Every spiritual path expresses a different body language which reveals what they are really about.
Catholic prayer is often done with fingers crossed, forming what I call a “closed circuit”. This means energy stays within the person. It’s good for introspection and protection, but the sending/receiving part is limited.
The prayer of Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians is the polar opposite. Palms and arms wide open and stretched into the air to send and receive energy, but there is less introspection and protection.
On the upside this means there is much more energy in a Charismatic Christian gathering than in the toned-down Catholic gathering. On the downside there is also more emotionalism and theatrics. Predictably, Catholics and Orthodox Christians bring out more Philosophers.
We find a similar enthused body language at a sports match, with the difference that there’s no heart-connection with self and source and the energy is funneled through a bowl to the athletes while the spectators only receive residue energy from the ecstatic crowd. This creates a “buzz” post-match but church-goers experience a deeper connection to up high. Hands open but cupped and to the side is more of a “receiving” gesture. Palms up and out is more of a “sending” but it’s also determined by intention.
When Muslims pray, they bow down and touch the ground with their hands and head. This indicates submission, reverence and grounding. The ancient Israelites and Christians also went to the knees and bowed their head (genuflection), less seen in modern times.
The body language is congruent with the the word “Islam” which means “submission to Allah”.
There’s also a Muslim gesture showing a receiving attitude, which balances out the submission gesture:
Muslim gestures create humility and prosperity but less personal, self-sufficient energy.
Muslims pray toward Mecca (initially toward Jerusalem). The mass-energy sent to Mecca has real effects, people who visit get a spiritual high just from being at this crucible of directed energy.
Catholic and Protestant Christian Churches used to be built facing East and the Christians prayed facing East, toward the rising sun, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ and his return. Most modern Christians have forgotten this and now pray with no awareness of direction.
This is not a treatise on what’s good, bad or better. Different gestures and motions fulfill different purposes. We’d have to measure whether it makes a difference whether I pray in one direction or another, in one place or another, at one time or another. My personal attitude is that if you’re in a good state, your energy travels regardless of these details.
Buddhists and Hindus sit or meditate with legs crossed, which forms a closed circuit. This is good for introspection and meditation, as it protects one from outside influence. But the receiving /sending energy is reduced in such postures. This is perhaps wanted, as silence and meditation tend to increase one’s energy and doing so in open postures may overwhelm the nervous system. From the postures of Buddhism, we realize that it’s more about internal development or inner potential than receiving from above our outside, nor is it much about helping others (even though they teach altruism).
Some spiritual traditions pray with the hands clasped and pointing upwards like an antenna. The first image below are adherents of the Bahai religion using this gesture. The second image is an adherent of the Jain religion using it.
The antenna gesture is obviously a sending gesture, not a receiving one. You are sending love, appreciation and gratitude upwards. You are sending energy upwards.
If I were a Gnostic (modern term: conspiracy-theorist) or Occultist, I’d suspect that all of this mass-energy is being harvested by gigantic Demiurge or Egregore entities. But the reality is that “what you put out, you get back” – it’s a law-of-attraction based Universe. This is why people who pray and send appreciation are generally in better spiritual shape than those who don’t. This doesn’t mean there is no such thing as nefarious energy-harvesting, it means that love and prayer are exempt from it.
The photo below shows pagans forming a “witches circle”:
In my book “Healing and Energy Circles” I say that a group forming a circle and/or holding hands forms an extremely powerful energy circuit. Prayers, Chants and Intentions spoken in such a position amplify whatever is spoken. The larger the group, the larger the circuit.
Some groups do it while chanting the names of various spirits, which is dangerous because it attracts entities to partake in the electric-force-field. Mixing with entities in this way, can lead to disorientation, displacement and even spirit possession. Not recommended. If you’re going to use group-circles, do so responsibly and with a positive purpose.
I’ve seen a school teacher use a holding-hands-circle to chant something about winning a softball game. It created waves powerful enough to positively affect their game. I’ve seen Christians holding hands while praying, which magnifies the prayer. I’ve seen people in Business team-trainings hold hands. This is experienced as embarrassing by some, but it does create instant team-unity and emotional bonding, without the need for lengthy lectures on team-play.
This is an image of a Mormon Sacrament Prayer. Crossing hands behind the back indicates authority or personal power but can also point to secretiveness. It’s not a sending/receiving gesture. Bowing the head shows humility and “turning off the mind” to listen to the heart.
The polar opposite of this kind of inward, energy-conserving attitude is that of a dancing, singing, shouting, smoking and instrument-rattling Shaman:
The purpose of “making some noise” is to attract attention or assistance from external forces rather than looking within. Modern rock concerts and techno raves are modern variations on ancient Shamanism.
Tai Chi is one of the few spiritual traditions where you learn a wide array of gestures and motions and experience their effects on the body and mind. Many of the motions are wavy, leading to a relaxed “flow” mentality. Body-movement workshops in the modern Gym, on the other hand often tend to be abrupt and rigid, leading to a rigid mindset.
It’s good to experiment with different gestures and motions and how they affect you, others and your environment. Life is about optimizing energy. In my opinion a free and empowered human being shouldn’t be limited to one type of prayer but should experience all the types. One need not be limited to one type of dancing, one type of cheering, one type of meditating or one type of anything. Meditating with crossed legs and fingers-to-thumb vs. meditating with legs open and hands cupped are two different experiences with different results. Have an intention or purpose and then align your body with it.
