Life Prayers: From Around the World 365 Prayers, Blessings, and Affirmations to Celebrate the Human Journey

I bought this book back in 1996 and continue to be awed by it. Only one thing keeps coming up. Some of the most beautiful words come from the Terma Collective and a document/book/work called The Box..Remembering the Gift. I would love to one day find out what the Terma Collective is and read the rest of this document.

I found this little paperback book, "Life Prayers" at the local library sale and it jumped off the table into my eagerly awaiting hands. If you love anthologies which introduce you to new and old favorite authors, you'll love this book! I am too blessed, too fortunate, to have these amazing words which are beyond prayers, but are affirmations of life's longing for itself. The poem I have posted below (in itself worth the price of the entire book!) is from this book which boasts works from over 100 authors! It's a literary feast to be slowly and deliciously devoured and digested. Here are the chapter headings: 1. Affirmations and Invocation 2. Kinship With All Life 3. The Dark Night of Our Soul 4. Prayers for Solidarity and Justice 5. Womansprayer 6. Initiation (Birth, Coming of Age, Courtship, Marriage Vows & Blessings, Healing Prayers, Midlife, Growing Older, Death). 7. Moments of Grace and Illumination 8. Earth Praises **************************** Before Jesus Was His Mother Before Jesus was his mother. Before supper in the upper room, breakfast in the barn. Before the Passover Feast, a feeding trough. And here, the altar of Earth, fair linens of hay and seed. Before his cry, her cry. Before his sweat of blood, her bleeding and tears. Before his offering, hers. Before the breaking of bread and death, the breaking of her body in birth. Before the offering of the cup, the offering of her breast. Before his blood, her blood. And by her body and blood alone, his body and blood and whole human being. The wise ones knelt to hear the woman's word in wonder. Holding up her sacred child, her God in the form of a babe, she said: "Receive and let your hearts be healed and your lives he filled with love, for This is my body, This is my blood." ~Alla Bozarth

This book proved to be a great resource for finding quotes, poems or prayers to provoke service related discussion on a college campus.

I buy other books of prayer and keep coming back to this one. Beautiful collection and variety of prayers.

Those who have bought the editor's first volume, Earth Prayers will not be disappointed with this second collection of inspirational poems, prayers, chants, blessings, and invocations from around the world, from some of the most visionary thinkers, both past and present. This book has a truly impressive range of material. This collection celebrates life and the life cycle. The selections are subdivided by categories: affirmations/invocations to life in general, honoring a kinship with all life, dark night of the soul, prayers for solidarity and justice, womensprayers, birth, coming of age, courtship, marriage, healing, mid-life, growing old, death, moments of grace and illumination, and praises for the earth. This is a great resource for those involved in running ecumenical services of any sort, any group that uses affirmations as part of it's groupwork, and for individuals who wish to make prayer a part of their daily lives. If you see the sacred in all things and are looking for something more than one religious traditions' teachings have to offer, this multicultural prayerbook is for you.