# Prayers and Sayings for Mothers and Children

*For expectant mothers*

From the heights, the spirit star  
In the circle, the creative power of the sun  
From the depths, the striving power of God  
Give to the human embryo  
Blessing, healing, enlivening  
The temple of the body.

From the freely reigning light of the spirit  
In love-giving soul power  
Through faithfulness, sanctified willingness to sacrifice  
Man creates for the human child  
The nourishment of the body  
The becoming of the soul  
The earthly future of the divine creature.

Worlds sacrifice  
Spirits bless  
The will of the self works  
Salvation to the spirit-blessed  
Word-animated  
God-born  
Son of Man.

Undatable

*For the mother*

*Before birth*

And the soul of the child,  
May it be given to me  
According to your will  
From the spiritual worlds.

*After birth*

And the soul of the child,  
May it be guided by me  
According to your will  
Into the spiritual worlds.

Undated

To speak of the mother for the child

May light flow into you that can take hold of you.  
I accompany its rays with my love and warmth,  
I think with my best joyful thoughts  
Of the stirrings of your heart.  
They shall strengthen you,  
They shall carry you,  
They shall clarify you

I would like to gather in your life steps  
My joyful thoughts,  
So that they may connect With your will to live  
And he may find strength in the whole world  
More and more through himself.

Undated

*Children's prayers*

*For younger children*

In the morning

I see the sun  
I think of God's spirit  
I move my hand  
God's soul lives in me  
I take a step  
God's will walks in me.  
And when I see a person  
God's soul lives in them.  
And so it also lives  
In animals and plants and stones.  
No fear can reach me  
When I think of God's spirit  
When I live God's soul  
When I walk in God's will.

1908/09

In the evening

From head to toe  
I am God's image  
From my heart to my hands  
I feel God's breath  
When I speak with my mouth  
I follow God's will  
When I see God  
Everywhere, in mother, father,  
In all dear people  
In animals and flowers  
In trees and stones,  
Fear gives me nothing  
Only love for everything  
That is around me.

1908/09

#### Table Prayer

Plants germinate in the night of the earth  
Herbs sprout through the power of the air  
Fruits ripen through the power of the sun

So the soul germinates in the shrine of the heart  
So the power of the spirit sprouts in the light of the world  
So the power of man ripens in God's light.

1908/09

The light of the sun floods  
The vastness of space,  
The singing of birds echoes  
Through the realms of the air,  
The blessing of plants germinates  
The creatures of the earth,  
And human souls rise  
In feelings of gratitude  
To the spirits of the world.

1910

Powers of light carry me  
into the house of the spirit.

1910

Many beings live around me  
Many things surround me  
In all of them I want to see  
How God of the world  
Wants to speak to me  
and all people.  
In my heart too  
God of the world speaks  
And speaks best  
When I can love  
All people and all beings.

Prayer for Hannchen Hagemann  
May 10, 1912

#### Evening Bell Prayer

Admire beauty  
Protect truth  
Worship nobility  
Decide on goodness:  
It leads people  
To goals in life  
To right actions  
To peace in feeling  
To light in thinking;  
And teaches them to trust  
In divine providence  
In all that is  
In the universe  
In the depths of the soul.

For 7-year-old Pierre Grosheintz  
1913

The human eye rejoices  
In the light of the shining sun  
So let the soul also rejoice  
In the spirit of God, which lives in all things  
As the invisible sun,  
Which shines lovingly on every being.

With heartfelt remembrance  
Paul Helmuth on May 2, 1914  
Dr. Rudolf Steiner  
For Paul Helmuth v. Bethusy-Huc on his 11th birthday, on a photograph

Like the blossom and fruit,  
Ripened by the spirit of the sun,  
Detaching itself from the plant stem;  
So the light blossom of truth arises  
From the soul stem of man,  
Well cared for by the divine good.  
Therefore, every good person strives for truth  
Just as the plant must strive for light  
If it does not want to wither before blooming.

For 11-year-old Jan Lagutt  
Autumn 1914

November 21, 1916  
This, my dear Hansi  
Write into your soul:

That with a joyful gaze  
I see the ray of the sun  
Which falls from the round roof  
Of a spiritually consecrated building  
Into my eyes:  
Those who love me in my circle  
In the first seven years of my life  
Greet it lovingly.

That I may learn many right things  
With a diligent mind,  
And, following the true word of the spirit,  
The power of the soul carries me  
In a good human life:  
Those who love me in my circle,  
In the second seven years of my life  
Wish it lovingly.

Rudolf Steiner  
For Jean (Hansi) Grosheintz on his 7th birthday

*Morning Prayer*

Sun, you shine above my head,  
Stars, you shine above the fields and cities,  
Animals, you move and stir on Mother Earth,  
Plants, you live through the power of the earth and sun,  
Stones, you strengthen animals and plants  
And me, the human being,  
In whose head and heart  
Lives in my head and heart,  
Who with God's power  
Walks through the world.

For the children of the Heisler family  
June 2, 1919

*Evening Prayer*

My heart gives thanks  
That my eyes may see,  
That my ears may hear,  
That I may feel while awake  
In mother and father,  
In all dear people,  
In stars and clouds:  
God's light,  
God's love,  
God's being,  
Which protect me while I sleep, Shining  
Loving  
Granting grace.

For the children of the Heisler family  
June 2, 1919

On November 21, 1919

In my thoughts lives the resolution:  
That the man's ability within me  
May grow into the right life's work.  
In learning and striving for this  
I will not slacken.

In my will lives the feeling:  
That much to be accomplished in life  
Is man's true earthly goal;  
And all of life's blossoming power  
Must grow from the roots of diligence.

When I am grown up one day,  
Then I will see how true  
Such thoughts and feelings  
Are in youth;  
And how strongly they carry us through life.

