SACRED READINGS ARCHIVE

A Virtual Universal Worship Prepared by Rev. Cheraga Rashida Maxine Kaufman (12-97)

Discription of Altar for Universal Worship.

There a flame burning on or above the Altar.The Altar is adorned with lovely
flowers,incence is burning...Great pains have been taken to have our Altar
look very beautiful. Candles have been placed in the shape of a crescent,each candle representing one of the world religions.In front of the candles is an additional candle representing "The Spirit of Guidance". In front of each candle we place the holy Scriptues belonging this world religion. We place the Gayan in front of The Spirit of Guidance candle.


Invocation

Towards the One
The Perfection of Love,Harmony and Beauty
The Only Being
United with all the Illuminated Souls
Who form the Embodiment of the Master
The Spirit of Guidance

Candle Lighting Ceremony

Cheraga Speaks:

To the Glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle the light symbolically representing The Hindu religion---

Cheraga lights a taper using the Flame on the Altar, when the candle is kindled --

We read from the Upanisads".

He is one(before creation).He becomes three (fire, Water,earth),he becomes five,he becomes seven...he becomes nine;then again he is called the eleventh,and one hundred and ten and one thousand twenty" When the intellectual aliament has been purified,the whole nature has been purified,the memory becomes firm,and when the memory (of the Highest Self) becomes firm all the ties (which binds us to a belief in anything but the self) are loosened.

Holding the scriptures up towards the Flame we say--

We offer to thee Omnicient God our reverence our homage and our gratitude
for the light of the Devine Wisdom.

Cheraga speaks:

To the Glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle the light symbolically representing the Buddhist religion

Cheraga lights the candle--

We read from the Dhammapada.
Easy is the life of a shameless one who is as impudent as a Crow, back-biting, presumtious, arrogant and corrupt. Hard is the life of a modest one who ever seeks purity, is detached, humble, clean in life and reflective

.--Holding the Scriptures up towards the Flame

we say--

We offer to Thee Omnicient God our reverence,our homage and our
gratitude for the light of the Devine Compassion

Cheraga speaks:

To the Glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle the light symbolically representing the Zoroastrian religion.---

Cheraga lights the candle.

We read from the Zend Avesta of Zarathustra

1.Purity is for man.
2.Next to life.
3.The greatest of good;
4.That purity,O Zarathustra!
5.That is the
6.Asha of Mazda,
7.For him that cleanseth his own self,
8.With good thoughts,words and deeds

Holding the Scripture up towards the Flame we say--

We offer to Thee Omnicient God our reverence,our homage and our gratitude for- the light of the Devine Purity.

Cheraga speaks:

To the Glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle the light symbolically representing the religion of the American Indian

Cheraga lights the candle.

We read from"The Sacred Pipe,

"Grandfather,Wakan Tanka,behold us!You have placed a great Power there, where we always face, and from this direction many generations have come forth,and have returned.There is a winged One at this direction who guards the sacred Red Path,fromwhich the generations have come forth.The generation which is here today wishes to cleanse and purify itself,that it may live again! These rites of the Inipiare very Waken and are used before any great undertaking.

Holding this book of Sacred Rites toward the Flame we say,

We offer to thee Omnicient God our reverence our homage and our gratitude
for the light of the Devine Dignity.

Cheraga speaks:

To the Glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle the lightsymbolically representing The Jewish religion.

Cheraga lights the candle.

We read from the Jewish Bible called the"Tanakh." The Songs Of Songs"

I am a rose of Sharon,
A lily of the valleys.
Like a lily among thorns,
So is my darling among the Maidens.

Holding the Scriptures up towards the Flame we say-

We offer to thee Omnicient God our reverence our homage and our gratitude
For the light of the Devine Law.

Cheraga speaks:

To the Glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle the light symbolically representing the The Christian Bible -St.James version.

Cheraga lights the candle.

We read fromMathew 5:37 The Beatitudes

"Blessed are the pure in heart,for they shall see God". Holding the Scriptures up towards the Flame-We say-we offer to Thee Omnicient God our reverence,our homage and our gratitude for the Light of the Devine Self Sacrifice.

Cheraga speaks:

To the Glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle this light symbolically representing the religion of Islam.

Cheraga lights the candle.

We read from the Holy Koran.

God rewards the rightious(namely those whose lives the angels take in a state
of purity),saying (to them) Peace be on you;enter ye the garden,because of
the good which you did in the world.-

Holding the Scriptures up towards the Flame we say

We offer to Thee Omnicient God our reverence our homage and our
gratitudefor the Light of the Devine Unity.

Cheraga kindles the Spirit of Guidance candle,

We say, To the glory of the Omnipresent God we kindle the light symbolically
representing all those who whether known or unknown to the world, have held
aloft the light of Truth amidst the darkness of human ignorance.

                          let us pray--The Prayer Saum

                           Silent Meditation--3 minutes

the Prayer Salat

Cheraga speaks:

We read from the "Gayan "of Hazrat Inayat Khan.

"Waterlily,what do you represent by your white garb? The purity at the heart of this lake"

We offer to Thee Omnicient God our reverence our homage and our gratitude
For the Light of the Devine Truth

Sermon

Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan talked about purification.He said,"purity is a
path of illumination. Exaltation itself is a type of purification.It does not take too much to cause us to feel exalted.A kind attitude,a sympathic trend of
mind.Our eyes shed tears of sympathy for another, we are already exalted.Our soul has bathed in the sacred river Ganges and we feel purified.

Additional material

Insight on the Sun Prayer
stand facing the sun or a symbol of the sun(candle/fire)
Place an offering of corn meal,tobacco or food offering for the Holy Ones.
A cup of pure water.
With your mind and/or hands go through your body and remove anything
that is not in harmony with your highest good.this can be physical things
like a headache or Spiritual things like a broken heart.Take these things and
give them away to father sun.Continue to remove things from your body and
aura until you feel clean and pure inside,like a hollow tube or bone,
to allow good work of creator to work through you.Visualize the sun and it's
energy moving in through the top of your head and all the way down to your
feet. See the Sun's energy moving down into the middle of mother earth to purify the earth and grid systems.
When you feel yourself as being a pillar of golden Sun light then reach out
your hands,palms upward,in a cupped fashion.What is received in your hands
will be your gift from the Holy Ones to renew and purify you.

The prayer Khatum


Blessing

Cheraga raising hands in benediction

                    May the blessings of God rest upon you,
                    may his peace abide with you,
                    and may His Presence illiminate your hearts
                     now and forever more.
                                  Amen

Look forward to the day when we all have audio.We will then do a live U W
with music and chanting, when I prepared this Universal Worship I was listening to "Ave Maria" Gounot was very inspiring.

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