Praying Peace: In Conversation with Gregg Braden and Doreen Virtue [Paperback]

When we enter into a state of communication with the Divine, or prayer, then we are aware of God and we experience peace and this is what this book is all about. James Twyman talks with Gregg Braden, earth scientist, computer systems designer and guide to sacred sites throughout the world and with Doreen Virtue, spiritual psychologist and author of twenty-two books about mind-body-spirit. They agree that the seven pathways to peace are:
- you are always praying; thought itself is prayer
- whatever you focus your mind on increases
- to change the world, change your thoughts about the world
- if you want to experience peace - become peace
- peace is always present, though it is sometimes hidden
- love is the only force in the universe
- the world is already healed

Being a person whose concept of prayer and peace is that of a person who is just putting his first step on the ladder, I found it very helpful to see these three higher up the ladder reaching down to pull me up. Their goal is to help me make a real difference on the planet by creating a world based on the laws of love. For me it was a mind-stretching experience as I belong to "the old school" which believes that power is military strength, superior technology or a cleverer mind in the game of bluff and counter bluff. But somewhere in our ancient past it was not always like that. People realized that real power is within you and it was that kind of power which created the world's great works of art, our fantastic structures and all kinds of remarkable achievements. The purpose behind this book is to see what lies behind this fabulous spirit of ours and to discover the real source of creation. This book tells how the author came to understand that prayer is the most powerful force in the universe, how peace is the foundation of reality itself, and that when we focus on that reality and allow our spirit to come into resonance with that reality, then peace does indeed prevail on earth. This book explains how there is a force in the universe that is more powerful and reliable than any weapon ever made. The author explains the difference between "praying for peace" and "praying peace".

Yes, each of us does have the power to change the world but we need to understand the power of prayer, we need to understand the law of prayer and we need to apply the law of prayer. Then everything will change - first in your own life and then in the world. None of the members of my family were churchgoers, but there was something that made me attend regularly. Prayer for me is very much a ritual learned in my youth. This book opened my mind to the understanding that prayer can and should be something more - much more. I feel that after a lifetime of groping around a door to understanding has opened. If you are like me and would like to open up to a different concept of prayer and peace, one based on an ancient wisdom that we seem to have nearly lost, then this book is a good place to start.
dwillis@afs.edu.gr

This book is deceptively simple. A quick read (I read it in an evening), it nevertheless contains truths of immense power. It is very encouraging to see these thoughts in print.

Praying Peace includes a devastating critique of traditional petitionary prayer, explaining in clear and simple terms why it so often does not work: The universe "hears" the belief in lack or "not-here-ness" and automatically delivers that experience.

Prayer is not something we do, it is something we are. The science of prayer is taught in this slim volume. As we embody a consciousness of peace, that naturally becomes our experience--as within, so without. The heart of this prayer technology is in the alchemical union of thoughts and emotions to produce the feeling of peace. It is our feelings that give our prayers their power and bring about the matching experience in our lives.

The controversy of how this ancient technology of prayer was kept from us in the early days of the Christian church is briefly acknowledged, but then Twyman shifts attention back where it belongs: how will we use this knowledge today.

If I have one criticism, it would be that the authors may tend to underestimate their reading audience. Longtime Prayer Pracitioners and others in the New Thought movement will find nothing here they haven't already heard before. As mentioned, the technology of prayer is ancient, and these universal principles have been discovered and taught by many traditions.

However, the important thing is not just having the knowledge, but in applying it. The value of this book is in showing us in simple terms how we can actually use this knowledge, starting today. We can use our thoughts to focus our emotions and create a lasting culture of peace today, leaving a legacy of Beloved Community for our children's children's children.