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Prayer beyond words

Posted by Editor • August 13th, 2007 • Printer-friendly

Many people who pray are moving beyond words – whether audible or silent – and using yoga, dance, painting, walking, meditating to connect with God. Prayer that is expressed physically with the body – through the use of a religious object or through a form of art – appears to be on the rise, reflected in the number of books, retreats, workshops and classes on them (see list below).

People of faith are also using words to pray in creative ways, such as spiritual journaling. And worshippers are reaching across denominational and faith lines to try different forms of prayer. Today you can find Methodists walking the Catholic Stations of the Cross and Mennonites performing Anglican-based fixed-hour prayer.

Why it matters

As people reach beyond their traditional religious practice for different forms of prayer, they may ultimately influence the way worship is done in their congregations.

Questions for reporters

What do people attain through the practice of prayer that is more than spoken? How far from their own religious upbringings do they venture in seeking out these different forms of prayer? How comfortable are congregations and worshippers in your area with these different forms of prayer?

Kinds of prayer

  • Embodied prayer is the practice of bringing an awareness of the body and the use of it into prayer. Examples include performing liturgical dance or Sufi dances and walking the Stations of the Cross or a labyrinth.
  • Fixed-hour prayer is the practice of praying set prayers at set times of the day and night. While common in Islam – Muslims pray at five prescribed times of the day – in Christianity fixed-hour prayer is most commonly known as a monastic practice. Many Christians, especially mainline Protestants, are now reviving the practice, which is also known as the divine office, praying the hours and common prayer.
  • Lectio Divina is the prayerful reading of the Bible. Originally practiced by Catholics, this contemplative prayer practice has now found its way into many reformed and even evangelical and Pentecostal traditions.
  • Prayer beads are found in almost every world religion except Judaism. Within Christianity, they are most commonly found among Catholics, who pray the Marian rosary. But in the last 25 years, there has been a movement within Protestant churches – mostly among Episcopalians – to reclaim the saying of counted prayers on a string of beads. There is also a small but growing use of prayer beads and even Catholic rosaries among pagans, including Wiccans, Asatrus, Druids and Christo-Pagans.
  • Spiritual journaling is the charting of one’s religious or spiritual path through the act of writing. In the last 10 years, this practice has exploded, perhaps influenced by the scrapbooking craze.
  • Art & crafts – Many artists say the process of creating their work is infused with prayer. They include artists who paint during worship, people who make prayer shawls for others, and artists who create work with religious themes.
  • Dance has always been used as an expression of worship in many religious traditions. That continues, and at the same time people are exploring new ways to use dance as a spiritual exercise, whether or not in performance.

National sources

Northwest Northeast Northwest West Southwest Midwest South Southeast East

For more sources and background, see ReligionLink’s tips on:

Individuals

  • The Rev. Lauren Artress is an Episcopal priest at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where she oversees the use of two permanently installed labyrinths. She is the founder of Veriditas, which describes itself as “the voice of the labyrinth movement.” Dr. Artress travels and teaches people how to pray while walking a labyrinth. Contact via Veriditas, 415-561-2921.
  • Coleman Barks is a retired professor of creative writing and poetry at the University of Georgia and author of several books on Rumi and Sufism. He can discuss the prayer embodied in the dance of the Sufi dervish. He lives in Athens, Ga. Contact 706-543-2148, maypopbooks@charter.net.
  • Diane Bloomfield is the author of Torah Yoga: Experiencing Jewish Wisdom Through Classic Postures.
  • Arthur Paul Boers is an associate professor of pastoral theology at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. He is the author of The Rhythm of God’s Grace: Uncovering Morning and Evening Hours of Prayer. The book looks at the Christian practice of fixed-hour prayer. Contact 574 296-6265,
  • Liz Lerman is a choreographer, founder of the  Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and MacArthur Fellowship recipient. Among her most recent works is 613 Radical Acts of Prayer, which takes its name from the Talmudic laws and explores the nature of prayer. The dance company is based in Takoma Park, Md. Contact 301-270-6700.
  • Sybil MacBeth is the author of Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God, published in 2007. She conducts workshops in drawing and painting as prayer. Contact 757-822-7077.
  • Karim Nagi will direct the Arab Dance Seminar Nov. 2-4, 2007, in New Haven, Conn. The topic will be “From Entertainment to Ecstasy: Performance vs. Sacred Dance in the Arab World.” Contact 617-924-7675, nagikarim@aol.com.
  • Doug Pagitt is a co-author of BodyPrayer: The Posture of Intimacy With God, published in 2005. Pagitt is pastor of Solomon’s Porch, an emerging church in Minneapolis. Contact  dougpagitt@solomonsporch.org.
  • The Rev. Nancy Roth is an Episcopal priest in Oberlin, Ohio, and author of several books on unusual forms of Christian prayer, including Spiritual Exercises: Joining Body and Spirit in Prayer and An Invitation to Christian Yoga, both published in 2005. Contact 440-775-2501, RevNancyRoth@aol.com.
  • Celia Rothenberg is an assistant professor of religious studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She contributed an article on three forms of Jewish yoga practiced in North America to the November 2006 edition of the journal Nova Religio. Contact 905-525-9140 ext. 24363, rothenb@mcmaster.ca.

