“LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH” – PRAYING FOR WHAT WE WANT INSTEAD OF FOR WHAT WE DO NOT DESIRE

Nancy B. Detweiler, M.Ed., M.Div.

NOTE: I originally wrote this article in 1984.  Today I realize it is the most important article I have ever written.  Why?  Because it reveals how we—in good faith—end up praying for what we do NOT want, instead of praying for what we truly desire.

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“Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.” We happily sing these words, yet how many of us stop to ponder the request we are making—”Let it begin with me?” And if we do stop to consider: How may an individual assist in manifesting world peace?

Understanding the universal laws of energy is a major prerequisite. Being a peacemaker involves our most intimate thoughts and feelings, as well as the focal point of our attention while we are actively demonstrating for world peace.

This is the case because we live in a world of energy. With our thoughts and feelings, we are continually qualifying this universal energy (the creative ethers). The tools of creation are our thoughts, feelings, and spoken words. We become what we think, feel, and say. The more we concentrate our attention either on peace or on war—the more energy we send that particular concept. As we focus increasingly on one or the other, we create a thought-form, which becomes a definitive field of electromagnetic energy. “Like attracts like.” Therefore, each time we reflect on peace or on war, we energize the matching thought-form, causing it to increase in size, strength, and definition.

Take the example of anger. Think back to the last time an angry or hateful thought came to mind…… Did this thought not immediately bring forth the feelings of anger? Was not this thought nourished and enlarged by the emotions it elicited, until the energy you expended far exceeded the original memory? We often express this fact verbally: “The more I thought about it, the madder I got.”

Within the creative ethers, anger is anger; love is love; peace is peace. Whether we are angry with our spouse or angry at the world super-powers, the universal energy is qualified as “anger.” Likewise, working for peace involves naming the universal energy “peace,” whether at home, at work, or in our thoughts and actions toward world peace.

Because “like attracts like,” individual thoughts, feelings, and actions have a ripple effect. Like radio waves, individual qualifications of energy speed toward that with which they resonant, thus creating massive thought-forms. Energy fields characterized by thinking of war attract those same thoughts from people all over the planet. Our atmosphere becomes saturated with the energy of violence and war.

Think back to the time you entered a room and met a very angry or depressed person ….. Did you not quickly become disgruntled? Recall an acquaintance who seems always to be in good spirits, meets you with a happy smile, and speaks cheerfully to you…….. Do you not instantaneously feel a surge of joy? Hereby, we—as individuals—may permeate our world with the energy of peace. We can BE peace.

Most often our thoughts, feelings, and actions work for war instead of for peace because we wrongly qualify the universal energy. Anytime we become angry over or hate war, we increase the thought-form of anger and hate—the very factors that instigate violence.

We must make the shift in our thought and emotional energy from hating war to loving peace. As we increasingly focus our thoughts, feelings, and actions toward peace and familial love, we steadily magnify the corresponding thought-forms of an Earth bathed by the iridescent, healing waters of life.

This energy qualification shift can be extremely subtle. As we work for peace, we must constantly ask: How does this particular activity characterize the universal energy? For example: the more we fight against military build-up, the more energy we focus on weapons and war. Just listen to the words used: fight … against … military. All words of violence energized by our activity. The shift involves participating in constructive efforts for peace. Again, note the words: constructive … peace. Positive words energized by our activity. The more energy we expend in beneficial pursuits for peace, the larger its thought-form will become. But remember, it must be “constructive activity for peace,” not “speaking or demonstrating against war or military build-up.” By our thought projection, we qualify the energy and build one or the other thought-form. We defeat our goal if we organize a group entitled “Movement for Peace,” then proceed to orient the group activity around weapons … war … fighting … or using words on our banners like “against” or “anti-war.” In so doing, we convert our efforts for peace into demonstrations against war. As a result, a subtle, but extremely powerful, electromagnetic shift takes place.

Praying for “an end to all bloodshed” resonates with the energy for war, not the energy for peace. Immediately, a scene of bloodshed appears before our eyes and our emotions energize it. Think of the tremendous amount of emotional energy “against war” this prayer will engender within a large group. Clairvoyant persons can perceive the meeting room filled with chaotic waves of energy. On the other hand, praying for peace and familial love for all of humanity conjures up a tranquil scene of peace and love. Our emotions are soothed; we feel quietude. We can envision the entire planet encircled with hands clasped in love. The energy in the room is calm.

The true worker for peace learns control of his thoughts and feelings. He learns to focus on and build the positive regardless of the overwhelming negatively qualified energy within his environment. The true worker for peace loves peace instead of hating war.

By giving the thought-forms of war no thought, feeling, or activity energy, we diminish its electromagnetic energy field. As a result, it will shrink and eventually disappear from sheer starvation. However, “nature abhors a vacuum.” We must fill that vacuum by working for world peace—individually and collectively—through concentrating our thoughts, feelings, and actions upon building the electromagnetic energy field of peace and familial love. The ways to do so are limited only by our ability to creatively think, feel, and construct in the positive.

May we direct our thoughts, emotions, words, and actions toward generating glorious rainbow-colored thought-forms encircling our planet and saturating it with serenity.

Then, we may all sing knowingly, “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me!”