Hi all
Been on the board nearly a year – learnt a lot.
After attending a recent funeral I have become aware that I have major difficulty praying for people who have passed.
I just say may the soul find peace. And leave it at that.
Just wish them to find peace.
If I had to pray with others or singularly for the souls of people who have sinned - murderers, rapists, and child molesters I am going to have major difficulty.
Looks like I have a long way to go.
Realising that I have this difficulty – perhaps it is a first step.

Channy

Channy, that's an interesting post. I have never prayed for departed souls, and when I discovered Monroe's experiences and this Board etc., I took such pleasure in going "in" and trying to help souls with their transition. I am not a religious person in the traditional sense of the word. Does your religion require you to pray for the departed? I know many religions do. If you pray for a departed soul, say, of someone you know and care about, how do you picture the Being to whom you are praying and what expectations do you have of that Being? Can you help me understand? Thanks. Vee

I can't remember the nuns telling us we had to pray for a soul that whet to hell, but they emphasized that we pray for those souls who went to purgatory, which was a state of being above hell and below heaven. That was where soul's with vinial sins would go (lesser sins).
All those souls who weren't baptized in the name of Jesus would be stuck in limbo until eternity!!
I left the Catholic Christian belief because MY God accepts All.  I have difficulty with Him/Her accepting ALL, but not as much as I did with the Catholic Chruch telling me that little babies who were born and not baptized would never see the face of God!!  

Now, I had two uncles who whored themselves around while living on this planet. They could never get enough sex during their waking lives. Both ended up in divorce from their wives, but continued to persue women as objects of pleasure.  I had great difficulty with this when they were alive, and when they passed, I searched in my soul to see if I could forgive them their humaness and pray that their souls would find peace and God's love.  Now that I'm almost 60 years old, I have come to an understanding that (1) they were born with the chemical need to have sex. It was part of their physical/biological makeup.  (2) They accepted this "condition" as part of a learning tool to help their souls advance (3) Even though they were unfaithful in their marriages, they made many other women very happy,sexually, while they were alive.

I also had a friend of the family who murdered two women--- one when he was 18 years old and the other when he was in his late 30's. He went to jail for the first murder for 7 years, came out of prison and strated his own small business at a filling station. One of his nieces came to live with him and he became angry with her, and killed her. He burried her body under the filling station and no one know where she went for 10 years until a new owner dug up the ground to put new tanks in.  
I grew up with this man, and he was a kind, loving person. No One ever would have dreamed that he was capable of two murders.  He commited suicide when the niece's body was found.

Now I don't approve of over sexed persons nor of murders. How do I pray for their souls?  With great difficulty!! I search within myself, first to understand that they all had a purpose and lesson on this earth. I have hurt many people here with my qucik tongue. I feel that I am no less a "sinner" that those mentioned.  I first forgive myself for those I have hurt, then I ask God to look deep into my soul and help me to forgive those mentioned and that they find Guides and Guidance in the afterlife to help them move on and become better souls.  I don't languish over the acts of other beings. In order for me to be a better soul, I must "TRY" to forgive with sincerety.  If I can not forgive at this time, I will go back to my feelings at a later time and reassess my spiritual growth to see if I now can sincerely send out some forgiveness to those whos atrocities are weighing heavin on my physical mind.  

It is not an easy task to accept or understand what the "bigger picture" is.  We all must first look into our own souls, forgive ourselves for our own shortcommings (like being judgmental) then look toward another soul who is struggling to continue on to a better place.

I think this explains what forgiveness can mean to the person who is seeking for it.  Love, Hugs and Light---Carol ann

Hi

Identcat's examples remind me of what I need to do and maybe could help you too, Channy, in the same way:

She mentionned that these men who had severe trouble with their relationships with women were relatives or good neighbors / friends.--

So when we're trying to think of prayers for people we 'don't like'  :) , we could think perhaps of any good relationship they had and pray that their good relationships can be a strong influence on their souls, that they can find a model of living in whatever good exchanges they had. They were not entirely 'bad.'
Even if we have to go back to their childhood to find some innocence in them. we could pray for that to relight their way.

Hmm-mm, I'm going to work on doing this !  :)

Bets

This way of thinking hit home when my husband and I mentioned how the American Indians had their genocide at the hands of Presidents Ulysses S Grant and Rutherford B Hayes and General George Custer. I am still baffeled that the Federal Government would name a national forest after George Custer (as I liken him to Adolf Hitler).
Then---------------came  commercial on TV with babies under the age of 2.  I thought  to my self, Custer and Hitler were babies, once. Both grew into adolesence before they were "men".  Didn't their mamma's and pappa's play with them, gurgle to them, laugh with them?  How innocent a child is from newborn to teenagehood.  Yes, I did think that these "monsters" did have a normal upbringing and everone loved them. That is a good focus: remember their innocent ages and then forgive. It makes it a little easier.

