1st and only Original Prayer Weekend Retreat
Saying yes to being a Prayer Artist was scary because I didn’t know—couldn’t know—just what I was saying yes to.
From the moment I heard the words, my stomach clenched and my heart pounded.
But I said yes anyway.
It got even scarier when I saw that no one uses the term. I stared at the screen in shock. What! You’re asking me to create something no one else has?
I had to suck in a very deep breath to say yes.
But I said it. More than said it; I wrote it. Soul writing multiplies the power. I wrote, “If you want me to be your prayer artist; I will be your prayer artist.
And with that, everything began to change.
I stopped writing the book I had planned and started downloading a whole new genre of prayers. I ended my successful radio show and opened a whole new kind of podcast, Praying at the Speed of Love. I stopped teaching courses and offered prayer intensives.
And then the scariest thing of all happened.
One day in an intensive, I was talking about prayer, and a woman said, “I hate that word.” I looked around the virtual room and many of the women were nodding in recognition of a heart-wound around the word “prayer.”
Houston! We have a problem!
Here I am calling myself a prayer artist, writing prayers, and offering prayer intensives, and people hate the word. Oh dear.
That moment turned out to be critical to my evolution into becoming a prayer artist.
Because it sent me to the dictionary.
As all good writers do, I opened the Oxford English Dictionary. And burst into tears. Do you know how prayer is defined! Don’t look. It will make you sick.
In short, prayer is defined as three things:
- supplication
- supplication of an external god
- supplication of an external god following a prescribed formula
The dictionary doesn’t say that external god is masculine. it’s so engrained in the culture it doesn’t need to be said.
Once again, I sat in my office in shock.
Here I am, not only creating a whole new thing—prayer artist—but in order to do that, I have to redefine prayer itself!
This propelled me into deep soul writing. Sophia, I cried, if you’re asking me to redefine prayer, you have to carry me deep into The Mystic so I can remember what prayer was before it was smashed into a tight box by patriarchal religions.
The words Original Prayer surfaced on the page.
Oh, I’m remembering original prayer: ancient, pre-patriarchal, goddess prayer. I like that!
But wait a minute; original also means: brand new, unique, created by an artist.
And with that, things began to move very very fast—speed of love fast.
Four new definitions of prayer arrived within days. This is not your father’s definition of prayer!
Prayer is:
- love songs of your personal intimate sacred marriage
- sacred medicine that cherishes the body, embraces the heart, and enchants the soul
- relationship with prayer itself and with everyone who has ever prayed
- vibration of love squared
You’re not going to find these definitions in the dictionary, but my heart knows this is prayer—original prayer—ancient and new. This is how we prayed thousands of years ago and this is how our hearts are hungry to pray today.
And in both times, then and now, when we pray, we experience the divine not as something or someone outside us, not as a being to beg, but as who we are at core.
Prayer is remembering our own sacred divine essence.
That’s why we pray. Not to beg, not to ask, not to supplicate, but to remember and celebrate what we remember.
So now I am announcing the biggest change of all!
In partnership with Emma Kupu Mitchell and Sue Kosharek, two of my favorite mystical guides, and Timothy Frantzich, Carin Vagle, and Dean Magraw, the three sacred musicians in “Sofia,” I am creating a whole new kind of in-person retreat experience.
And you are invited.
Welcome to the first—and possibly only—Original Prayer Weekend Retreat.
Just as I am redefining prayer, it looks like I’m also redefining retreat. This weekend is unlike any you have experienced. And it’s radically different from anything I’ve ever offered.
We are going to share a wide range of multi-sensory, fully embodied, mystical experiences from both ancient and new rivers of prayer—all immersed in the sacred arms of live music.
Ancient Original prayer streams:
- goddess position of invocation
- goddess oracle presence
- full body anointing with sacred oils
- sacred sound language chants including a beatitude in Aramaic
- creating a community altar
- labyrinth walks in the moonlight
New Original prayer streams:
- personal and community "Medicine Melody" created in the moment with “Sofia”
- Original Prayer Yoga (gentle movements that draw the mystical truth of a prayer into your body)
- prayer tea to share our prayer stories
- deep soul writing to integrate our mystical experiences
- brand new prayer artist prayers
The first—and possibly only—Original Prayer Weekend is Friday, June 14-16 at the Carondelet Center in St Paul Minnesota.
Why there?
- Because the musicians in “Sofia” live in Minnesota.
- Because “Sofia” and I are giving the first ever Prayer Concert at Unity of Minneapolis on June 12th.
- Because Sue Kosharek, whose goddesses have graced all my intensives, lives in Minnesota and will be with us on Friday night bringing “Radiant Blue,” a very powerful goddess painting to grace our circle.
- And finally, because it’s my 71st birthday and I want to spend it in sacred community singing ancient and new Love Songs with “Sofia”—and with you.
There is room for just 10 souls in this sacred circle.
In honor of the one-time original prayer experience, Emma Kupu Mitchell, in communion with her divine guides and the plants themselves, created a special anointing oil: Speed of Love. It is not available for sale. It is a gift for the members of this retreat.
I've created a special page about this Original Prayer Weekend Retreat.
- Watch the delightful video with Carin Vagle and Dean Magraw of "Sofia" offering a taste of how we will create and experience "Medicine Melody" at the retreat.
- Listen to the theme song from my podcast that "Sofia" created to give you a sense for what it will feel like to spend a weekend immersed in holy sound
- Watch the teary video I made with Emma about "Speed of Love."
- Click on the images to see all the rich events
Then Register!
I'm holding the 10 retreatants in my heart. Sophia knows who you are. My job is simply to redefine prayer and create a whole new kind of retreat and then invite you to come sit in a sacred circle with the musicians and me as we pray and chant and remember who we really are.
If your heart is thumping, I hope you'll say yes!
to the transformative power of yes,
Janet
PS: the Mary Magdalene intensive opens tomorrow. When you register for the retreat, I'm happy to give you a free seat. I'll see your retreat registration and send you the information for Mary Magdalene as well.
A little thank you gift from me.
Praying with and as Mary Magdalene
