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Prayer is a powerful practice
Simply setting the intention, with the heart and mind toward Divine Union is calming, healing and restorative for both children and adults. Perhaps this is why Ernest Holmes called his prescription for prayer a “treatment.” It is mental medicine, a physical balm, for all that ails. It is fascinating to find his prescription for prayer validated in the ancient traditions.
I have had the great pleasure to learn and teach several types of prayer, from the simplest Quaker to the very ritualized, Islamic prayer. Treatment lies somewhere in between. At first following the steps may feel like a hindrance. You may think you need to seek a skilled practitioner or minister to pray for you. The truth is, anyone can do it, even children.
Treatment, as taught by Ernest Holmes, is composed of several steps. You may do as few as 1 or as many as 11. That is up to you. Each step feels really good. There is a prescribed order, but you need not stick to it. Treatment is really fluid and responsive. It is alive.
When I teach treatment to children I use 5 steps. I’ve created a free printable below to help you learn. For the very young, I ground it in simple language with movement, to integrate the learning. This is also important because young children learn with their bodies. They embody learning. It is not even necessary to do the movements as they are suggested here. Sometimes children will lead these as floor movements, or in other ways that they feel match the words. I welcome you to explore the variations. Have fun!
♥Karen
The steps of Treatment are:
Step 1 – Recognition
“GOD IS”
Raise hands, arms fully extended to the heavens, slightly arched back, gaze lifted gently to the sky
In this step recognize God as all there is.
Step 2 Unification
“I AM”
Arms raised parallel to shoulder height with elbows bent, hands pointed to the sky. Hands may also be placed on the top of the head or out in front of the face. Straight back, face forward or eyes lifted upward.
If God is all there is, if there is only One, by simple logic, God is also the individual. God is being me too. This is unification.
Step 3 – Affirmation
“I KNOW”
Hands in prayer position at heart level. Elbows at your side, face forward.
Having recognized and unified with the truth of our existence, we can affirm any and all of the boundless possibilities. We are bounded in this expression only by our conditioned mind. Affirmation is the realm of grace and miracles.
Step 4 – Gratitude
“I AM GRATEFUL”
Cross the arms over the heart, hands over heart or hugging yourself. Face forward.
Gratitude, as in “Thank you, God,” because it just feels right and good. It’s a natural outpouring following a miracle.
Step 5 – Release
“I RELEASE AND LET GO”
This is an active movement of releasing all that is held. Falling forward from the waist, bow down sweeping the arms down to the ground. Face the floor or knees.
Letting go is the critical step in enacting the Law of Growth. Do nothing. You have spoken. The Universe response. Period.
Treatment for young children
For the younger child, simply saying the words with the movement is a wonderful practice. You may also have fun in adding a word, the same word, at the end of each statement. Let the child choose the word. They may choose and animal, a favorite food or a feeling. It sounds like this:
God is Love
I Am Love
I Know Love
I Am Grateful for Love
I Release and Let Go
Treatment for middle childhood
As children age, they want to explore words that may challenge and question adults, themselves and the practice. As Rudolf Steiner writes, they are like a river going underground. They insert words like, hate, poop, and evil. It sounds like this:
God is Hate
I Am Hate
I Know Hate
I Am Grateful for Hate
I Release and Let Go (of Hate)
I welcome all the words, except profanity (in class). The Law of Mind makes no distinction what we may judge as good or evil. We are as we believe. Through this exercise, the child sees that calling names or judging others is really just a form of describing oneself. In gratitude for the learning, we can release and let go of the judgment and identification.
Treatment with the older child
The older child and teen is ready to add deeper concepts and meaning to their prayers. This longer prayer, using the same steps is presented throughout childhood, but it is the teen who now may rise to lead. An example of this prayer is:
God is all and everything
that means that I am God and you are God too.
I am perfect and whole.
I know that I am surrounded with all the love of the Universe and more.
Everything is easy and fun
My family and friends, my school, my life are fun too!
I am so grateful to be alive! I love each moment of this adventure!
Thank you, God!
I release and let go.
Amen
More steps of treatment
In the introduction, I wrote that there are up to 11 steps of treatment, but that you can do treatment in as little as one step. In one step, you can Unify with Divinity(step 2) . This step alone eliminates all needs, worries, troubles and strife. In Divine Mind, none of the momentary, illusory problems exist, only expansive, oceanic awareness. You can also say an affirmation (step 3) in one step as a form of treatment.
On the other hand, to enjoy sitting in communion and prayer for longer, you may add in more steps, as you feel moved. These include some from other spiritual traditions, like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Ho’oponopono. You may find you have more steps that come through you.
Purify and prepare
Before coming to prayer, you may like to purify the body, mind and spirit. You can do this with a ritualized cleansing of the body with water or sage. You can also chant or repeat the name of God, using a mantra like Om, Om Namah Shivaya or Allah hu Akbar. In Islam, there is the concept of niyyah, which means centering and quieting the mind with intention, in the name of God, Bismillah. The Quakers settle the mind into a state of quite listening, or centering down, turning the attention inward, the gaze down to the heart, the ears focused inside.
Praise
Praise can begin a prayer. In praise, you are addressing God outlining and listing all the amazing qualities and gifts of the Divine. It goes something like this: O Heavenly One, creator of Heaven and Earth, Creator of the Universe, ever-present, Almighty, all-knowing and all Seeing One. You are the most high, most beautiful, most Beloved. And so on. Praise puts you into a state of submission, openness, awe, and gratitude. It allows you to enter into prayer with true humility.
Ask for help
In many traditions, a big part of prayer is asking for help. While this is not a central aspect of Treatment, as most “needs” are put in the form of an affirmation, asking for help, for guidance, for clarity, for healing can still be a part of affirmative prayer.
Ask Forgiveness
Asking of forgiveness can come as part of releasing the treatment, or either before or after. In this we ask forgiveness for having forgotten the true nature of our Divinity and also forgetting who is actually doing the doing. We are asking forgiveness for thinking we are all alone, for forgetting that we are supported and held always by God.
Apology
The apology, using the simple words, “I’m sorry,” follows asking for forgiveness. I’m sorry to have forgotten.
Declaration of Love
Before closing the treatment, declare your love to God and to the Universe by saying, “I love you!” This is said to the inner Self and the Higher Self, that I am and the Nothing.
Want to learn more about treatment?
I’ll be writing more about treatment and offering more printables in upcoming weeks, so
SUBSCRIBE HERE or join me on Facebook
@ScienceofMindChild to learn more. Also, feel free to ask questions in the comments.
To listen to a prayer treatment, call the
Center for Spiritual Awakening treatment phone line for updated pre-recorded message at (831) 275-7222. You are welcome to leave a prayer request.
Buy a Treatment Poster for your Classroom
Now available in the Science of Mind Shop!
The Steps of Treatment Poster for your Children’s Classroom. Includes the 5 steps of affirmative prayer with suggested movements for teaching children. Two available sizes 12″X 18″ and 16″X 20″.
Poster Prices
12″X 18″- $19.99 + shipping
16″X 20″- $24.99 + shipping
175 gsm fine art paper
Matte finish
For indoor use
Image credits
The images used in this article are from Creative Commons, free for commercial use. Thank you to the artists.
prayer to the sun- Daniel Reche
God Is- Pixabay
I Am – mohamed Hassan
I know – umihir
I Am Grateful- Giulia Bertelli
I release and let go- Gerd Altmann
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