  • Thomas Ryan is director of the Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in New York, N.Y. He is also the editor of Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality. Contact via the media director for the Paulist Fathers, 202-269-2521.

  • Jon Sweeney is the author of Praying With Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World’s Spiritual Traditions, which looks at dance, foot-washing and work, among other activities, as forms of prayer. He is based in White River Junction, Vt. Contact 503-255-4685, jsweeney@paracletepress.com. Nancy Watters is a Bahá’í ­ and founding director of Sacred World Song, a project that facilitates multifaith “chantshops,” using chants from various world religions. She lives in Vancouver, B.C. Contact 250-595-2142, nancy@nancywatters.com.

Surveys

Background

  • The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship maintains a Web page about the practice of fixed-hour prayer that includes interviews, audio clips and resources for different denominations.
  • Watch a video or read a transcript of a segment about embodied prayer that appeared on Religion & Ethics Newsweekly on Feb. 16, 2001.
  • Read an excerpt of Praying With Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World’s Spiritual Traditions by Jon Sweeney as posted on Beliefnet.com.
  • Read a history of fixed-hour prayer by Phyllis Tickle as posted on the Web site explorefaith.org.

  • Read a May 4, 2007, Religion News Service article by Kimberly Winston about the use of Catholic rosaries and other forms of prayer beads among neo-pagans. The story appears on Beliefnet.com.

Regional sources

IN THE NORTHEAST

  • The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME) trains chaplaincy candidates and others in several nontraditional prayer techniques, including body prayer. It is located in Portland, Maine. Contact the Rev. Jacob Watson, abbot, 207-347-6740, chime@gwi.net.
  • Claire Monachino facilitates the Sacred Dance Ensemble at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt. The ensemble’s purpose is to embody prayer in dance. Contact 802-654-2254.
  • The Rev. Robert VerEecke is a Catholic priest and pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He has written about liturgical dance and dance as prayer and leads workshops on embodied prayer in the Boston area. Contact 617-552-6100.

IN THE EAST

IN THE SOUTHEAST

  • Chris Tiegreen is the author of Creative Prayer: Speaking the Language of God’s Heart, published in 2007, in which he describes how dance, painting, singing and other activities can be used as prayer. He lives in Atlanta. Contact via Melissa Sturgis, senior publicist, Multnomah Books, 710-268-1935, MSturgis@randomhouse.com.
  • Members of the South Rowan Ministerial Association, an organization of churches from many denominations in Rowan County, N.C., gather together to walk the Stations of the Cross during Lent. The group includes Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and nondenominational Christians. Contact the Rev. Ken Reed, Concordia Lutheran Church, 704-857-2163.
  • The Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has a permanent seven-circuit labyrinth. http://uucfl.org/labyrin.htm Contact the Rev. Gail Tapscott, 954-484-6734, uucfl@aol.com.

IN THE SOUTH

IN THE MIDWEST

IN THE SOUTHWEST

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

  • The Rev. Patricia D. Brown is director of Spiritworks, a nonprofit, online resource for the exploration of Judeo-Christian spirituality. She is the author of Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God. She is based in Seattle. Contact pdbrown@spiritworks.org.
  • Kristen Johnson Ingram is the author of Beyond Words: 15 Ways of Doing Prayer. She explores the way nonverbal acts like listening to music or taking a walk can be performed as prayer. She is a preacher in the Episcopal Church and lives in Springfield, Ore. Contact 541-726-8320,
  • Jacqueline Shea Murphy is an assistant professor of dance at the University of California, Riverside. In 2004, she helped mount a program at the university called “Red Rhythms” on American Indian spirituality through dance. Contact 909-787-3988, Jacqueline.sheamurphy@ucr.edu.
  • Richard Peace is a professor of evangelism and church renewal at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. He is the author of Contemplative Bible Reading: Experiencing God Through Scripture, which describes Lectio Divina from an evangelical perspective, and Spiritual Journaling: Recording Your Journey Toward God. Contact 626-584-5646, rpeace@fuller.edu.
  • Jane Rickenbaugh teaches dance as meditation and prayer at the Center for Spiritual Development in Portland, Ore. Contact via Ellen Morrison, associate director of the center, 503-478-1218.
  • Banafsheh Sayyad is a dancer and choreographer with The Namah Ensemble, which performs contemporary mystical Persian dance. Sayyad has said that she approaches dance as prayer. The group is based in San Diego. Contact via Maryam Brennan, 818-888-8225.
  • Sharon Soneff is an artist and blogger and the co-author of Faith Books and Spiritual Journaling: Expressions of Faith Through Art. She lives in San Clemente, Calif. Contact info@sonnetstudios.com.
  • The WomanSpirit Center of Bellevue, Wash., is an interfaith community of women that offers retreats, workshops and activities, many of which include unusual forms of prayer, such as hiking, beachcombing, journaling, centering prayer and meditation. Contact 425-641-1527.
  • Cynthia Winton-Henry and Phil Porter are the founders of InterPlay, a nonprofit group that promotes and teaches movement classes that integrate body, mind and spirit. They are based in Oakland, Calif. Contact 510-465-2797.
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