limitation, fear, and conflict and subsume those false cognitions with love, clarity, and infinite possibility. We are all prophets. Prophets of individual tribes, completely unique and different in how we prophesy, the languages we speak, our beliefs, our worship, our expression of the one Truth we all seek.

At this year’s Burning Man, I look forward to putting these prayers into practice by actively seeing every single person around me as a prophet sent by the supreme and glorious Father of all.

Stop by our camp (Isfahan & 9:15) if you can and receive support for your prophetic gifting. If you’re not actually at Burning Man, stop by mentally and take some time to pray for us each day! Spread it around wherever you are and take it with you to your next destination – awaken those around you by reminding them with your love that, in-deed, We are all Prophets.

Burning Man by the Numbers

http://www.scottlondon.com/photography/burningman/
Photo credit: http://www.scottlondon.com/photography/burningman/

We invite you to join us on the playa in spirit through your prayerful and financial help. Here’s a quick breakdown of Burning Man 2014 by the (approximate) numbers:

  • 8 days  – August 25 to September 1
  • 68,000 people
  • 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA
  • 7 square miles of playa (fine-powdered alkaline desert; about equivalent in size to downtown San Francisco; BLM land that transforms from barren desert to “Black Rock City” and back once a year)
  • 1,000+ Porta-Potties
  • 1 Center Camp where you can purchase ice, coffee and hot cocoa; ice is also available at two other locations; no other commerce is allowed, period.
  • 1,000s of theme camps – from Aloha Camp (island vibes, Aloha spirit and Hawaiian culture) to ZAP! (a giant lightning bolt striking the playa).
  • 1 foot washing camp* – ours! “HEALING FOOT WASH: Life, Truth, Love”Healing Foot Wash banner
    • 15+ on-playa participants
      • 15+ pairs of goggles and dust masks
      • 15+ bicycles
      • 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking + food
    • 1 playa kitchen organized by our fabulous kitchen team and staffed by each participant in turn
    • 1 evapotron shower system
      • 497 baby wipes 😉
    • 10+ foot washing stations
      • 2000 feet washed (goal, up from 400 feet last year)
      • 1/2 C water + vinegar per foot wash
    • 3 lectures by John Tyler, CSB, a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship
    • as-yet uncounted number of used Bibles, Science and Healths, MyBibleLessons, Quarterlies, Sentinels, etc., for gifting
    • ++ Prayer Watch volunteers – PLEASE PRAY WITH US! <–sign up for a watch
    • 1/2 of needed funds have been raised – every donation counts! Our participants have purchased their own $380 tickets, and paid for travel and food. However,  we have lecture**, truck rental and a some miscellaneous expense to cover.

Thank you for joining us in spirit through your prayers and donations. It is never too late, nor too little. This camp belongs to everyone who wants to share their love of Christian Science with the world. We appreciate your support and promise to share our experiences with you when we return!

*according to a search for the terms “foot” and “feet” in the theme camp list
**lecture expenses include tickets, travel and food for our lecturer and spouse

Strength, Hope, Song

aleXander_playa_writer

Photo: AleXander hirka

The metaphysical team has been praying about the following:

Radical Self-Reliance
Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

Ex. 20:8-11
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

In spiritualizing the Burning Man principle of Radical Self-Reliance, I enjoyed praying with Hymn 10 from the Christian Science Hymnal. It was written by Frederic W. Root and reads as follows:

All power is given unto our Lord,
On Him we place reliance;
With truth from out His sacred word
We bid our foes defiance.
With Him we shall prevail,
Whatever may assail;
He is our shield and tower,
Almighty is His power;
His kingdom is forever.

Rejoice, ye people, praise His name,
His care doth e’er surround us.
His love to error’s thralldom came,
And from its chains unbound us.
Our Lord is God alone,
No other power we own;
No other voice we heed,
No other help we need;
His kingdom is forever.

O then give thanks to God on high,
Who life to all is giving;
The hosts of death before Him fly,
In Him we all are living.
Then let us know no fear,
Our King is ever near;
Our stay and fortress strong,
Our strength, our hope, our song;
His kingdom is forever.

This hymn firmly places our reliance off self and onto God. Especially lovely is the phrase “our strength, our hope, our song.”

