Mindfulness | Soul

There is Power in This Disappearing Prayer

How to find what’s missing in your life

Zen in the Psalms

I just bought the book The Tao of Now by Josh Baran, a collection of wisdom quotes and short, simple questions for contemplation.

In thumbing through the book, reading pages at random, I happened upon one page titled Six Line Prayer.

The prayer reminds me of a Byron Katie quote:

“When I am perfectly clear, what is, is what I want.”

The Six Line Prayer is not quite like a diminishing poem — one written by removing letters from the last word of a line, creating a new word for the end of the next line, and so on. This poetic prayer is diminished by removing complete words from the end of each line.

No attribution is given for the prayer, which begins with a well-known line from Psalm 46:10. Baran simply says, “I call this the ‘Six Line Prayer.’ The sixth line is my favorite.”

I call this the “Six Line Prayer.”

The sixth line is my favorite.

The Six Line Prayer

Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be.

I dare you to read it slowly and then sit with the sixth line. Allow all of what ails you to disappear as the words diminish and disappear.

Take a few slow deep breaths in and out. Read the prayer again, even slower, as you also slow your breathing. Did you find what is missing?

No searching is necessary.

Runa Heilung is an Old Soul Alchemist and dream archaeologist. She works with dreams, oracles, and the imagination to help people rediscover their Inner Wisdom.