Rudolf Steiner  
With heartfelt birthday greetings to Hansi Grosheintz  
On his 10th birthday

The light of the sun  
Brightens the day  
After a dark night:  
The soul's power  
It has awakened  
From the peace of sleep:  
You, my soul  
Be grateful to the light  
It shines in it  
The power of God;  
You, my soul  
Be ready for action.

1919

David:

The sun sends  
Light to the earth  
The spirit of God  
It shines brightly  
In the sunlight  
The plants drink  
The sunlight  
So they grow  
In fields and mountains  
As God's work.

And man too  
He carries in his heart  
And soul God  
And his hands  
Move  
Through God's spirit  
I love him  
The spirit of God  
In my heart and hands  
In the sun and moon.

Draft

The sun sends  
Its light to the earth,  
The spirit of God  
It shines brightly  
In the sunlight.

The plants drink  
The sunlight,  
So they grow  
In fields and meadows  
And are the beloved children  
Of God's spirit.

And humans carry  
In their hearts and souls  
The spirit of God,  
In their hands  
The spirit of God works.  
I love the spirit of God  
Because it lives in me.

ca. 1919

The sun gives  
Light to the plants,  
Because the sun  
Loves the plants.  
So the light of the soul  
Is given by one person to another,  
When he loves them.

1919

I look into the world of stars —  
I understand the brilliance of the stars,  
When I can see in it  
God's wise guidance of the world.  
I look into my own heart —  
I understand the beating of the heart  
When I can feel in it  
God's benevolent guidance of human beings.  
I understand nothing of the brilliance of the stars  
And also nothing of the beating of the heart  
When I do not see and feel God.  
And God has guided my soul  
Into this life;  
He will guide it to ever new life:  
So says he who can think correctly.  
And every year that one continues to live  
Speaks more of God and the eternity of the soul.

For 9-year-old Herbert Kleinhans  
August 9, 1920

*Baptismal verse*

The light of your thinking,  
It begins to shine  
On your path through life.  
I want to guide it thoughtfully  
Into the stream of your mind.

The warmth of your feelings,  
It begins to flow  
On the foundation of your life.  
I want to guide it thoughtfully  
Into the fabric of your soul.

The power of your will,  
It begins to work  
In the limbs of your life.  
I will guide it thoughtfully  
Into your entire human being.

For Jürgen Dietrich Goyert  
August 2, 1920

Brenda:

From head to toe  
I am God's child;  
And I love God  
In all things:  
In stone and plant,  
In animal and human;  
In stars and clouds,  
In sun and moon.  
In my heart  
God also lives,  
I want to follow him  
In all my actions.

For Brenda Binnie  
1921

From head to toe  
Through heart and hand  
I am God's child  
In sun and moon  
In stars and stones  
I feel God's power  
In father and mother  
In all dear people  
God's will lives in me.  
So I too want  
As God's child  
Through God's power  
According to God's will  
To live and speak  
And do what I should  
Faithfully to God.

Undated

From head to toe  
I am God's child  
In my heart and soul  
I am God's child  
In cloud and wind  
I feel God's power  
In stone, animal, and plant  
I see God's nature  
And in father, mother  
And in all dear people  
I feel God's goodness.

For Gordon Grey, aged about 8  
1922

Above stands the sun  
It gives me dear light  
In the light God gives me  
The noble power of life  
And God's power  
It shines everywhere  
In every stone  
In all plants  
In animals and people.

And even if  
In my heart  
Love can dwell  
Then God's power  
Also draws into me.  
The high power of God  
That Christ has given to people  
On earth.

For 9-year-old Sandroe Stoughton  
Ilkley, August 12, 1923

The light makes visible  
Stone, plant, animal, and human  
The soul makes alive  
Head, heart, hand, and foot.

The light rejoices  
When stones shine  
Plants bloom Animals run  
And humans work.

So the soul should rejoice  
When the heart expands warmly,  
Thoughts sprout lightfully  
Conscious will works.

November 1923

Plants germinate  
In the ground,  
The sun draws them  
Out of darkness  
Into the light:  
So goodness germinates  
In the human heart  
It draws the soul  
Out of spiritual reasons  
the power of striving.

November 1923

Plants sprout in the earth  
Rain pours down from the heavens  
Love sprouts in human hearts  
Wisdom pours into human spirits.

Undated

*Children's Prayer*

As the sun in the sky  
Sends light to the earth every day,  
So shall my soul every day  
Admonish itself to do what is right;  
That I may become a whole human being:  
Body, soul, and spirit  
For time and eternity.

April 5, 1924

Many stars in the sky  
Speak of the beauty of the spirit;  
The sun in outer space  
Speaks of the power of the spirit;  
The moon in the darkness of night  
Speaks of the ways of the spirit.

Rudolf Steiner  
Goetheanum, December 4, 1924  
For 7-year-old Sarah Spock-Jordy

Inge:

Who makes the plants bloom?  
That is God's wisdom.  
Who lets people live?  
That is God's love.  
Who lets the sun revolve?  
That is God's power.  
Who lets the clouds drift?  
That is God's will.

And so live in me  
In the depths of my heart:  
God's wisdom  
God's love  
God's power  
God's will  
That I may become  
Thinking  
Loving  
Strong  
Good.

For 10-year-old Ingeborg Goyert  
1924

Divine soul power dwells in my heart,  
Divine spirit light dwells in my head,  
Divine will power dwells in my hands.  
I must never forget this.

Undated

With my eyes  
I behold the world  
God's beautiful world  
And my heart must give thanks  
That it may live  
In this world of God  
That I may awaken  
In the brightness of the day  
And at night I may rest  
In God's bliss.

Undated