PRAYING by Ruth Calder Murphy

Prayer comes in many different forms and guises, just as every other form of communication does…

 In the same way that we speak through words, through art, through gifts - or through hugs, kisses, screaming, shouting, silence and music - so prayer can take on different aspects.

Just as our perceptions of Divinity, or Source, or Spirit vary from individual to individual, depending on our perspective, so our perceptions of what prayer is, vary, too.

For myself, it’s a constantly evolving thing – both my perception of the Divine, and of prayer. It’s an organic thing, rather than a static thing, and feels somehow like breathing: Inhale, exhale - receive, release.

When I run (which I do, often) along the river in the early morning, every step, every breath, every sight and sound feels like a part of this on-going, living prayer and everything around me seems to be a reflection of Divinity.

Photography by Jonathan Kingston

Praying

When mist rises from the water

in-between night

and the golden light of dawn

- when it drifts,

translucent-white

or hangs like silent phantoms,

soaking up birdsong

and the perfume of honeysuckled hedgerows;

when herons launch themselves airbourne

with a sudden decision and the precision of practice

and I run, achilles-winged,

toes kissing the tow path

and beating the rhythm of another new day,

then, with every step

and every diaphragm-deep breath,

without the need for words,

I pray.

Ruth Calder Murphy is a writer, artist, music teacher, wife and mother living in London, UK. Her life is wonderfully full of creativity and low-level chaos. She is the author of two published novels, “The Scream" and "The Everlasting Monday", several books of poetry and one or two as-yet unpublished novels. She is passionate about celebrating the uniqueness of people, questioning the unquestionable and discovering new perspectives on old wonders. She is learning to ride the waves that come along—peaks and troughs—and is waking up to just how wonderful life really is. You can visit Ruth and view more of her art on her website, or on her writer's page on Facebook. Her books are available on Amazon, here.

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