Thank you for the helpful link.

Love to you and All
and
many prayers for the victims of the hurricane.

Mallika,

Are you suggesting that prayers can help the people hit by this storm? Do you really think that prayer can help anybody? Where then was God, for whom I presume these prayers are intended, when the storm hit or even before then, didn't anybody pray to keep the storm away? We are told that God is almighty; why then didn't he turn it away, out to sea or stop it altogether? Where is our logic? Are we sitting on our brains? There is not one substantiated, authentic moment when, in the history of mankind, that prayer has ever been answered except in our irrationalities. King A goes to war agaisnt King B, King A wins, therefore his prayers are answered, but King B prayed to the same God; does God take sides? Is a storm some sort of punishment where God gets to decide who is to suffer and is will not?
What these poor people need is that we get up out of our sofas or off our knees and go help, send help some way some how, but certainly not by self-assuring and self-gratifying prayer.

Love

Thank you for posting this Mallika. My mother and son live on the East side of where Katrina hit … a two hour drive from New Orleans, between Mobile & Biloxi, on an island with the Bay at their door. This morning at 5:00 a.m. PDT. I received a blessing, the most beautiful voice in all the world … my mom. My mother gave me the sweetest message that she and my son were alive and well, i.e., I had not been able to get through, even on the cell phone. Plus, a neighbor told my mother that her home was not damaged nor flooded. I praise the Lord Jesus Christ for his great Love and for showing me once again how dear my family is to me, i.e., I had not spoken to my mother in about a month, nor to my son for several months, as I considered myself just too busy. I know that neither myself nor my mother, nor my family is more important than anyone else or their families, but I just have a need to share my joy and thank God. My personal lesson …. to call my family more often, even if it is just to say, “I love you.”

I send my prayers to all those who have been affected by this tragedy and may God bless and strengthen the families afflicted for endurance as they rise above the suffering. May we all find Love within the pain of our soul, as we reach out to one another for comfort.

Love,
Char

Prayer is power, even if one only believes in their own power. Combined power (force/love/etc - whatever you want to call it) can accomplish miracles. And if you add God, nothing is impossible. However, one cannot doubt the power of Love. Plus, always remember the surrender part ... "If it is your will Lord." That's my 2 cents!

Yes JB, as Mallika pointed out from your post ... action is critical, especially in emergencies. Thank you for noting this. My emotions are just in the air right now ... Love, Char

I have come a long way in my spiritual journey from years ago nearly calling myself an atheist up until now where I HAVE HAD PRAYERS ANSWERED ON A PERSONAL BASIS.

So, yes J.B., I think Mallika was suggesting that sending PRAYERS or DONATIONS or VOLUNTEERING would be helpful in this NATURAL DISASTER.

No harm intended J.B., but I did not believe in PRAYER either until I actually started PRAYING and having FAITH and INTENTION.

Sending many blessings and love to everyone affected by this catastrophe.

"Ask and you shall receive ..." ~ Luke 11:9 From what I can understand in the Bible is that asking is the same thing as praying. What if God where to say to you, "Ask and you shall receive" and then say to you, "Ask for what you need." What would you ask for? ... just a thought.

Sending love and prayers to all those in need of help.

Angela

My humble thought: there is a bigger picture to all of this that is happening in the world right now.
"The vibrations of the thoughts and feelings of thousands being killed in the fighting in Irak have caused atmospheric changes that are responsible for these floods and other disasters around the world. War spews out vibrations of wrong that throw all nature out of balance and harmony, causing "natural" catastrophes.
God gave freedom to man, and man has misused that freedom; this is the cause of all suffering.The misuse of our God-given free will has terrifying consequences I would rather someone tell me that I am about to do wrong, than allow me to act and not wake up until years later to the harm I had done".
This was said by Paramahansa Yogananda in January 1937, instead of Irak it was Spain.
I really belive that the same goes for what is happening now.
God bless us all. Viviana

It's true, Viviana, but out of chaos we will get a new level of harmony.

Thank you for the link, Mallika.

Char, I'm happy that your mom and son are well :)

There are so many in the world who are in pain, who are suffering, right now. My heart goes out to all. May God bless all.

... as JB suggested, may we each also DO our part

Aurora, you are right but it will take many years for people's consciousness to get to that level of harmony. I don't think I will see it in this life time of my soul.
But God's Divine Law is perfect and even if we don't understand it, it works just the same way.
There is not 1 bet of mistake in God's creation.
Just like when we are young and our parents tell us to not touch the fire because we will get burn and we do it, we get hurt. Ignorance will not stop the outcome until we know how it works.
That's what is going on in this world right now, perfect Laws are ignore out of ignorance, the results are tremendous but we will learn.
God bless us all. Viviana

Bhajan Prayer...

