Praying with our hands : 21 practices of embodied prayer from the world's spiritual traditions

by Jon M. Sweeney

Other authorsJennifer J. Wilson (Photographer)

Paperback, 2000

Publication

Imprint: Woodstock, Vermont : SkyLight Paths Pub., c2000. Responsibility: Jon M. Sweeney ; photographs by Jennifer J. Wilson, foreword by Mother Tessa Bielecki with an afterword by Taitetsu Unno, PhD. OCLC Number: 44952094. Physical: Text : 1 volume : 83 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm. Features: Includes artists statement, bibliography.

Call number

Meditation / Sween

Barcode

BK-04852

ISBN

9781893361164

Collections

Your library, Adult Materials, Contemplative Practices

CSS Library Notes

Description: The power of words is nowhere more evident than when we use them to pray, but prayer is also the place where we most often come up against the limitations of words. In this intriguing book of reflections and accompanying photographs, we see how our bodies, in particular our hands, can give meaning to our prayers in a way that words alone cannot.

Here are twenty-one simple ways of using our hands to speak to God, presented in word and image. These spiritual practices are from a broad range of religious traditions—from Anglican to Sufi, from Buddhist to Shaker. Some may be familiar, some new; all demonstrate the universal importance people of all faith traditions have given to embodied prayer. They teach us to experience the unique spiritual enrichment that can be found when we pray with our hands. -- from publisher

Table of Contents: Foreword / Tessa Bielecki
Introduction: How do we pray with our hands?
All of life is sacred if we know that God is present: work as prayer
Holiness is right before our eyes: welcoming the Sabbath
Hungering for God: accepting the Holy Eucharist
When we find our center, we find God: welcoming the Deity
Relationships are built over time: table grace
We are divine agents in the world: resisting evil
Adoring the divine close at hand: praying with icons
True freedom come from letting go: the cosmic Mudra
We are expressions of God to each other in community: laying on of hands
Yearning for the One whom we cannot see or touch: dancing with God
Sharing God's goodness: breaking bread. Linking to the divine: counting prayers
Our bodies are sanctuaries for God: daily honor
Humility requires patience: foot washing
Separateness is an illusion: showing compassion
Setting aside sacred space: making an altar
Reverence can begin with the hands and train the heart: the sign of the cross
An engaged spirit cannot help but show itself: practicing lovingkindness
God may come at any time: receiving the Spirit
Consecrating ourselves: holy water
Reconciliation with one another and with God: passing the peace
Conclusion: Embodied prayer is an expression of who we really are
Afterword / Taitetsu Unno

FY2001 /

Physical description

83 p.; 20 cm

Description

A spiritual guidebook for bringing prayer into our bodies The power of words is nowhere more evident than when we use them to pray, but prayer is also the place where we most often come up against the limitations of words. In this intriguing book of reflections and accompanying photographs, we see how our bodies, in particular our hands, can give meaning to our prayers in a way that words alone cannot. Here are twenty-one simple ways of using our hands to speak to God, presented in word and image. These spiritual practices are from a broad range of religious traditions--from Anglican to Sufi, from Buddhist to Shaker. Some may be familiar, some new; all demonstrate the universal importance people of all faith traditions have given to embodied prayer. They teach us to experience the unique spiritual enrichment that can be found when we pray with our hands.… (more)