The View From Above

The following spiritual practice brings together liturgical prayer, the prayer of recollection, the tradition of fríth described in Carmina Gadelica, and an ancient form of meditation known as the view from above. Closing the windows of our outer senses, we open the hidden wealth of nature buried in the hidden recesses of our souls. When we do so, our inner senses are awakened. We see ourselves from the perspective of our angelic nature, pouring the blessings of heaven upon the earth below and everything in it.

It can be used on its own but it is also a continuation of the practice I shared last week, which you can find HERE. Once you have found the place of your resurrection, you may choose to make the following prayer in that place. If you’re curious about referring to God as Mother, you can read an essay about it HERE.

The chants listed below can be found in my book Psalter of the Birds, which includes simple instructions for chanting that anyone can do. The introduction describes fríth and its association with Saint Brigit in more detail. You can purchase a copy by clicking HERE. Whenever you see the symbol ✠ make the sign of the cross.

Introit: Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, the moon and stars by night, who stirs up the sea into roaring waves, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” In the name of the Mother, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ✠ As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen ✠

Chant Psalm 8

O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
    Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are humans that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Scripture Reading: Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” (Mark 7:31-37)

Epheta. Be opened in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen, amen, amen. ✠
Epheta. Be opened in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen, amen, amen. ✠
Epheta. Be opened in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen, amen, amen. ✠

Chant #104

Scripture Reading: They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and he looked intently, and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.” (Mark 8:22-26)

Chant #105

Litany Recollection (Use this as a breath prayer, breathing in and out with the alternating lines)

O God come to my assistance
   O Lord make haste to help me
O God come to my assistance
   O Lord make haste to help me

I remember the Lord my God
   Closing the doors of my soul
I remember the Lord my God
   Shutting the window of touch

I remember the Lord my God
   Shutting the window of taste
I remember the Lord my God
   Shutting the window of smell

I remember the Lord my God
   Shutting the window of sound
I remember the Lord my God
   Shutting the window of sight

I remember the Lord my God
   Gathering all my thoughts
I remember the Lord my God
   Gathering every feeling

I remember the Lord my God
   Gathering my attention
I remember the Lord my God
   Gathering my intention

I remember the Lord my God
   Collecting my memories
I remember the Lord my God
   Collecting my fantasies
   
I remember the Lord my God
   Collecting my perceptions
I remember the Lord my God
  Collecting my instincts

I remember the Lord my God
   Opening my inner eyes
I remember the Lord my God
   Awakening my spirit

Returning at once to wholeness 
   All faculties turned within 
In the prayer of recollection
   My secret prayers I lift up

The One who dwells in mystery
   Whispers secrets to the heart
Be still and know that I am God 
   Gathered safely in my care

The View from Above

Turn inwards through the prayer of recollection
Using your mind’s eye, rise above yourself, seeing from the perspective of heaven
Open the hidden wealth of nature, becoming a channel of God’s peace
With benevolent love, pour the overflowing of your spirit onto the earth below
Settle back into your body before walking home gently and quietly

Turn inward with the prayer of recollection, closing the windows of your outer senses, so that you are alone with God in the solitude of your inner room. Distance yourself also from the perceptions of your thoughts and emotions, allowing them to be what they are without the need to comment on them or assess them. Leave all the details of your life behind, remembering how small they are in the vast unfolding of the cosmos.

Emptying your mind and heart, envision a golden white light coming down from heaven through the top of your head. This light fills your body, coursing through your veins, radiating out of every pore. This is the light of your original goodness, the pure intelligence of your angelic nature. It envelopes your body now, as it always has, with wise insight and healing medicine. As it envelops you it penetrates all your defences, flowing effortlessly through every atom of your flesh. With your deeper mind, remember that your angelic nature is the ground of your animal nature, allowing your body to fade into the immensity of your spirit, which holds it in a tender embrace.

Rise above yourself in your mind’s eye, looking down upon the world from the perspective of heaven. Bless the smallness of your body, sitting as it is amongst the grasshoppers, leaves, and twigs. Bless your thoughts and emotions, racing as they are from one thing to another. Place all the particularities of your life underneath your feet, not crushing them into the rocks and sand, but lifting off from them upwards into the mind of Christ.

Ask your angel to carry you her on wings like an eagle, lifting you above yourself in all your particularity and embodiment. Her wings and the rest of her body are covered with eyes, watching the world from the highest heaven. She sees everything around her, as well as everything inside her, with perfect clarity. Day and night she sings to God without ceasing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” See the world through her eyes and praise God by her side. Resting in the presence of the angels, join in the chorus of their sacred songs, participating in their love for the creatures of earth. Open your heart to the wisdom of heaven, becoming a channel of God’s peace and vitality, pouring the overflowings of your spirit upon the world below.

When the time is right, settle back down into your body, resuming the particularities of your life. Return again to your outer senses, thanking the trees who prayed with you during this time. Root yourself in the solid ground, take a few deep breaths, feeling your belly expand and contract as you do. Slowly stand up, stretching your body as you reorient yourself in your surroundings. Lift your arms up to the sky in praise, smiling at the heavens above you.

Doxology: Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. In the name of the Mother, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ✠ As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen, amen, amen ✠

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