Sahara Do Bhagawan
Sabko Daya Karo Sabko Kripa Karo
Sabko Sumati Do Bhagawan
Sahara Do Bhagawan!
Sada Saatha Raho Hey Bhagawan
Sada Raksha Karo Hey Bhagawan
Shanti, Bhakti, Prem Do Bhagawan

oh yes the power of prayer ...
how do we know how God works???

I have come to know that it is not necessarily in the doing ...

but rather in ones pure intention to behold ...

as is ...

in alignement with grace that simply flows ...

like a candle in the wind ...

that knows...

Thank you so much Mallika,
After receiving the news I tried to reach my brother who is in Beloxi with no result. I have been praying for his safety and wellbeing and my prayers has been answered when I receive the news through my aunt that he had contact her and he is fine.

My deepest condolences for those who lost family members in this tragedy and may they receive healing and blessings.

Love,
Sharon

Hello Mallika and Everyone,

Just an observation related to the subject of prayer. When we experience a natural disater, any disater that causes the loss of life you always hear the survivors say something like...thank god, god blessed me today, my prayers were answered....then, I think about all the people who perished and wonder...were they not blessed by god, also....is their perishing a statment of god's curse or blessing.....

I know that people who survive something are always grateful for the sparing of their life and their loved one's life but I always wonder about the one's who perished, are they not as blessed? I am not being critical of anything to do with prayer, I am just wondering.....

maybe this is about looking at death in a very different way ...

what if the ones that perished are the ones that have been blessed ???

what do we know???

so much connected to the frames of our thinking ...

Baba so well put...
It is some thing that we need to spend more time thinking about, after all it is our most important trip, the one out of here.
If people will give death more thought none will go to bed with a guilty conscious....
God bless us all, Viviana

Hi Mallika, thanks for the timely blog.We need to help in whatever way we can. We also need to pray.Prayers are powerful.God bless you always.

Not in anyway to try to diminish the horrific aftermath of Katrina, I happened to read this in the paper this morning from the Associated Press:

Devastating as Katrina was, it would have been worse but for a puff of dry air that came out of the midwest, weakening the hurricane just before it reached land and pushing it slightly to the east.
The gust transformed a Category 5 monster into a Category 4 storm and pushed Katrina off its Big Easy trajectory, sparing New Orleans a direct hit -- though not horrendous harm.

I am happy for any life that may have been spared or any devastation that was diverted! Having said that, only those attempting to survive in these areas know how enormous is this tragedy. I will pray for all, and send money to help. Patzi

Hi Mallika, thanks for the timely blog.We need to help in whatever way we can. We also need to pray.Prayers are powerful.God bless you always.

It's interesting and beautiful reading the dialogue above as it unfolds. The MOST effective action, I'm learning, is begin Aware and spreading that; love to each and every contributor for doing that! And thank you Mallika. Now on to the Yahoo link . . . .

We are in a time of high stress as individuals and as a nation. People have always risen to the occassion in times of devastation to help total strangers. For those unsung heroes who will remain behind the scenes and relish only the deepest sensation of humanity in all of its magnificence by helping those affected I will gladly pray, meditate and donate to the cause. For the grief stricken families of those taken from us may we all pray, act, and intend for them to have peace and healing in the knowledge that even those who cannot help financially or physically are in their empathy sending billions of kind, loving, empowering thoughts and intentions for their well-being.
Namaste

I read your thoughts on prayer JB. When I saw what the storm had done I did two things.

One-I got down on my knees and prayed that God give us the wisdom to know what to do and the strength and courage to do it. That he give those poor stranded people the courage to hang on till help could arrive.

Two--I sent my check in to the Red Cross!

One does not work without the other!

God helps those that help themselves! They need our checks to do the work! So dig deep everyone!

just do whatever it is you feel is best you can
free of judging others gifts assistance.

our prayers shifts relationships which
shifts and coordiantes actions.

its all works together.

praying that massive national resources we have can now be shifted away from war and towards
these real essential needs. i am committed to using the influence i have to cause this.

dga

In my humble opinion, yes me must pray, pray to Mother Earth and ask her forgivness for the harm we have done and are doing to her. Take the advice of the gentleman from the hurricane center who spoke on CNN a couple of night ago, and put back the costal wetlands when you rebuild your city. Mother Nature is hurting and this is the result.
To the gentleman who asked where God was in all of this and why he/she did not prevent the storm - God gave us this beautiful planet to live on and care for and we are rapidly destroying it. We were also given free will and responsibility for our actions. God is not doing this, we are and God will not fix it, we must.

I Pray that more and more of us are drawn into following the "Intentions" of those whose voices "feel like," or carry the vibrational tone of those such as the last two posters, Dennis and Faye--wonderful energies you two, like sooo....many other voices that keep manifesting from the formerly "dark world" of my own lonely mind!!!! Love--Dave

Amazing grace
how sweet the sound
that saved a soul like me
I was once lost but now I'm found
was blind but now I see...

