“The only true joy on earth is to escape from the prison of our own false self, and enter by love into union with the Life Who dwells and sings within the essence of every creature and in the core of our own souls.”

- Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, 1962

Prayer and meditation are quite simply the same thing. But the word “prayer” has been all fouled up with centuries of blind faith and miracle ordering. Get on both knees, clasp your hands and ask God for all those things that will make your life better. Sheesh! In actuality, like meditation, prayer is a reaching out and in, a wordless communication with the Sacred Flame, a stillness of mind and a reconnection with the inner currents of energy.

There are many forms of prayer and meditation, but at the heart of any of them is a moment of stillness you find yourself in, floating in a river of peace and quiet. Moving but staying still, full of crashing silence and flashing darkness. A place inside of you where opposites can reside in paradox.

I love these moments. I find solace in them every night, in my communion with Life and Light.