Thread: How Do You Pray?

Just curious, for those of you who pray, what is your method??

I used to think prayer had to be really structured & I kind of struggled with it but I'm starting to realize that there are many different ways to communicate with our Creator.

Do you pray? How do you pray? Learned any nice prayers you'd like to share? These questions are open to all faiths

Non-structured. It's more like just talking to someone, rather than making a formal petition or anything like that.

Prayer for me is an ongoing mental conversation with God, although I've recently begun to realize the significance of verbalizing prayers.

Just thought I'd recommend this book, too.

Prayer For Beginners by Peter Kreeft

I think it is written for Catholics but I've been reading it & really anyone could relate to it. Anyway, it has helped me immensely & would be great for people at any prayer level. It just shows a different way to think about prayer.

My prayers are structured, doing one thing before going on to the next, but they are never the same as far as what is actually said.

1) Address Heavenly Father
2) Give thanks for blessings received
3) Ask for help, special blessings, understanding, or whatever
4) Close in the name of Jesus Christ

How you do each of those is up to you. Which blessings you thank him for, and whether you do it in a specific order, or listing specific blessings, or just glazing over the lot, is up to you. If you move on to the next step, but remember something else, throw it in there when you remember, there's nothing wrong with going back and giving more thanks. If you have nothing at all to ask for in your prayer, that's fine too. And closing in the name of Christ can be done in a number of ways too.

So they are structured as far as what you should mention in your prayers, but none of it is memorized and then repeated. I use the same structure, but not the same words.

Another pattern (though not rote structure) I've seen/used/taught is ACTS--Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

Now, I certainly have quick supplications all the time, but I try to include one like this frequently so I remember it's not about me (at least, all of the time!)

I'm a pagan, and don't believe in 'prayer' as such as I don't believe in abasing myself to anything, nor do I particularly have a concept of deity. (Although very many pagans do have specific deities). I suppose in witchcraft there are kmuch mroe direct ways of achieving things - rather than asking a deity to help you do something, or intercede with another deity, etc - you simply do a working ('spell') yourself, so in that sense it's more pro-active than the Middle Eastern based religions.

For pagans who do have deities, there's some good stuff on formulating prayers in Rae Beth's book, 'The Hedge Witch's Way'.

I don't disbelieve in the power of prayer - I think it may provide a positive energy which can be helpful. But I don't believe in any deities or 'outside agencies' listening to/acting on people's prayers , just the fact prayer may put a little positive energy out there. Or maybe it works like a placebo effect - in other words, anything can work if you believe in it. So oddly, although I don't believe in prayer too much for myself, I don't dispute the fact it may 'work' in the apparent world, if it's deeply felt enough.

Originally Posted by PollySis

I'm a pagan, and don't believe in 'prayer' as such as I don't believe in abasing myself to anything

I hope you meant this in the most respectful way it could be meant

I think the different ways that people of different faiths pray is so interesting. I was raised in the Christian faith and my grandmother used to say that if you said the Lord's Prayer then God knows what is in your heart.
As an adult, I have changed religions and I pray more than I ever have. In my thoughts during quiet moments I am always in conversation with God. I also privately verbalize a prayer of thanks and ask for good things to come to those around me every night. I have special Buddhist sayings that help at times also....They are:

Live in Joy, In love,
Even among those who hate.

Live in joy, In health,
Even among the afflicted.

Live in joy, In peace,
Even among the troubled.

Look within. Be still.
Free from fear and attachment,
Know the sweet joy of living in the way.

Another is:

The whole purpose of religion
is to facilitate love and compassion, patience,
tolerance, humility, forgiveness.

Sorry this is long.

I mean that 'abase' as per its dictionary definition. (OED is usually the best, for me!) It's not meant judgmentally, but neutrally in its usual, workaday sense.

As someone who has no deities and no concept of deity, 'prayer' means to me kneeling, or prostrating oneself either literally or at least, intellectually/emotionally to some 'supreme being'. As I don't believe in deity at all, it's not part of my practice - you can't ask something of a god if you don't believe s/he exists!

I believe that thing which some people may call 'god' is everywhere round us, in nature and in people, in rocks and trees and animals, and the spirit of the land - 'the buddha in you' to lend a term from buddhism. In Western terms, I'm a pantheist - so praying to an externalised 'god' would be a pointless exercise, as in my belief system, we are all already a part of 'the divine', it is not to be found beyond ourselves, or the place where we now are. I believe in spirits (such as the spirits of the land, 'small gods' for want of a better word) but they are uninterested in humankind, in my tradition, so would be pointless to ask them to 'help' unless it's relevant.

