I grew up at a time when we still recited the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of each school day. There were periods in my life when I relied on this prayer to keep me me going. Much of the wisdom that comes to us has been translated from other languages, and the Lord’s Prayer is no exception. Another version below, a more direct translation from the original language it was created in, was shared on a friend’s website. I have included it below as well as the version I learned in school, as I remembered it.
School version:
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.
Forever and ever, Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (according to Rick Archer, Facebook)
The Lord’s Prayer…translated from Aramaic directly into English. Rather than from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English.
O cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration, soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your Presence can abide.
Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission.
Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire.
Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and flourish.
Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us, as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.
Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose, but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.
For you are the ground and the fruitful vision, the birth, power, and fulfillment, as all is gathered and made whole once again.
And So It Is!
I cannot find the source for this quote, as posted by Rick Archer on Facebook. But I am struck by the beauty and light in the words of this second version. And the sense that we are being empowered to co-create our lives with this higher power, as we make our way back “home” – to wholeness, to a consciousness connection with this Higher Power, with All That Is.
In the version I originally learned, it feels as if the higher power is beyond us; it is something we are reaching for to assist us, because we are not able do it alone. The second version encourages us to connect and work WITH this power, to welcome its light within us and to create what we want in accordance with, and from the perspective of, this higher light, this higher wisdom. We have a higher purpose, or mission, for being here – to produce, share and assist each other to flourish. We are able to release the karma that binds us to others through forgiveness of self and others, and by finding higher wisdom through understanding how challenging situations and people served our growth. Through forgiveness, we call back the pieces of ourselves that are stuck in the past, and become more whole. Our mistakes are regarded as mistakes, not as evil, and as we know, mistakes are part of any learning experience. There is no judgment and no way for us to mistakenly assume we are the mistakes, or that we are evil. Higher wisdom allows us to see opportunities in the present moment, so we are not wallowing about past mistakes but continually moving forward as co-creators with the Divine to fulfill the higher purpose of our being here.
I love the feeling of openness of this second version of the Lord’s Prayer. We are free to choose and create our destiny as we walk hand in hand with the higher power in our lives. Our present actions create our future. We create karma through our beliefs and actions, which becomes our destiny. If we continue to focus on what is highest within us, and act in accordance with this highest wisdom and virtue, we will eventually become this wisdom and virtue – the light of the higher Presence with us. Our lives will become a mirror for this light. By fully embracing our mistakes, and learning from them, we marry our human self with this higher self and create an opportunity to be wiser, more virtuous, and whole – to express the full truth of who we are.
When I was younger, I needed to be able to surrender to the idea of a higher power, and ask for help. I was less wise, more rash and confused, and it was comforting to know there was a higher power watching over me. The school version served that purpose. Now that I am older and “wiser”, I greatly appreciate the second version of the prayer – it affirms to me I have a purpose, am connected to a higher power, and am on the right path. It reminds me to be compassionate, forgiving, mindful, and connected to purpose – I am the creator of my destiny.
Best blessings to all,
Caroline