Thursday, October 19, 2023

Prayer of the Four Directions



Loving Creator God, we your people come before You. Thank you for today’s sunrise, for the breath and life within us, and for all Your creation: hear our prayer.

Great Spirit of Light, come to us out of the East, with the power of the rising sun. Let there be light in our words. Let there be light on our paths that we walk. Let us remember always that You give us the gift of a new day. Guide our steps and give us courage to walk the circle of our lives with honesty and dignity. And never let us be burdened with sorrow by not starting over again.

Great Spirit of Creation, send us the warm and soothing winds from the South. Comfort and caress us when we are tired and cold. Help us to walk our paths with joy and love, for ourselves, for others, for our four-legged companions, the winged ones,, the plants, and all creation upon Mother Earth. As You give to all Earth Your warm, moving wind, give it to us, so that we may grow close to you in warmth. We did not create the web of life, but we stand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

Great Life-giving Spirit, we face the West, the direction of sundown. Let us remember every day that the moment will come when our sun will go down. Bring into balance the physical, mental and spiritual, so that we are able to know our place on Earth, in life and death. Never let us forget that we must face into You. Give us a beautiful color, give us a great sky for setting so that when it is our time to meet you, we can come with glory.

Great Spirit of Love, come to us with the power of the North. Make us courageous when the cold wind falls upon us. Give us strength and endurance for everything that is harsh, everything that hurts, everything that makes us squint. Give us wisdom so we may be able to make wise choices in all things that are put in front of us. Let us move through life, ready to take what comes from the North.

Great Creator Spirit, we thank you for the beauty of Earth and for all You have given us in and through Earth, our home. Remind us never to take from Earth more than we need, and remind us to always give back more than we take.

Great God of the vast heavens, lift up our spirits to You. May our hearts worship You and come to You in glory. Help us to remember that You are our Creator God. Let all that is in Earth lift our minds, our hearts, and our lives to you so that we may come to You always in truth with a good mind and a clean heart.

God our Creator, We ask that we have the wisdom and patience to listen to one another and to learn the many ways You call us to live life. Teach us the ways to live it that heal and renew it so that we may hand it on to generations to come radiant with Your goodness and glory. Amen.


Originally found at the Dominican Center,  https://www.dominicancenter.org/indigenous-peoples-day-liturgy/

Image: Ojibwe Medicine Wheel depicting the Four Directions.

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