John O’Donohue encouraged us to not only pray, but to create or fashion a prayer that expresses the longing and beauty of our hearts. I wanted to share this powerful guidance as an invitation to create your own prayer with intention. Even if you do not go so far as to memorize the prayer, the guidance here is about contemplating the vastness of who we are, but without illusion or clinging to ego. Feel free to follow the instruction in a way that is meaningful for your own soul’s expression. Your prayer might be words, but it might be set to music, it might be an image on canvas. The form your prayer takes is up to you.
“Give yourself time to make a prayer that will become the prayer of your soul. Listen to the voice of longing in your soul. Listen to your hungers. Give attention to the unexpected that lives around the rim of your life. Listen to your memory and to the inrush of your future, to the voices of those near you and those you have lost.
Out of all of that attention to your soul, make a prayer that is big enough for your wild soul, yet tender enough for your shy and awkward vulnerability; that has enough healing to gain the ointment of divine forgiveness for your wounds; enough truth and vigor to challenge your blindness and complacency; enough graciousness and vision to mirror your immortal beauty.
Write a prayer that is worthy of the destiny to which you have been called. This is not about any self-absorbed narcissism. It is about honoring the call of your soul and the call of eternity in you. Take as much time as you need to find the shape of the prayer that is appropriate to your essence. It might take a month or a year.
When you have shaped it, memorize it. When you have learned it by heart, you will always carry this gracious prayer around the world with you. Gradually, it will grow into a mantra companion. It will be the call of your essence, opening you up to new areas of birth; it will bring the wild and tender light of your heart to every object, place, and person you will meet.”
—John O’Donohue, “A Prayer for Your Wild Soul” from Eternal Echoes
—Jessica Lien, Prairiewoods development coordinator