A Book of Pagan Prayer

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These seasonal prayers somewhat short, anticipating that most Wiccans, Witches, and Pagans will want to add them to rituals, spells, and other observances, or extend them through personalization. Pagan Prayer for the Season of Spring Steeped in tradition based on more than a quarter century of research and practice, A Book of Pagan Prayer teaches us to pray in the ways of our ancestors for very modern times and concerns. A unique collection of nearly 500 prayers written to fulfill the needs of contemporary pagans from a variety of traditions, A Book of Pagan Prayer is a book to turn to again and again. The Pagan tradition centres on the reverence of the natural world, so many opt for the most natural form of interment. A natural burial involves the burial of the deceased in a way that would encourage its decomposition and the fertility of the land in which it’s interred. Rosemary is regularly used to honour the dead, and branches of holly, laurel and yew may also be present. Potted plants are common, but lilies are avoided for religious symbolism. Druids favour meadowsweet and zinnias and buttercups are often chosen for lost friends. Pagan view on life and death

May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire, so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it. Not all pagans are Wiccan, but he certainly seems to think that we're all Wiccans who want to follow his rather narrow-minded viewpoint. Folk customs often contain prayers and songs. But these can present a similar problem. We can rarely know how much of the customs come from a Pagan culture and how much from other sources. To make the situation worse, sometimes the person who recorded the folk material improved it, further obscuring its Pagan roots. Druids do not believe in an afterlife per se, but they do believe that the soul is immortal and departs to the Otherworld – sometimes known as Tir Na n’Og, or the Land of the Eternal Youth – upon the death of the body, before dying again and reincarnating in another body. Pagan funeral celebrantsThis northern branch of Germanic religion, developed from the 1st century BCE, was mostly transmitted through an oral culture.

It can be helpful to create a morning and evening practice – a sequence of prayers and devotions that feel right for you. You can chant, sing, speak out loud or internally your prayers and blessings. You can include a period of silence before or after them. You can incorporate a meditation practice if you wish, and you can include ritual components, such as lighting candles or incense according to preference. The secret, as with all spiritual work, is to follow the spirit not the ‘letter of the law’. Prayer and devotion comes from the heart and soul, not the logical mind that worries about correct procedures and detail. In the book Celtic Devotional by Caitlín Matthews, blessings, prayers and meditations are suggested for each day of the week over the four Celtic festival periods used by the Druids. As an example, here are the suggested devotions for a monday morning during the Imbolc season: from Celtic Devotional by Caitlín Matthews Aside from these deities, a plethora of other magical entitles (from jötnar to dwarves) inhabit nine worlds (of which humans live on only one – Midgard) and several afterlife realms.

I dig the whole take-care-of-your-surroundings belief of Paganism. I think the Earth is a pretty big deal and deserves some respect. But I'm not convinced it's inhabited by fairies. I'd like to believe it, though.

Making your own string of prayer beads is a wonderful devotional practice that can bring you closer to your personal gods. Worship of the Norse gods often involved rituals. Illustration: The Viking Herald How did Vikings worship? Some scholars have argued that the Christianization of Scandinavia, from the 8th to 12th centuries CE, was the driving force between a few separate and spare rural Viking communities transforming into the medieval kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Heathen funerals are usually led by a Gothi or Gythja, which may be a high-ranking member of a group or a person chosen by the decedent. Pagan funeral music A prayer known as the Gorsedd Prayer (Gweddi’r Orsedd) by Iolo Morganwg is a staple reading for many Druidic rites. Traditional Wicca

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 are said on each bead, while meditating on the mysteries of the Three Kindreds, and the experience of human life. As Paganism is a very diverse religion with many distinct though related traditions, the forms of Pagan worship vary widely. It may be collective or solitary. It may consist of informal prayer or meditation, or of formal, structured rituals through which the participants affirm their deep spiritual connection with nature, honour their Gods and Goddesses, and celebrate the seasonal festivals of the turning year and the rites of passage of human life.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us for hurting our Mother the Earth. Help us to teach others The Way of Caring. And lead us from destruction by delivering us from ignorance and greed. Pagan practitioners use meditation beads to focus their intentions and energies. For instance, a practitioner might string several beads together to represent the elements of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. Then, the practitioner would visualize each bead representing a specific element, and mentally send out a wave of positive energy toward the desired goal. How to use prayer beads It’s a good idea to ensure you don’t let too much Christian vocabulary slip out during the service – references to “heaven”, Jesus or a singular God, and Bible verses may be seen as disrespectful even if said with positive intentions. What to wear to a pagan funeral If you are unable to recite prayers (or simply don’t want to do so in a public space), then you can simply hold the beads in your hands and move them around. Holding the beads in your hands helps focus your mind, and moving the beads around allows you to visualize the prayers without speaking them aloud. Why do rosaries have protective powerBright Mystery, be free as a guest to enter me, always finding a welcome in my heart. All strivings cease when I open the door to you. (A period of Sacred Silence) In the secret grove of the heart may we ever meet. Take time to plan the next sabbat. Write down ideas on traditions, rituals, food, etc. This is a fun daily pagan ritual to do with the whole family (if they are pagan, as well). 29. Call a Pagan Friend