Spiritual Path
By Nan Demers
Everyone has their own spiritual path that they follow and over the years I’ve read about many different methods of prayer and meditation. At my parish in Massachusetts I even participated in a prayer and meditation group. The group was formed by a friend who was a breast cancer survivor. Her prognosis wasn’t good when she was diagnosed because of the advanced stage of the cancer, but she was fortunate enough to have a doctor who had read a book entitled “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Hanh. The concept behind the book seemed a bit odd for a group of Episcopalians, however when Margot followed the principles in the book along with her treatment and dietary changes that her doctor prescribed, she healed from the surgery much faster than anticipated, and the cancer never returned.
We began our sessions with group prayer and then listened for a time for whatever message God was sending to each of us while soothing music played quietly in the background. We would share our thoughts about the “quiet time” and finish with a prayer. It was a midweek session in the small chapel adjacent to our church and was spiritually uplifting for everyone involved. It was through these sessions that I not only learned how to pray more effectively, to listen to whatever message it was that God had for me, but also to reduce my stress level whenever I had my private prayer time.
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