Novena to The Infant of Prague and Self Worth

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Novena to The Infant of Prague and Self Worth: A Mystic’s Journal December 7- 11, 2005

Wednesday, December 7

Carolyn came by with Ian yesterday. I must say that he handled the temptation of so many wrapped presents in the wooden wagon & by the piano - none of which are for him - very admirably. I had hidden all his presents away, and very clearly told him this first thing.

Carolyn had developed a terrible migraine after lunch, so we came back to the house so that I could do some hands-on Healing for her. Often, with migraines, this works best for some reason, better than mental (i.e. distant) Healing. As I worked on her, I began to feel the Presence of Our Lady; Carolyn did as well. Ian played with his toys on the living room floor, just as he had in my clairvoyant vision of him with Louise, some years ago. M. came home from work, and soon after Myra arrived at the back door. Then Erla stopped by, and she and M. spoke Afrikaans in the kitchen as I continued to heal Carolyn as Myra watched, seated on cushions near the fire. I continued to give Carolyn healing even after the migraine disappeared - partly because I enjoyed the Presence of Our Lady, which became stronger as more people arrived.

I began saying a Novena to the Infant of Prague some nights ago, for my lingering injuries. However, the prayer is so beautiful, I decided to continue saying it for at least a year - for various causes, including Peace and healing for the world. For those of you who are not familiar with novenas, they are prayers that must be said for nine consecutive days. The third night, as I began to pray and meditate after saying the Novena prayers, the Infant appeared within me - as Our Lady or Lord often does when I first begin to meditate. And it was not just an inner vision, it was more than that - I cannot really explain, except that He was truly there, in Being, in Essence.

Saturday, December 10

Said the Novena to the Infant of Prague, and then meditated. I think this was the last night of the Novena, I have not been keeping track. Tonight when I meditated, Our Lord appeared within me, yet at a distance - and then he stood in the core of my being, and filled me completely with His Radiance. He came tonight as the adult Christ, and that is why I wonder if this was the ninth night of the Novena.

In these prayers to the Infant of Prague, we ask for consolation and aid, and the strength to submit to the Will of God in all things. We ask that we be granted the grace of humility and gentleness; that we may always strive to achieve the virtue and Innocence of His own Holy Childhood; that we be given the strength to resist temptation; that our hearts be filled with kindness and understanding; that we achieve a childlike faith and purity of heart; that we be imparted the strength to bear the burdens of our daily life; to endure our afflictions and sorrows with patience and courage. At the end of the prayer we can insert our own personal request.

These are all qualities that I seek, and that is why I have decided to say this Novena prayer for at least a year - if I am given the Grace to achieve this nightly prayer session. It is rightly said that even the ability to complete a nine day novena - to say the prayer each day, for nine consecutive days - is the result of Grace. One saintly woman wrote that angels were sent to her to help her pray each day, they recited the prayers aloud with her ...

In any case, a Peace that is greater than any I have ever known came into my meditation and into my Heart tonight. A soft warmth, more like glowing embers than the furnace of heat I have known in the past. Now this softer warmth fills me completely, and seems to be radiating from me.

I truly believe that unless we meditate, this Peace cannot be found.


Sunday, December 11
Windgarth 3 p.m.

Thirty-four degrees, no sun. A grey lake and sky. Some waves. I have missed being here. We have closed off the front downstairs room for the winter. I am sitting in the main room, with my desk, the black upright piano, and the wall shelves with their wooden lattice doors.

Met with a former student this week. I gave her an exercise, to improve her self-worth; the same exercise I always give: to identify with the soul instead of the personality.

She explained that she was having trouble at work: hurt feelings, injustice, personality conflicts, other troubles. I told her to defend the soul - not herself, her personality, her given name. If she thought of only defending and protecting the soul, all else would easily fall into place; she would not hurt others, nor would she be injured by the people and events surrounding her. In short, once defending the soul and standing in that Light, she would know both what to say and how to act, and what was best for all involved. And she would recover her own self-worth. Our only true worth is the soul, so why not go directly there for our Strength and Wisdom and Love?

I then asked her to close her eyes and as herself stand before the difficult people and the situation at work. I asked her how she felt. She answered simply: “Terrible.” Then I asked her to do the same exercise, but this time image herself as the radiant Light of the soul. This time she began to smile broadly and when she looked at me, her eyes were shining with Light. She had glimpsed the answer, she had felt it.

I then suggested that she write “I am the soul” on her palm and on pieces of paper both at work and at home, until she could remember to do the exercise without them. I also suggested that she come to meditation classes. Unless we have many hours to pray and meditate each day, philosophy is essential if we are to progress quickly on the spiritual path. Ironically, to understand the complexities and hidden traps of the ego, we must initially use philosophy, thought. Otherwise, what we consider to be our greatest strengths can become our greatest weaknesses.