Marian had tried to get the “prayer-feeling” each night last week, but had not succeeded. She could not get calm, but thought of everything under the sun, and then fell asleep.
Virginia said: “You can’t make your mind a blank.”
I answered: “Making your mind a blank is not prayer.”
Henry thought it good to consider our spiritual problems just before going to sleep, and so get into the right state of mind. Ruth agreed.
Now I read Marian’s paper:
“At a meeting of the Seekers on November 8th, we discussed the subject of Prayer. Prayer is really a feeling. When we feel truly in harmony with our inner and our bigger self, the feeling we have is prayer. Prayer can be made a source of strength. If we find some way to get into the prayer-feeling every day or at night, it will be a great help to us. As we reached a conclusion on this subject very soon, we began a discussion on Immortality, which we expect to finish next week.”
Now we spoke of immortality. Although the six of us believed in it, by trying to convince Alfred we might gain much.
I asked why, or whether, it was important to have an opinion concerning immortality.
Marian said it was important for us to know, because we were interested, because we cared so much. I answered, that was one reason, and then there was another. Ruth said the other reason was that we acted according to our ideas of death, that it influenced our morality.
“Yes,” I answered, “we live according to our expectations. Think of how the false or true ideas of a future life influenced morality in ages past, of the morals, good and bad, which sprang from the idea of heaven and hell! Alfred, do you think it is important to know?”