Create a Prayer Bundle When You Need Support

What’s in your pocket? (or purse?)

Do you ever carry a special talisman?

Some people carry a rabbit’s foot, a four-leaf clover, or a lucky penny as their good luck charms.

Others might carry a special photo, a Biblical verse, or a lucky dollar bill in their wallet.

One of my girlfriends always has a seashell in her pocket because the beach is her happy place!

I tend to always have some kind of crystal in my pocket! Hematite is good for grounding, citrine inspires creativity, and moonstone helps to connect with my feminine energy.

Others wear gemstone bracelets or necklaces for their healing and supportive properties. (Did you catch my recent announcement about The Dragonfly Collection of bracelets for Sacred Celebrations?)

We carry these things because we associate them with a quality, a person or experience that we want to feel connected to or supported by.

Who doesn’t want good luck, good fortune and good health?

If you have a special event—especially if it’s a challenging one—coming up where you need a little extra support from the Universe, you can create a prayer bundle filled with several items that help to balance your emotions.

When facing a health event like surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, renal dialysis or anything else that requires regular visits to a doctor or hospital, creating a prayer bundle can be a good way to stay grounded and remind yourself you are loved.

When I had my hysterectomy, I had six weeks to prepare. While it was elective surgery, it was something I had been avoiding for almost a decade. Once I made the decision to have the surgery, I did a lot of work to prepare physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually for what lay ahead.

I have had surgery before, and I know that waiting in pre-op to be wheeled back for surgery is the hardest time mentally. It has the potential to be filled with anxiety and stress. I knew that for the surgery, I wanted to be calm and clear and focused.

So, I decided to create a prayer bag for myself to carry some precious talismans to remind me that everything was going to be OK.

When creating a prayer bundle or bag, you can choose anything that feels good to you:

• Something from Nature – a rock, an acorn, a stone, a dried flower or a feather.
• An item given to you from a loved one – children’s art work, a friendship bracelet, a photograph.
• Jewelry or prayer beads – mala prayer beads, a St. Christopher medal (Catholic saint for protection), a meaningful piece of jewelry.
• Anything that makes you feel connected to God/Spirit/Universe and the family and friends who love and support you.

A peek inside my prayer bundle…

1. Two rose quartz bracelets given to me by two different friends, which represented two different groups of friends for me. One was given to me on my 50th birthday at a sacred birthday ritual with my closest women friends from my days of living in Texas. The other was given to me by one of my life-long best friends who had a hysterectomy just three months before I did. After her surgery, it was determined that she had cancer and would need to undergo chemo and radiation treatments. Our circle of friends gathered around her in person, outside, 6 feet apart because of COVID, and shared a healing circle to support her on her journey. As a thank you gift, she sent each of us a rose quartz bracelet so that all members of our book club now have one and wear it when we are thinking of one another.

2. A written prayer. When I found out that I, too, was going to have a hysterectomy, I had more time to plan. So, I asked the same group of girlfriends if they would be willing to hold space for me in a healing circle via Zoom, since I live in a different city now. One of my friends was unable to attend, but she wrote the most beautiful prayer just for me. I read it to the women during the Zoom gathering, and we were all in tears. I printed out a copy of this prayer and tucked into my blessing bag. It is printed below in the P.S. (be sure you scroll down to read it! Powerful medicine there!). Thank you to my sweet friend, Ragan, for such a gorgeous prayer.

3. Baby socks. Many years ago, I had a twin pregnancy that lasted just 8 1/2 precious weeks. One of my besties sent me a teeny tiny very soft pair of twin baby booties. It was the only baby gift that I was to receive since that pregnancy ended in miscarriage. I have felt those twin baby spirits as guardian angels over the past decade. As I headed into surgery, preparing to say goodbye to the womb that had nurtured them for a very short time, it felt important to have something representing them with me.

4. Crystals. I also included a few of my favorite crystals: shungite for grounding, opalite for overall healing, and garnet (my birthstone) for courage and hope. I also tucked a seashell in from my recent visit to the Atlantic Ocean where I performed a private ritual in preparation for saying goodbye to my uterus!

I hope this personal glimpse into my prayer bundle gives you ideas for creating one for yourself, if you need it, or for suggesting this idea to a friend. Leave a comment and let me know how this concept resonates with you…

Blessings,
Elizabeth

P.S. I’m lucky to have so many beautiful women (and men!) in my circle of friends. Here is the moving prayer from my friend Ragan:

Sweet Jesus, great physician, word of God made flesh who was there at the Creation and brought the wonder that IS Elizabeth into being.

You know this woman.

Her heart.

Her mind.

Every cell of her body.

You know her fears and her every pain. Make your loving presence known to her as she enters a new phase of womanhood.

Let her hear you rejoice over her journey with singing as she graciously and gracefully steps into what is next with deep gratitude for all her body has done for her so far.

Protect her.

Heal her.

Guide the team of doctors and nurses who care for her.

Bolster her sweet husband so she can lean hard and give precious Riley peace, and calm any worries or fears she has for her mama.

Gently remind us all to cast all our anxiety on you and accept your peace in its place. And guide us and give us all comfort, mercy and grace as we navigate the great unfolding of our lives.

Lord, all change is hard. And “The Change” is no joke.

Send women along Elizabeth’s path who can empathize and also have enough perspective to know not all journeys are the same. And help Elizabeth use her experience, as she so often does, to be a blessing and guide to others.

I ask all these things as someone who loves Elizabeth and is certain you love her far more. Amen.