Prayer

[Nature's Kiss]

What is the point of prayer to you?

Do you pray for things? Do you pray to things? Do you pray just to say, "thanks for being there for me (insert diety here)"?

Are your prayers made by you? Are they formal or informal? Are your prayers from a list that you have chosen?

Do you believe prayer is individualistic in that w/e suits one person may not suit another? Do you believe that only one form of prayer is truly effective & respectful to the Divine?

[cheddarsox]

I'm a pantheist. It is a nontheistic path. I believe the Universe has its way of doing things and will not alter those ways according to my will, but that I can sometimes access the insight...or rather the "flow" of the Universe in such a way that I might better work with its ways.

Prayer, for me, is a way of getting out of my own way, and into the flow of the Universe. It is a way to get out of MY mind, and sense the way of things. It is sort of like taking my clothes off and jumping into a river. The clothes I shed represent my busy mind, and the river, the flow of the Universe. Once I am in it, I can better judge the temp, current, and all the things around me through direct sensory contact, rather than sitting on the bank speculating about things.

My prayer is usually informal, often spontaneous. Occasionally, I write down poems or prayers...but they are more about situations and times that I melted into perception, than anything else. They remind me of the process of praying, and can be useful to me in times when I feel I have lost my flow.

Sometimes I "pray" in tongues. Which I never did until four or five years ago. It is a really neat experience. It usually starts spontaneously, as a reaction to something that I suddenly become aware of as awesome. And the sounds begin to flow out of me, it is very raw and authentic, like I am speaking from a very deep down place inside me, that is beyond mere words, with all their limitations. When I pray in tongues (that is the best way I know how to describe it) I "know" what I am praying about, but there is no literal translation. That is the point, it is a communication of things beyond words, that I have no words for. It is a very cleansing experience, like a pipe getting scrubbed out, so the flow of everything is easier. I have only experienced this form of prayer as a pagan, so I don't know if it looks, sounds or feels like what Christians describe as praying in tongues. It was very surprising to me when it first began. I didn't know that this form of prayer happened outside of Christian faiths, but I have since met people of other faiths that experience it.

In my path, the Universe doesn't "care" if or how I pray, it is a tool for me, so the form is not critical. However, I do think that paths have a point, in some ways they are like a recipe or itinerary, they are a means to an end, so if a person is on a particular path, and that path has prescribed ways of praying, it is best to use those ways, because they are there for a reason. The rituals of a path are like grammar in a language, most of the time, using the grammar makes sense, it helps one be understood, but occasionally, there are times to throw the grammar out (like in poetry) . So, in a particular path, most of the time it is worthwhile to follow the rituals, but there will be times when the rules should be set aside for a greater purpose, and those times will usually be clear to the follower.

Many prayers are old, tried and true. I expect that they have evolved to serve specific psychological purposes. Sometimes through the sounds and cadence, or the repitition, or whatever...they help people access something inside themselves. They work with our psychology and physiology, and have a lot to offer us, they are a gift from those that have gone before, and have learned what works.

I am learning, as I practice my faith, certain chants and prayers that "work", and I share them with others to see if they might "work" for them as well. My sister shared her physical therapy excercises with me, prayers can be spiritual therapy excercises. Sometimes it is nice to know others out there are using the same ritual and language and prayers as we are, it gives me a sense of belonging.

cheddar

[TygerTyger]

My prayers are very simple and probably lean too heavily on my Christian cultural inheritance, which at least explains the lack of originality in what I say.

My praying is nowhere near as considered as Cheddarsox’s, Usually I pray as an emotional response, sometimes to say thanks and sometimes to ask for guidance and sometimes to ask for help. Whenever I pray I always remind myself that “no” is an answer too!

I can go a long time between prayers and feel no guilt. I don’t believe that you have to pray but that it is an option available to us. There are times when it is very comforting and there are others when I find it somewhat contrived or force, that’s when I know I shouldn’t be doing it because there’s no sincerity.

Words may have restrictions but, for me, they are all I have and I don’t know any other way to express the ideas or needs I might have, but that’s okay because I love words.

Curiously, although my prayers more or less start out the same way I have noticed recently that they’ve been tending to develop into a kind of conversation, perhaps that’s me just trying to understand what the problem might be or the nature of the request is that I’m making? I would say that after such a prayer I feel better, either more confident of a positive outcome or more resigned to accepting a negative answer and, as a result, determined to find an alternative solution.

The best, though, are those that I begin with the intention of giving thanks for the miracle of life, for some reason I always feel as if I’ve done something good and right by the end of the prayer.

[Solya]

Prayer, for me, is a way of talking directly with the Divine and a way of focusing my thoughts upon a single thing. :smile: I don't necessarily have to stop doing whatever it is I'm doing in order to pray... in fact, I found that praying while drawing/painting/writing makes my art more beautiful and pure... and I also see some things I do for my community as prayers.

My prayers are never formal, always of a conversational nature and generally speaking they consist of whatever it is I can possibly come up with. It's saying thanks, it's asking for advice, it's asking the Universe to watch over me and my loved ones, it's about connecting to life itself... and I don't necessarily have to use words to say these things. I work with images, with sounds, with colours, with spoken words, with feelings, with touch and taste and smell.

[LacyRoze]

Prayer, for me, is as natural and spontaneous as breathing. My prayers are in no way formal. They're more like conversations with my deity. I also have no need to stop what I'm doing to pray. I carry on conversations with the divine all through my day. I say prayers of thanks, prayers for guidance and help, prayers asking for help and blessings for my loved ones. Sometimes I speak with the divine just to get things out of my head and off my chest. My prayers are mine and come from heart, nothing formal. I believe our chosen deities know us and therefor our prayers are individualistic. I don't think they expect us all to pray in the same manner or using the same words. I feel they want our prayers to come from our hearts so naturally one form of prayer is not necessary. These are my views anyway..

[Lupabitch]

For me, prayer is a way to briefly touch base with and acknowledge the presence of numerous deities and spirits in my life. I pray twice a day--once in the morning and in the evening--and I also meditate at least once a day. The prayers are more structured, a sort of formal litany to begin and end my day. The meditation is more conversation, specific requests we have of each other or acknowledgements of things done/given.

It's definitely dependent on the individual. After all, my relationships with the various beings I'm involved with is not identical to the relationships they have with other people.

[Xentor]

I don't pray. I believe there's no-one suitable listening. If I want something done, I'll command or ask.

I do thank. For instance, with every meal, I thank everyone and everything that helped keeping me alive. It's short and to the point.

The Christians in the society around me use prayer as a way to communicate to God (one-way, because they don't accept His answering), but also as a means of meditation, to congregate, and to establish their Christian identity. I guess everyone or at least every path has its own reasons.

[Nature's Kiss]

Prayer, for me, is a way of talking directly with the Divine and a way of focusing my thoughts upon a single thing. :smile: I don't necessarily have to stop doing whatever it is I'm doing in order to pray... in fact, I found that praying while drawing/painting/writing makes my art more beautiful and pure... and I also see some things I do for my community as prayers.

My prayers are never formal, always of a conversational nature and generally speaking they consist of whatever it is I can possibly come up with. It's saying thanks, it's asking for advice, it's asking the Universe to watch over me and my loved ones, it's about connecting to life itself... and I don't necessarily have to use words to say these things. I work with images, with sounds, with colours, with spoken words, with feelings, with touch and taste and smell.
Activities that are done with our hands are very therapeutic to our souls & psychological health. This could be why it comes so easily for you. Interesting to say the least :)