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Jerry Berman explains the ritual and practice of Objective Prayer, including techniques for recognizing and acting within "moments of freedom." Includes the presentation of an important sensing exercise from the Japanese School of Sumi-e Painting.
This *Objective Prayer Workshop* explores the nature of prayer beyond subjective desire, focusing on prayer as a precise act performed only in moments of freedom—those rare gaps when Chief Feature temporarily vanishes. The discussion delves into timing, waiting, the nature of right action, and the necessity of discipline in both prayer and life. Through metaphor, exercises, and esoteric storytelling, the speaker explains how objective prayer is not about asking for things, but about aligning one's actions with higher laws. The talk also examines sacred timing, the importance of stillness, and the dangers of identification with false moments of freedom.
The discussion centers around the nature of objective prayer, contrasting it with ordinary prayer, which is driven by personal desires and expectations. The speaker introduces the concept of moments of freedom—brief, cyclical periods when Chief Feature (the dominant self-limiting force) is temporarily absent.
- Subjective prayer is wishful thinking, entangled with personal desires.
- Objective prayer is action taken in precise moments of freedom, requiring discipline and waiting.
- Waiting is not passive patience but an act of trained attention.
- To pray objectively, one must wait for a moment of freedom, act within it, and then immediately cease action when Chief Feature returns.
- Archery, swordplay, and art are used as metaphors—right action only occurs when timing is correct.
- In sacred practices, movements must be executed precisely in the moment of freedom or they lose their meaning.
- A story illustrating how waiting at the right place, in the right way, ensures success, while distraction leads to failure.
- The protagonist ultimately succeeds by using his physical body as a mechanism for awareness—a metaphor for embodied prayer.
- Techniques to sense the temporary banishment of Chief Feature.
- Breath control and body positioning can help align one's actions with these moments.
- Simple exercises such as lifting a glass of orange juice only during moments of freedom.
- Advanced exercises involving physical movement, stillness, and attunement to presence.
- Stillness is not passive but an active readiness to engage when the moment arises.
- True prayer is not about verbalization but about attunement to the right action at the right time.
- Certain buildings, designed with precise proportions, facilitate moments of freedom.
- Esoteric schools teach objective timing, training individuals to sense the cycles of Chief Feature.
- Chief Feature is clever—it will convince a person that they are acting in freedom when they are not.
- Most people mistake compulsion for action, failing to recognize when they are truly free.
Objective prayer is not about asking, but about knowing when to act and when to be still. It is a discipline of waiting, recognizing the moment, and taking right action only when truly free. This practice requires self-awareness, patience, and the ability to resist self-deception. Ultimately, the key to prayer and esoteric work is working only when free—never from compulsion, never from identification.
"A mystical scene depicting a lone figure standing before an enormous golden gate, waiting with absolute stillness. Above, a celestial clock turns, its gears ticking slowly, indicating the precise moment when the gates will open. Surrounding the figure, ghostly illusions of their own self—each trapped in movement, lost in time—flicker and fade. In the distance, sacred architecture stands aligned with the stars, resonating with hidden harmonies. The atmosphere should evoke patience, reverence, and the razor-thin precision between action and stillness. The composition should reflect esoteric discipline, waiting, and the silent knowledge of right timing."