According to a Talmudic legend, an angel escorts the soul from its abode in heaven into the tomb and there unites it to the embryo. The angel tutors the new being in the mysteries of the world, transporting it to heaven and darkness to see the heights and depths of creation, revealing to it the ways of beauty, truth, and goodness, disclosing the potential of its future life on earth, even to the time and place of death. As the child matures within the womb, it ponders the wonders it has seen. Then, at the instant of birth, the angel touches the child on the mouth, erasing all memory of these marvelous revelations.
~ in GIFTS OF THE SPIRT by P. Zaleski and P. Kaufman
If you cannot meditate, you can repeat one simple word; this is good
for the soul. Do not say anything else, just repeat the word over
and over, innumerable times. Finally, it will lose all meaning, yet
take on an entirely new significance. God will open the doors and
you will find yourself using that simple word to say everything you
wanted to say. Thus, routine work can be transformed into prayer.
