A Book of Pagan Prayer

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Like all spiritual practices, prayer works best when you work at it on a regular basis. Write or find a prayer you can say every day at the same time. It doesn’t have to be long – in many ways it’s better if it isn’t. My morning prayers are extremely short, because getting up in the morning is hard enough as it is. The Carmina Gadelica features hundreds of poems and prayers that folklorist Alexander Carmichael collected from residents in various areas of Scotland. There is a lovely prayer in the Gaelic entitled simply Am Beannachadh Bealltain (The Beltane Blessing), which pays tribute to the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This is a much shorter version, and has been adapted into a Pagan-friendly format for the Beltane sabbat: When Denton CUUPS is preparing a ritual, I will pray to the Deities of the Occasion whether I know Them or not. I occasionally pray to unknown deities on behalf of a friend who follows Them.

prayers, old and new - Christian Prayers Celtic blessings and prayers, old and new - Christian Prayers

Whether you have a dog, horse, or a hamster, set aside some time every day to love on your pets. This doesn’t seem like a pagan ritual, but anything done with intention and in a routine can be a ritual. And what’s more pagan than loving on animals? 13. Light a Red Candle in the Kitchen Book Review – Mindful Homes: Create healing living spaces with mindfulness and feng shui by Anjie Cho As Pagans have no public buildings specifically set aside for worship, and most believe that religious ceremonies are best conducted out of doors, rituals often take place in woods or caves, on hilltops, or along the seashore. To Pagans the finest places of worship are those not built by human hands - as well as at stone circles, in parks, and private homes and gardens. Women and men almost always worship together and Paganism generally emphasises equality of the sexes. In certain paths, however, women may take the leading role as representative of the pre-eminence of the female principle.In addition to reading a spiritual book once a day, spend a few minutes doing further research on your god or goddess. This can be online or in books. Read your god or goddess’ mythology, folklore, and history. This gives honor to your god or goddess and enriches your relationship with them. 33. Listen to Music Throughout your day, pay attention to any nature signs or omens. This could be anything – a praying mantis on the windshielf, a blue jay that seems to repetitively visit you, a cloud in the shape of a heart, a snail that’s entered the house, etc. The gods and ancestors often use nature to communicate with us. This is one of the most enriching daily pagan rituals in my practice. 10. Light Incense Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard – writing from a Christian perspective, of course – said “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” And while I would argue the first part from a polytheist perspective (and probably from a Christian perspective as well), I completely agree with the second part.

Prayers for the Pagan Mabon Sabbat - Learn Religions

Book Review – The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas: Remedies, Recipes, Magic & Brews for the Winter Season by Ellen Evert Hopman The fundamentalist church where I grew up taught that scripted prayers were soulless and useless. They didn’t even like the Lord’s Prayer – they said it was intended to be a template for extemporaneous prayers, not something to pray over and over again. Of course, public extemporaneous prayer is hard, so they ended up falling into their own clichés and repetitions that were a weak parody of good scripted prayers – but at least they weren’t Catholic. To me, prayer was when you talked to God, unburdened yourself, stripped down to total naked truth of your struggles as a human being. And contemplation was when you listened to God, basked in the presence of the divine, knew that you were safe and protected by a power greater than yourself that never slept and never got distracted. It was a concept I carried with me out of my Episcopalian upbringing and into Wicca. Types of Prayer Take time in the morning while you’re getting ready for the day or take time just before falling asleep to say a simple prayer to the gods. Prayers of gratitude are best. The more grateful we are for the gods’ presence in our lives, the more blessings roll in. 19. Visit the GardenSpeak ye fair words for the Osiris Auf-ankh, and make ye him to prosper before Nehebka. And behold, though I be joined to the earth, and am in the mighty innermost part of heaven, let me remain on the earth and not die in Amentet, and let me remain a khutherein for ever and ever! I speak of “the Gods” in this post, but as a polytheist I never pray to Them collectively. I am a priest of Cernunnos and Danu, a Druid of the Morrigan, and a devotee of Brighid and Lugh. I pray to all of Them daily. I pray to Cernunnos and to the Morrigan as part of the weekly devotions They have each requested of me. Another prayer practice that might appeal to you is the creation and use of prayer beads to count out chants, mantras, or affirmations, or to hold as a focal object during prayer. Paganism is rich with symbols that you can incorporate into your beads, from stones or beads for different elements or intentions to charms or pendants representing different deities or sacred objects. The purpose of prayer is not persuade the Gods to give us stuff, and it’s not reinforce fragile egos with constant praise. The Gods know They’re Gods – They don’t need us to remind Them of that. We, on the other hand, often need to remind ourselves that while we are sacred beings of inherent value and worth, the Gods are Gods and we are not. Wiccan ceremonies may require you to bring a chalice and athame, and avoid wearing certain crystals associated with high-ranking members of the community. You may be asked to light a candle or accept an offering of cake and wine. Heathen Funerals

Prayers for Healing – PaganPages.org Prayers for Healing – PaganPages.org

If organized prayer — by which I mean dedicated time spent praying or contemplating — is something that appeals to you, then I recommend delving into the wonderful world of ancient and modern pagan prayer. The Sumerian high priestess Enheduanna (2300 BCE) wrote the Sumerian Temple Hymns, the first writing attributed to a known author. The Homeric Hymns (6th and 7th Century BCE) praise the ancient Greek gods. Similarly, the Orphic Hymns (2nd and 3rd Century CE) played a part in ancient initiation rituals. Hinduism has the Vedas (1500-900 BCE).Since the Pagan community understands that their traditions are varied and not necessarily known or understood by the general public, they’ll nearly always inform funeral attendees of the proper etiquette before the service. Clean up your altar on a daily basis. This means dump those ashes off your incense burner. Dust off any dirt or debris. Refresh your offerings. Make your altar a place worthy of the gods and ancestors. 27. Gaze at the Moon Like most religions, Pagans place certain meanings to different plants and flowers. But they also might hold certain magical significance. It’s common for flowers and plants to be chosen that have protective qualities, or that are associated with peace.