I've always thought people are too special to go down on their knees to anyone or anything - it's obvious that in many belief systems, that is a central part of practice and fair play to all who do so. I'm not a big believer in ritual and prayer is a part of ritual. As a pagan, I don't pray in the sense it's meant here - although I do believe workings and meditation techniques are a sort of prayer, but am not sure that's what people here would accept to be prayer. I can't believe any deity would be concerned with human affairs, doing things in a certain way at given times of day etc etc.

That said, I made a distinction between that and the 'power of prayer' as I do think it's a real force in people's lives, and may well work. I've certainly got through many tough situations with the 'prayers' of other pagans, who do - unlike me - believe in deity. And I've actively asked for them in the past - if nothing else, it's powerful emotional support when you're going through a tough time.

Even some christian and jewish family members/friends have prayed for me in the past and I've perceived it to work. (Someone very dear to me was born jewish but converted to catholicism. When in a crisis once, she asked both the rabbi and the priest to bless me! I thought *why not!*) Any positive energy has got to be good.

I think prayer works not because some god is assiduously listening to the millions of requests for this and that - but because it's putting positive energy out into the universe. Prayer is one expression of that. I'm only speaking for many hedge witches and druids here, not all pagans - be interesting if one of the resident wiccans could put in their thoughts on prayer, here.

Wiccan friends who believe in the Lord and Lady, or Heathen friends who dedicate themselves to one of our old gods, can focus a prayer, because they objectify their beliefs into certain deities. For non-religious pagans, (and there are very many of us in the UK and Ireland, as that is the older, more traditional form of 'witchcraft' here), we simply 'do a working' to focus intent. So rather than asking a deity to do something, or intercede with another deity to do something - we do something ourselves.

There is no implicit judgement in what I'm saying - the gist of it is... no I don't pray. I don't believe in any specific god or goddess. But yes if I want to achieve something, that someone of another faith might do by prayer, I'd do it with a working. And even so, I do believe prayer can work - but maybe it's not working in the way people think it is - it's putting a positive energy out there. How could that ever be a bad thing?

One quick example. My dad has had prostate cancer for a few years now. I have wiccan and xian friends who will pray for him. I don't pray but I will send Reiki or do a working. The last working I did for him may or may not have worked, I dunno - but it coincided with him going into a form of remission. He's recently been ill again since but with a new complication - one no-one foresaw. Now, xian family members may well pray for him (I'm sure they do) and I can send him distant healing. This may or may not 'work' - Reiki won't stop someone from going, but it will ease their passing when the time comes.
(Reiki has its roots in Buddhism, but can be used by anyone of any - or no - belief system). Maybe, for me, workings, distant Reiki and meditation are a form of prayer but they are much more pro-active than 'prayer' in the traditional sense.

Ah yes it also occurs to me what I said about 'abasement' is specific to many (not all) witches rather than wiccans etc -who do actively 'worship' during rites. I don't. I just wanted to make it clear that not all pagans are the same and my views are not represntative of any wiccan, for example, you could ever meet!

It's interesting that when posters here are talking about their personal 'rituals' surrounding prayer, they do seem to work psychologically in the way a charm or talisman, or spell (bunch f words) would, to a pagan. So maybe the human mind has this deep seated need to pray, to impose a pattern on the randomness of life and wrestle back some feeling of control?

Polly: I agree with you that if you really look at the basics of all religions....They are very much the same. They are all based on the idea of leading a good and purposeful life and being kind and excepting of all others....It's just that different religion find different ways of doing this. I also think that whether it be charms, rituals, meditation, prayer, lighting of candles, or spells....it comes from the same place inside us that has a need to be connected with something greater than us (be it God or nature) and to reach out for help in times of need....Just my 2 cents...

Hello everyone,

My prayer is structured. I am a muslim so I pray 5 times daily. Every morning during the first prayer of the day, I ask God for forgiveness of sins, Thank him for all he has done for me umtil that moment, ask for more things from him, then I read the Quran ( like 4 different chapters ). Throughout the day I also pray with my mind anytine I think about the things I want or say Thank you God anytime something good or bad happens to me. What ever way we pray God answers all. He listens to all languages and grant our requests. May God answer our prayers. Amen.

I generally prayer in a certain structured way or pattern everyday. I pray for my family, friends, and I praise God for watching over DH and myself. I pray for guidance in my life and decisions. I pray for those who are sick, lost love ones, or are going through a challenging time. I offer thanks for Christ and His example. I tend to pray in a conversational way. I also say short prayers a different times during each day.