[PLEASE: do not continue this blog with Hitler again. This isn't the blog to do so.  My point is to think about an innocent time in which that "monster's" life soul was still pure.  :P Thanks-- Carol Ann]

nice thoughts carol and bets,
carol would u be able to shed some light on my latest post pls

regards

Knight.

Forgiveness can be a simple process of accepting responsibility for your own emotions/reactions. These come from within, and are under your ultimate control. It can be a simple detachment. One practice I was taught, and had for some time, was to sound a bell during prayers, which marked off a time for devoting myself to prayers for the dead. In recent times I have 'mind-traveled' to healing locations where I could be connected to a greater source of energy and positive power, and this energy has been run through me to accomplish healing between myself and all my ancestors...a kind of mass forgiveness ritual. This is, perhaps, a more complicated summary than I can put into a few words. There is a gift in forgiveness which always follows. A greater understanding.

I've forgotten what psychic medium's book I read this in...but he was reading an American woman client and contacted many of her family members.  But then all of a sudden a male spirit of a Middle Eastern background came to her to thank her.  He didn't say much, just conveyed a sincere thank you to her.  The medium asked his client if she knew him and she said, no, not personally but she had read of a terrorist bombing and had prayed not only for the victims but also for the bomber and his family.

I found this to be a very touching experience.  We often don't know why people do the things they do but the divine spark of love, of God resides within each of us.  :)  And I  :'( at knowing the perpetrator is also forgiven.

Vee wrote on Mar 17^th, 2009 at 11:37am:

I am not a religious person in the traditional sense of the word. Does your religion require you to pray for the departed? I know many religions do. If you pray for a departed soul, say, of someone you know and care about, how do you picture the Being to whom you are praying and what expectations do you have of that Being? Can you help me understand? Thanks. Vee

Hi Vee,
I am totally lost - when it comes to praying for departed souls.
All I say in my mind is god look after them. That is about it.

However I am given to understand that spirit has marked a path for me which means I will over time will have to revaluate my entire thinking.
Which means in part to get to grips with the idea of praying for those who have passed.
This is a great board. I am learning a lot here. In time I will become comfortable with praying for departed souls.

Channy

Hi Channy...

Regarding your inquiry and comment:

Quote:

I am totally lost - when it comes to praying for departed souls. All I say in my mind is god look after them. That is about it.

You may not be that far off....

I am providing a link to material in which a spiritual master I often recommend has answered your question in a few items that were returned by a search, including some that are very specifically related to your inquiry which I have indicated below. Many of the other items returned from the search may also be related, have some relevance or be of interest and they are also found at this link:


http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/search?SearchableText=pray+soul+died


Search Item #1) Question: What is the best way to pray for loved ones who have left the body?
Search Item #5) Question: If we pray for our grandparents who died long ago, do our prayers help them in their new incarnation?
Search Item #10) from a traditional Indian spiritual story includes an account of a retrieval.

Hope this can be of assistance.

Best regards,
- u

HI,

I think we must pray for our fellow mortals while on this earthly plane.

After we have passed over will it not be too late for prayer?

Material beings pray for other material beings ?

Ethereal beings pray for other ethereal beings ?

Alan

Bruce said that some souls don't realize they are deceased and keep "in tune" with the living. If this is so, then they are only able to hear the prayers of the living to help them progress to another locale. Our prayer would be heard.
Also, how would you explain the miricales that people receive when they pray to God, Saints and angels? They also seem to hear our prayers and they also are deceased from a physical body?
cat

Greetings,

Helpers/angels help us all the time!  I don't know if they pray for us, but they come and heal.  Ancestors watch us and guide us and get other help for us if our problem exceeds their ability to help.

It's a back and forth interrelationship IF we care to make contact, and speak to them with love and respect. I am frequently amazed by this and had no idea it was part of the spiritual gifts we receive when we get involved !!   :) :)

Bets

identcat




Quote:

Also, how would you explain the miricales that people receive when they pray to God, Saints and angels? They also seem to hear our prayers and they also are deceased from a physical body? cat

These people are praying to a higher sources for help.

Higher sources such as angels do not need our earthbound prayes to help them in the afterlife.

We pray to these higher entities not for these entities

Point taken, Alan. Thanks for putting my words in correctly so others won't become confused. cat

Thanks Ultra - those links are very informative.
Now why did I not think of praying to the Creator to grant the soul
what it needs? Helpful link - thanks again.
Thanks Vee for asking the original question.
Also thanks to the other members who have posted.
My fog is beginning to lift.


Regards
Channy