Good Evening, God
This morning, early, as I was Centering, my Sacred Word* changed itself! I had started with “unfold” as in unfolding a blanket. Midway through, it became “Unfurl” as in unfurl your sails. And I felt as if that was addressed — not just to me — but to each and every one of us.
For surely, the Wind of the Spirit, is once again blowing over the waters. Calling us to turn away from Fear. Calling us to turn away from Hate. Calling us to care — to dare — and to set sail — blown by the Winds of Love.
I wanted to share. But what image? I thought of the clipper ships that set speed records just prior to the age of steam. Or maybe the galleons of exploration? But, no, not those. I wanted one of the Polynesian Voyaging Society sailing ships that had traveled the Pacific and circumnavigatined our Earth — using the Old Ways.
What better image could I have of people bringing a dream into a profound and moving reality. And that is just what we need now. To rediscover the Old Ways. To IMAGINE a thousand better futures.
- The sacred word is not “sacred” in itself. It is a symbol of our willingness to consent to the presence and action of the Indwelling Spirit within us. It is used when we find our mind has wandered, to reaffirm our intention to consent to the Spirit’s presence and action within us.
Story teller,
A Moment with God 
Thank you for this beautiful meditation.
Yes, in prayer even the prayer itself and the sacred word comes alive and transforms. And the “unfold” and “unfurl” remain connected as processes for us also. As we sail, the Creation unfolds and is revealed to us.
As our lives unfold, we ourselves unfurl and we sail through space and time and we are changed and space and time ripple with change as we pass.
Our spirits are transformed by the breath of God moving us, and all is changed as we breathe.
Sometimes we sail away, and sometimes we sail toward.
Sometimes we simply sail. Sometimes we need to return to safe harbor or home, but other times we need to sail far out to sea.
Sometimes we need go go far to truly see in new ways.
Centering prayer is a transformative way of spiritual sailing.
Your thoughts reminded me of Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn’s “All The Diamonds” (1973) which speaks of the spiritual journey as deeply transformative and connected to sunlight on water and sailing within the Divine Creation.
Bruce Cockburn alludes top the way that we sometimes prefer the static safety of harbor, and how sometimes we are sent “some gull-chased ship to carry (us) to sea…”
Centering Prayer can be that experience if we let it, yes?
There are paradoxes of safety and risk as well as opening ourselves as we unfold into the journey of life, and it is all infused with and nested in the Spirit and Love of “Creator Sets Free.”
Thank you, friend!