Could strength not represent the strength we each have, in getting to the playa, setting up camp, washing feet and doing all the other practical things that need doing? Strength for us and all.

Hope speaks more to our consciousness or state of thought. You cannot be despondent, discouraged, stressed or dismayed and hopeful at the same time. A hopeful, joyous and buoyant thought is expressed by each of us and everyone we come into contact with. This uplifted and uplifting consciousness attracts the thirsty and searching.

Last we have our song! What a song we sing! The tune is catchy – one of those tunes that just gets stuck in your head. It is a song of God’s love and healing. This song represents our sharing with each other and everyone we see. Everyone hears our song, and enjoys listening to it and especially enjoys singing along with us.

Through our radical reliance on God, we have strength to do all that is needed, a hopeful, uplifting attitude, and an endless song of Love.

Next up, we will be praying about the following:

Radical Self-Expression
Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Ex. 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Isn’t it wonderful how the commandments mesh so beautifully with the principles?! Thank you for your prayers. Please feel free to share your inspiration in the comments!

On What or Whom Do You Rely?

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Photo by Darcy McCarty

The next topics the Spiritual Playa metaphysical team is addressing are the fourth Burning Man principle of radical self-reliance and the fourth Commandment. Join in and comment your inspiration!

Radical Self-Reliance
Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

Ex. 20:8-11
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

As always, the prayer team is open to requests. We’ll be discussing our inspiration on our next call June 29 and welcome your prayers and other input!

How do you experience life?

pool

The next topic the Spiritual Playa metaphysical team is addressing is the third Burning Man principle of decommodification and the third Commandment. Join in and comment your inspiration!

Decommodification
In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

Ex. 20:7
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Prayer request has also been made for justice, equality, and forward movement for humanity in respect to Burning Man.

What’s your gift?

Do-you-need-any-help

The next topic the Spiritual Playa metaphysical team is addressing is the second Burning Man principle of gifting and the second Commandment. Join in and comment your inspiration!

Gifting
Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional.
Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

Ex. 20:4-6
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

You’re included!

all-are-welcome1_0You’re invited to join the metaphysical preparation team as they pray to see the spiritual impetus and meaning behind both the 10 commandments and the 10 principles of Burning Man.

The first commandment is: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (link)

The first principle of Burning Man is Radical Inclusion: Anyone may be part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community. (link)

Washing Feet

I’ve begun doing some preliminary reading about washing feet, per last night’s teleconference. I see a Wednesday night topic in the making!

Feet ready to be washedAlso, I really love this quote in relation to Burning Man:

“Cleanse every stain from this wanderer’s soiled garments, wipe the dust from his feet and the tears from his eyes, that you may behold the real man, the fellow-saint of a holy household,” ‘Retrospection and Introspection,’ by Mary Baker Eddy (Pg. 86).

The playa is our ‘holy household’ for the week, filled with fellow-saints! And again, when you read the passage in context, it is clear that this cleansing starts with one’s self.

Walking into a church…or a CS camp at Burning Man

This poem made me think about what it might be like to walk into our Burning Man camp, then to participate and experience our camp’s expression of church and Reading Room. I especially like the idea of washing “feet and thoughts,” and knowing that we start with our own! Do you see anything else in this poem that you can relate to our camp?     -Nancy

—-
Walking into a church

By BARBARA COOK

From the March 1983 issue of The Christian Science Journal

should be like walking into a manger,
not a hall of judgment—
a place so shorn of self-righteousness,
so free of all reproach,
that the hungering heart will feel no
shame, no awkward fear,
no insecurity.

Sitting in a church
should be like sitting in a field of sunlight—
comfortable and warm—
while Love’s sweet air is bearing
fragrances of Christ’s simplicity.

Experiencing church should be like walking through* a stream,
where Christly ministrations
wash your feet and thoughts
and make you clean.

Oh, yes—I know how I expect my
church to feel ….
Dear Father-Mother, teach me
now the way to make it real.

BARBARA COOK
* A correction was made in the February 1985 German Herold and the March 1986 French Heraut, in which this poem was reprinted and translated: “wading in” was changed to “walking through”.

http://journal.christianscience.com/issues/1983/3/101-3/walking-into-a-church