Guidelines for Eco-Prayer and Good Will Intention

These are suggestions. Each person can follow his or her own tradition and conscience.

Choose a plant, place or animal that you love and engage in daily Eco-Prayer and Good Will Intention for it and the whole ecosystem supporting it.

For example: If you love Panda Bears then pray daily for them and the entire forest environment that they live in.

1. What You Love

Daily prayer and Intention for what we love grows with practice. Choose an animal, plant or place that you love. Pray and hold Good Will Intention for it and the whole environment that supports it each day.

For example, if you care for hawks, pray for them to thrive (or visualize them as healthy) and for the sky and trees that they live in.

You may choose to include prayer for the people who live in and influence the ecosystem as well.

2. Get a Picture

Get a picture of the place, animal or plant that you have chosen and put it where you will see it every day to remind you.

See our Resources page for a selection of photo web sites.

3. Positive Focus

Daily Eco-Prayer and Good Will for what you do want such as: blessing, beauty, healing, purity, abundance, balance, thriving, or health. You can even just hold it in your heart.

Avoid prayer or intention against what you do not want (for example: stop oil spills) or to control people. Fear, anger, judgment, blame, revenge and scapegoating (finding someone to blame for problems) disconnect us from the power of positive intention. Focus on negative feelings may give them more power.

Focus on love, hope and connection.

4. Big Picture

Our limited, human viewpoint, does not know all that is happening within the complex web of life or how best to help. Eco-Prayer and Good Will can be for a plant or animal and its whole ecological system at once rather than just for specific problems.

5. Non-Directed

Non-directed prayer or intention for the highest good rather than a specific goal may be best. This may help allow a creative response to prayer. Highest Good may be expressed however your tradition or conscience understands this such as: health, healing, purity, peace, balance, beauty, thriving or blessing.

6. Guidance

Ask for direction: How should I pray? What should I intend? What should I do? Be open to new and creative answers from unexpected places.

7. Open Expectation

Expect an answer but have no expectations about what the answer will look like. Our beliefs about what should happen may be too small or time limited. Be open to creative answers and unexpected new possibilities. A change in your own attitude may be an answer.

8. Service

"Pray like it is all up to God. Act like it's all up to me." What should I do? Should I make changes in my life? How am I called to help in the world (there are a million good causes but what am I called to)?

9. Gratitude and Humility

These help create a beautiful world and expand our ability to be of service. There are people who care all around the world. Friends, allies, and support may come from unexpected people. A change in attitude may be the miracle.

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Why Eco-Prayer and Good Will?

The relationship could be a philosophical or theological paper. A few of the reasons for both are:

  • "Will" is what I intend to happen. Whether in myself, others or the world. My will is affected by ideas, beliefs, feelings, desires and choices. They can be mixed or confused. A person's mind, heart and will may go in different directions. A person can say one thing, feel another and act in yet another way—and not even realize it. Our conflicting hopes, dreams, needs, hurts, fears, judgments, shame and guilt can cause mixed intentions that we do not even know we have.

  • "Good Will" is the choice to intend and act from high ideals, inspiration, compassion and humility—for one's self, others and the world. There are many influences and agendas trying to control or program our choices and actions. By daily consciously choosing one's intentions by high ideals, they can be clear rather than confused, manipulated or negative (see "poles" ecosystem).

  • The words of one's prayer may be less important than the underlying feelings, desires, choices, will or intentions. Aligning ideals, beliefs, feelings and intentions in prayer is powerful. Get a clear picture of what you want to happen from love, an inspiration, or high ideal. Compassion, caring and love can be the bridge between ideals and intention.

  • The beliefs of religions and individual spirituality differ. The shared ideal and hope of a thriving world for our descendents can be a shared Good Will intention across different religions, cultures, regions, languages and nationality. All people of Good Will can become neighbors in a global community of transformation.

  • Eco-Prayer is an aligned weaving of inspiration, ideals, Good Will, love and hope for the Earth, the life of ecosystems, humanity and the future. When a person's ideals, love, desire, choices, intentions and actions line up (mind, heart and will) change happens. When prayer, mind, heart and good will line up, the world can change.

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Eco-Theology

Theology of Ecology or Eco-Theology, is a spiritual understanding of the relationship of the divine, humanity, Earth and living creatures. Eco-Theology is intrinsic in some religious traditions, not well developed in some and problematic in others. That there are people engaged in Eco-Prayer encourages development of Eco-Theology to understand and perhaps inform and direct it. Eco-Theology developed in a religion and between religions can encourage cross religion, cross cultural and international environmental education and action.

The great work of creating a thriving world and future for our descendants is a goal that all the worlds religions, countries and cultures can agree on. By expanding awareness and depth, Eco-Theology can be common ground between religions and people across the world. Eventually this may expand to greater cooperation in many areas. Perhaps people and groups can expand the story of their individual lives to include the story of bigger circles of those around them and even to the story of Life itself. The bigger the story, the bigger the circle of compassion, understanding, humility and service. The story of Eco-Theology can include all people of Good Will.

Eco-Theology encourages action—spiritual interventions and action in the physical world. It provides the theological basis for, sustainable lifestyles for the Earth and our future. Religious professionals can be trained in teaching sustainable behavior in line with their tradition. In addition to Eco-Prayer, many religious traditions may also encourage ritual, ceremony and other spiritual interventions for our world.

Theological and academic discussions about Eco-Theology are already occurring. One academic resource is the Yale University Forum on Religion & Ecology

We hope to add short papers by qualified writers about ecology, prayer, meditation, Good Will Intentions from specific traditions and across tradition dialogue. Please contact us with suggestions and resources on the Contribute page. Please include documentation of a resource having authority and legitimacy within their tradition.

Eco-Prayer is for all humanity. This web site is intended for people from cultures around the world and so must use broad language. Please translate any words or suggestions in a way you are comfortable. If the web site or any of the translations gives offense it is not intentional. Please send ideas and alternative suggestions to us by the Contact page.

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