Sending healing loving prayers to all those in need.

God Bless,
Angela

My first response was to pray. All prayers are answered. For those who made their transition through Katrina, I pray that their journey is peaceful. The Creator is always there. If we cannot bring our hands to the situation we send our hearts. Then after praying, I wondered what I could do. Again, pray, but this time, for guidance. Then I received an email with a practical list of contact information and suggestions for lending effective assistance, and I followed it. Intent is everything. Prayers are answered. We must align ourselves to the answers and they will come. I have heard that the only thing that travels faster than light is thought. I know my person can't get in there to help, but certainly my heartfelt prayers can travel swiftly and connect with those whose hands are able to serve. Plus, I still have my list!

May those are suffering develop inner strength and faith. May Grace work through them for the days to come. May they find hope and peace.

As the days passed after Katrina and the magnitude of the devestation and loss became evident I found it easy to lean towards a sense of helplessness. I like many had an overwhelming urge to help in any way I could. And while I am helping through a donation my help often comes in the form of words. For me this is a sort of prayer, a prayer for healing that helped me refocus on the thing that can help the most, love.

Peace and joy,
Lynda

After the Storm Passes
by Lynda Allen

After the storm passes,
Love remains.
After the waters and fears recede,
Love remains.
After lives are lost and mourned,
Love remains.
After hearts and buildings crumble,
Love remains.
After tears and streets dry,
Love remains.

Amid the remains,
Hearts and lives are healed.
Amid the remains,
Emptiness is filled.
Amid the remains,
Souls reach out.
Amid the remains,
Life is honored.
Amid the remains,
Destruction becomes unification.

After the storm passes,
Love reigns.

Mallika, thank you for your post. I was googling tonight to see what our spiritual leaders are saying about the aftermath of the storm--and I'm one of the ones who believes that prayer may not individually "save" everyone, but collectively it certainly can change the Universe's energy patterns. I write about Viktor Frankl at Sacred Ordinary tonight who showed us how to remain hopeful in dire times.

My love goes out to all in need. May you find comfort from within and grow stronger from all you have been through. God is with you.
Trisha

I agree that we are all blessed whether we survive such disaters or pass on during them. There were deaths that could have been avoided had help arrived sooner yet is it not ultimately our time? I think people acted poorly, not God.

Rae

My prayers go out for the people but I also pray for all of the displaced animals in the area. I opened a Toronto Newspaper this morning while I was waiting for my car to be repaired and the first thing I saw was a full page picture of a little dog covered in oil who was wondering the streets. I can undertand the feelings of those people who refuse to leave their companions behind because I would be one of them.

I was thinking the very same thing today. The animals don’t have a choice of whether to stay or go, I would not leave my cat behind, I’m so glad for those who made it with their pets.

Prayers of support and recovery for all living breathing souls.

Hope survives. And I hope everything is going to be OK very very soon... Meanwhile I have faith in the prayers and in the actions, so many people worldwide is currently bringing help.

Just my little candle...
Warmest regards,
Bastian
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Someone once said that prayer is seeing things from the highest point of view. I think that one must put feet on their prayers and that the world's soul is crying out to wake us up to the plight of the poor everywhere in the world. I believe our obligation will extend much further than our response to Katrina.

Thoughts: One can be angry with what seems like an action or inaction on God's part.. yet, true relationship contains the ability to express that anger...straining the relationship on our part without breaking it, until we find the resolve to turn toward the devine re-connecting with a new perspective.

We seem to think that prayer carries the expectation of God's intervention or an answer of "yes" ...instead of realizing that the answer to any prayer has the possibility of: "yes","no" ,"maybe" or "silence"... God gives us the opportunity to reflect and learn and to grow when we raise petitions to the devine.

There will be much learned from the hurricane aftermath, if we are willing to reflect on our relationship to the devine and to our brothers and sisters caught in this disasterous situation.
We may discover new perspectives on how to care for one another and ways to begin again to rebuild communities and relationships.

Someone pointed out that God is 10% protection and 90% comfort. May we all search out that comfort which in turn, motivates us to offer comfort to those who are hurting, devistated and searching to rebuild their lives; thereby revealing the devine to each other beyond this crisis, for years to come.

Karen

Dear Malika ;
Thanks for posting this for New Orleans , as with sept 11 , I was looking for a place to post a love post , and again I found it in the Chopra site, this time with the younger ones ...I agree with Linda :
Love Prevails , Love Prevails Love Prevails
I've received a mail asking to pray for the flooded city , with Dr Emoto beautiful crystal in mind ...do you know about his work?
He photographed a water crystal
before and after asking people to pray for that water, the physical results are amazing...
Prayer and positive intention do work, let's work together !!!

Psalm 46

46:1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah