MY NIGHT PRAYER

At night, before going to bed, or while in bed, I make my last prayer for the day. It is nothing extraordinary, but it makes me go to sleep with the feeling that I have done my best to care for all those whom I love.

If I have faltered in any way, my night prayer is an opportunity to express my repentance and my determination to do better. If anybody in the family is having a serious problem, it is a time to direct my thoughts accordingly to pray for a solution. In summary, my night prayer is in one sense a meditative review of what is happening in the lives of my dear family, and in another sense a chance to send my love-energy out toward them.

When I pray, I do certain signs with my hands and fingers that are difficult to describe. Just know that I use the lemniscate to symbolize Erc, God-Unconscious. The lemniscate looks like a horizontal figure eight that stands for “infinity” in Mathematics. For Ellael, our Personal God and Holy Self, I use the circle, which I also use to represent “love.” The circle is “love” because love is round, as an embrace is. Love is smooth. There are no sharp edges. The triangle, on the other hand, has sharp edges. That is why I use it to represent “knowledge,” using those pointed corners to pick away at the unknown—to break apart problems and mysteries. Finally, the square represents “courage,” because one has to face problems squarely to overcome fear.

As a Christian, when I was Catholic, I used the sign of the cross. As an Ercian, I do something similar but more complicated. I have added the Mother and the Daughter to the Father and the Son. Then, by using the phrase “the Spirits of our Houses,” I have placed the Holy Spirit in the company of the Unholy Spirit—not an evil spirit as I explained in “My Morning Prayer” on my post of August 23 2006, but the Fatherly Spirit whose duty is to protect us.

To do the Ercian sign, the 444 sign, the sign of “the three fours,” I begin with my right index finger on my forehead and say, “In the name of the Mother.” Then, I lower my right hand toward my abdomen and say, “...and of the Son.” Then I touch my left shoulder with my right hand saying, “...and of the Father.” Then I touch my right shoulder with my right hand saying, “...and of the Daughter.” Then, I bring my right hand to my abdomen where my left hand meets it and saying, “...and of the Spirits.” Then, I bring my left hand up to touch my forehead and say, “...of our Houses.” Then, I bring my left hand to touch my right shoulder and say, “...Amen and...” Then, I finish by bringing my left hand to touch my left shoulder while saying, “Xamen”*

*"Xamen": See post of August 23, 2006 "My morning prayer."

What I just described takes place fluidly, gracefully. For example, after I say “Amen,” my left hand is already halfway over to my left shoulder when I say “and” and before I finish the Ercian sign with “Xamen.” I explained it slowly, so that you would not get confused.

I begin my night prayer by saying, “Blessed be Erc and Ellael” while doing the “lemniscate” and the “circle,” and directing my arms toward the heavens. Then, depending on where members of my family live, for each one of them, I extend my arms in that geographical direction while doing the signs for Erc and Ellael (the lemniscate and the circle) and saying, “In the name of Erc and Ellael, Blessed be John, Mary, and little Susan...” for example, “Blessed be they and their family! Blessed be!”

After I finish blessing the members of my family on Earth, I turn my attention to the members of my family in Heaven. It is a place I have named the House of Twelve. As I extend my arms toward the heavens, I do the signs for Erc and Ellael, and say, “Blessed be the House of Twelve, the People of our House, the Lords and Lordesses of our House, Santa Bárbara bendita (Blessed St. Barbara) Daughter of God, our Mother Imay-Donnai, and our Father Zadonnai! Blessed be they and their families! Blessed be!"

I end my night prayer where I started it: “In the name of Erc and Ellael, Blessed be Erc and Ellael! Blessed be! Blessed be They and Their families! Blessed be!” Then I go to sleep.