What if you woke up in the middle of the night and heard a voice ask you, “How do you pray?”

For Celeste Yacaboni, that extraordinary experience became the beginning of a profound spiritual journey—and eventually a book. (and thank goodness for that because we need these conversations more than ever these days!)

In this special Midweek Miracle episode, I sit down with Celeste, an ordained minister, wisdom keeper, licensed massage therapist, certified Chi Nei Tsang practitioner, and author of How Do You Pray?

Celeste’s story is a beautiful exploration of miracles, prayer, synchronicity, spiritual awakening, intuition, and the many different ways human beings connect with the divine.

And it all began with one powerful question.

A Voice in the Night: “How Do You Pray?”

Can Prayer Look Different for Everyone?

Celeste discovered something particularly fascinating when she began collecting people's stories of prayer: there isn't one universal way to pray.
Different religions and spiritual traditions have radically different practices and understandings of the divine.
But Celeste also encountered people whose approach challenged her assumptions—including atheists who shared their own forms of prayer.

The Miracle of Saying Yes

Perhaps the biggest lesson in Celeste's story is the power of saying yes to mystery.
She didn't know where the question would lead.
She didn't know that people would begin sharing their prayers with her.
She didn't know that seemingly impossible connections would appear.
She didn't initially know that the experience would become a book.
She simply kept saying yes.

Can You Pray If You Don't Believe in God?

One of the most surprising discoveries Celeste made was meeting atheists who shared their prayers.
At first, she found the idea fascinating.
How can an atheist pray?
Who—or what—is being addressed?
What does prayer mean when you don't believe in a traditional concept of God?
But as Celeste listened, she began to understand that prayer can be much bigger than a particular theological definition.

What Is a Spiritual Awakening?

Celeste's nighttime experience can also be viewed through the lens of spiritual awakening.
A spiritual awakening is often described as a profound shift in how someone understands themselves, reality, spirituality or their relationship with the world.
For Celeste, the question “How do you pray?” became an invitation to explore something much deeper.
She didn't simply hear the question and move on.
She followed it.
She lived with it.
She asked other people about it.
And she allowed it to change her.

How Do You Know If Something Is Divine Guidance?

Another question raised by Celeste's experience is:
How do you know if you're receiving divine guidance?
Celeste didn't receive a five-step instruction manual.
She received a question.
Then she followed that question. And where it took her is the essence of her story-an unexpected journey that led to beauty, connection and compassion, for everything in existence.

Is There Magic in Everyday Life?

This conversation is ultimately about much more than prayer.
It's about living in a world that feels alive.
It's about noticing synchronicities.
It's about following intuition.
It's about remaining open to mystery.
It's about recognizing that a miraculous experience doesn't necessarily have to look like the stereotypical miracle.
Sometimes the miracle is a voice in the dark.
Sometimes it's a question.

In this episode with Celeste, you'll hear about:

Celeste is an ordained minister, wisdom keeper, licensed massage therapist, certified Chi Nei Tsang practitioner and author.

Her book, How Do You Pray?, grew from the extraordinary experience that began with a simple but life-changing question:
How do you pray?
Rather than answering it herself, Celeste spent years asking other people.
The answers became a journey through spirituality, religion, ritual, synchronicity, connection and the many ways human beings experience the sacred.

Celeste has two websites for you to dive down into, so be sure to check them both out: celesteyacoboni.com as well as celestialbodyandsoul.com

To check out her gorgeous book "How Do You Pray?" click here!

To hear other episodes about life-changing encounter, click on the links in the episodes below:

Theresa Evans tells a beautiful story of encounter and the sacredness of life's final journey-that of death. Her mother's passing and the story around her final months is one we all should listen to. Listen to "Death, Dying & The Sacred Mystery of Life's Final Moments" on Apple HERE and Spotify HERE.

Reed Thomas Lawrence shares a wild story of encounter and what happened one day on a hike-when he least expected it! Listen to "The Mysterious Man On The Mountain" on Apple HERE and Spotify HERE.

And finally, Justin Shaw shares what happened to him on a hike as well. His vision and encounter changed everything for him, and encouraged him to see beyond reality. Listen to "The Vision On The Mountain, Reality Changing Encounter" on Apple HERE and Spotify HERE.

Thanks for listening everyone, and I'm asking, if you like what you hear, I would appreciate a rating or a review. They mean the world to me, and make me so happy!

Your bit of beauty is this: on YouTube, this Ho'oponopono prayer from the Hawaiian Islands. A bit more information: "Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. Traditionally it was practiced by family members for a person who was physically ill as it was thought that guilt over errors the person had committed had made them sick." It's a lovely practice and one I urge you to check out!

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