Here are twenty-one simple ways of using our hands to speak to God, presented in word and image. They teach us to experience the unique spiritual enrichment that can be found when we pray with our hands.
Jon M. Sweeney
Photographs by Jennifer J. Wilson
Foreword by Mother Tessa Bielecki
Afterword by Taitetsu Unno, PhD
Paperback
8 x 8, 96 pp | 22 Duotone photos | 978-1-893361-16-4
A spiritual guidebook for bringing prayer into our bodies.
The power of words is nowhere more evident than when we use them to pray, but prayer is also the place where we most often come up against the limitations of words. In this intriguing book of reflections and accompanying photographs, we see how our bodies, in particular our hands, can give meaning to our prayers in a way that words alone cannot.
Here are twenty-one simple ways of using our hands to speak to God, presented in word and image. These spiritual practices are from a broad range of religious traditions—from Anglican to Sufi, from Buddhist to Shaker. Some may be familiar, some new; all demonstrate the universal importance people of all faith traditions have given to embodied prayer. They teach us to experience the unique spiritual enrichment that can be found when we pray with our hands.
“Stunning ... inspiring ... will make readers want to roll out their prayer mats, kneel or twist into the lotus position—and get praying.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Does a great service … by bringing us back to the spiritual home of the body. It is a journey we all need to make.”
—Julie Motz, author of Hands of Life: Use Your Body’s Own Energy Medicine for Healing, Recovery, and Transformation
“A much-needed antidote to the notion that prayer is only a mental/verbal activity. Bodily movements, especially with your hands, can play a vital role in communicating with the Holy One. This beautifully written and illustrated book shows and tells how.”
—Paul Walsh, president, Fellowship in Prayer/Sacred Journey
“An inspiring book! Shows how our hands can give meaning to our prayers, adding intensity and power.”
—Gertrud Hirschi, author of Mudras: Yoga in Your Hands
