Ship of Fools: Prayer Corners

Thread: Prayer Corners Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

Do you have a favourite place to pray? Or are there things you use that help you to pray such as icons or candles? What do you have in your prayer corner?

What makes a good prayer space?

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

I like to go to nearby churches outside of service time and position myself on the altar railing right near the eternal light.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

When we had three children running around the house I found it hard to get a time to pray or a place to do it where I would not get disturbed.

The answer was to run a bath, and to pray whilst relaxing in hot sudsy water.

Now that children have gone I can easily find a quiet time of place, but old habits die hard and I still pray and meditate in the bath.

Posted by Kitten (# 1179) on :

I tend to pray in the car

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

Whilst driving?

Eyes closed?

Posted by iamchristianhearmeroar (# 15483) on :

I find the church near to where I work a fantastic place to pray. It's surprisingly quiet given the amount of traffic nearby, has plenty of candle stands, smells of incense and contains the Blessed Sacrament. So, perfect for me.

I tried to get into the habit of praying regularly at other times of the day: at my desk, on my train into work etc, but found it incredibly hard.

There's something to be said for time and space set aside for prayer.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

A friend of mine wrote her Master's Thesis in Theology about the use of 'house altars' in the Netherlands. I think it was a rather good thesis. One thing I remember is that these altars can be quite eclectic: for example they could contain a statue of a Catholic Saint next to a Buddha image next to a dream catcher ...

For a time, I had a house altar dedicated to Saint Anthony (of Padua) in my house, for reasons that are too complex / personal to lay out here. Sometimes I would pray there in June.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

Hey, Anthony of Padua is my birthday saint! [Yipee]

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by iamchristianhearmeroar:
I tried to get into the habit of praying regularly at other times of the day: at my desk, on my train into work etc, but found it incredibly hard.

Other than a quick arrow prayer for situations a they arise I find commuter trains too stressful to pray in.

Posted by Ethne Alba (# 5804) on :

For me? Something to look at, something to hold, a comfortable chair and half an hour of potential peace

Posted by Boadicea Trott (# 9621) on :

I find walking the dog provides a useful oasis of peace and quiet for prayer free from interruptions.

I have prayers downloaded on my MP3 player too, so I might be praying the Scriptural Rosary, praying Morning or Evening Prayers, depending on the time of day.

Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :

Looks like this.

Posted by ChastMastr (# 716) on :

Mine is a chair in the room with all the comics boxes, with the Book of Common Prayer nearby.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

Leaving aside images in my mind caused by ChastMastr's post of the Book of Common Prayer in comic form

quote:
Originally posted by Boadicea Trott:
I find walking the dog provides a useful oasis of peace and quiet for prayer free from interruptions.

I have no dog, but I find walking in secluded places to be good places for prayer too.

Posted by Fineline (# 12143) on :

No, I don't think for me that it's a physical space. If it's prayer in words, I write/type it, so it's about having my laptop on my knee and seeing the words as I type them. All I see is the laptop screen - my surroundings don't matter. If it's prayer without words, I shut my eyes - it happens inside my head. I like to curl up in a ball under a blanket to do this, because the pressure of my body against itself and of the blanket helps me focus.

Posted by Jenn. (# 5239) on :

I find having a space set aside for prayer extrememly helpful - it means I don't have my computer/phone/whatever next to me begging for attention, and I'm not looking at the mess the kids have made. It's a place to retreat to in the midst of daily life.

Having said that, it isn't something I have at the moment. I have small children, work full time, and a husband who works - keeping a space clear for prayer just didn't work. It is a priority for the next house we live in though.

Posted by Kitten (# 1179) on :

quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
Whilst driving?

Eyes closed?

Yes, while driving

Eyes very much open

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

I generally find myself saying parts of liturgy when bicycling. Not really an intentional thing, more of a habit. Does this count?

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

Given that I pray on the toilet, i am sure you can pray while cycling.

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

You can, maybe. I can't. I would hit a wall. Which isn't a problem when driving a toilet.

Posted by spork (# 18260) on :

I pray in the shower sometimes silently, sometimes out loud (the latter being an annoyance to my Mum, as I often hear 'you alright, love?' coming from the kitchen!)

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

Out loud, yes. Which is why when praying and walking I said secluded places.

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