I've found that prayer can be a way to organize priorities, sobering realism, and faith into an integrated focus. Doing this with the fuel of the Higher Power it facilitates the connection of existing resources into a stream of logistical support. That stream helps to carry me into the prayed for situation. As I become more conscious of this process occurring, my "feel" of the cause and effect dynamics (that already link one situation to another) often increases. Like anything else, it takes practice to clarify what connections are real, let alone whether a connection is strong or weak, permanent or temporary, (on many energy levels or just a few), and what factors make how much difference in (any of) this. It's a feeling and yet I know these other things weigh into it. I'll elaborate some:

         These realizations cannot be technically precipitated although the last sentence may make it look that way. They occur naturally with intent and focus on balancing in "Surrender to the Will of the Higher Power." On the other hand, too much attachment to one's own idea of what is desired, or even of what is right or just, prevents the openness necessary to gain (receive) a balancing clarity during the prayer process. Often my prayers do not end up the same as how they began. It's like an editing process - with the Higher Power guiding the editing.

         Healing energy flows like electricity does, obeys the same basic laws of physics, but uses systems of conduction that form the support matrix of biological life. This includes voltage, current, watts, resistance, and all the other electrical properties as well as the applicability of the formulas used in electrical engineering. Our bodies are designed to conduct energy throughout each molecule of each cell modulated in strength, frequency, or other coloration according to its needs and the priorities of the whole at any given time, in an organized symphony of sincronization with all other bodily cells, the balancing and rebalancing of which is continuous and based on the myriad of experiences of the body-mind (past & present, incl. genetic instructions, memories, and beliefs about the future, conscious and unconscious.) Beliefs, in this electrical system, serve as switches which control and/or limit e-flow to various cells or systems. Thoughts and feelings serve as switches also, but do not generally carry the strength, long term, that beliefs do. But thoughts and feelings are the basis for beliefs and can be consciously used to create beliefs that regulate switches effectively ¹.

         It really doesn't matter how one gets convinced of the connectedness to the Higher Power; its the CONNECTION that counts - at least in the short run. Disillusionment may follow to the degree that one's faith is attached to the practitioner's authenticity in relation to one's own values. Even then, one's system cannot discount forever that (dramatic +/-) change occured based simply on faith. This means that one's internal perception is at least a primary key to changing one's physicality, as well as one's experience of external events. This says that perception or focus can be employed by oneself to create desired change. This implies directly one's capability or "personal power" in (and credit for) OPENING TO AND ACCEPTING one's healing process. This point is dramatically, if not obviously, illustrated in Leap of Faith, starring Steve Martin as a con-man whose ability to inspire faith in others was only exceeded by his own (initial) cynicism toward any god other than the dollar.

         I believe the mind-body system is capable of anything it focuses on long and strongly enough - even so called "miracles." Focus and enough are key words here¹.

         We benefit when we program the (mind-body) system with focused thought and verbal affirmations ("Prayer," if you will) and sleep on it with faith and persistance and acknowledgement of the capability noted above. The "faith factor" is essential depending on what kind (degree) of change is sought. I believe Prayer "works" because one is in alignment with the above AND because it usually connects one (according to one's belief) to an external (and/or extended) source of power and capability.

         But so long as I believe, the "whys" are not really essential. And yet, for most of my life, my mental body has sought logical reasoning in order to prove (to others probably more than to myself) the validity of my feelings and views. Hopefully the good fruits (of that minor obsession will end up being of some benefit to someone. Still, I do my best to keep the need to prove (with logical reasoning) off of the steering wheel of my life.

         The fact that these notes often focus on the technical or mechanical dynamics of prayer and cause-effect dynamics is in no way meant to ignore or downplay the emotional or personal factors which are essential to motivate one to accomplish prayer, its objectives, and everything else - at least while still on the Earth plane, and while not "yet" a Mother Theresa or a Baba Gi (said with tongue in cheek, of course).