Over the years, I have sought ways to calm myself when anxiety and fear overtaken me. In the years I spent working in crisis settings and my home life came to reflect the same, I knew I needed to use the metaphysical tools I already had. I also needed to look for more tools to expand my available resources.
I had always liked the Buddhist meta prayer, “May all beings be free of suffering, may all beings be at peace…” there are many versions of it. I wanted something more personal that addressed my inner challenges and desired growth.
I had worked with affirmation statements and found them helpful and decided to combine the concept of affirmations with the format of the meta prayer for my own personal growth.
First I asked myself, “What is important to me?” “What do I want in my life?” “What kind of person do I yearn to become?”.
I also turned to the Tarot. As I reflected on the major arcana cards, the archetypes brought forth their attributes in the form of the minor arcana cards. From here, I created affirmations that reminded me of who I am and who I wanted to become. This in turn, became the format of my prayer. Each sentence beginning with “May I be … and adding an affirmation to complete the sentence. If I noticed I was gossiping, I added a line that reminded me the kind road was the high road, I also added lines for deeply held yearnings, knowings of who I was, first realized as a small child. The muse reeled me in and I accepted the invitation to dance. The prayer has evolved over the last 16 years.
The lovely thing about this type of prayer/petition is that it can be changed, added to, or when it no longer fits, a line can be eliminated. The whole prayer can be committed to memory. In difficult times, I have recited it to fall asleep after a middle of the night panic attack or in the mornings after a sleepless night. I have found it calms me and helps me to find center again.
Here was the first version that sufficed for several years.
May I be humble,
May I be worthy,
May I be willing,
May I be open,
May I be grateful,
May I be strong.
May I be full of compassion.
May I speak kindly of others.
May I know magic.
May I notice miracles.
May I speak my truth.
May I follow my dreams.
May I be a bright and shining star.
May I face my fears with courage and strength.
May I be the warrior I am.
, May I be humble,
May I be worthy,
May I be willing,
May I be open,
May I be grateful,
May I be strong.