Daily Prayer

[Donal2018]

I was wondering about people's daily practices regarding prayer, meditation, and related activities. I am thinking about doing a daily Metta prayer, well maybe three a day, morning, noon, and night. I was wondering about other people's experiences, though. Specifically pagan practices, as I know that Metta is a Buddhist practice. Are there practices that are more "pagan-like" that you would recommend? I have had good experiences with Metta Prayer in the past, but might want to try something new or more "pagan" as well. Maybe I will read more of the Carmina Gadelica again.

[EclecticWheel]

I was wondering about people's daily practices regarding prayer, meditation, and related activities. I am thinking about doing a daily Metta prayer, well maybe three a day, morning, noon, and night. I was wondering about other people's experiences, though. Specifically pagan practices, as I know that Metta is a Buddhist practice. Are there practices that are more "pagan-like" that you would recommend? I have had good experiences with Metta Prayer in the past, but might want to try something new or more "pagan" as well. Maybe I will read more of the Carmina Gadelica again.

My most pagan-like rituals involve devotions to non-mainstream entities and making physical offerings.

But my private practice is Christian derived and my devotion looks very traditionally Anglo-Catholic with some oddities.  I am a very devotional person and spend a lot of time in prayer.

I meditate and ponder on the words and concepts I pray, and I have written the bulk of my prayer rule.

I introspect deeply through prayer.  At heart, I believe that when I go into and reflect on myself in prayer, I encounter the divine. 

It is a very calming and quiet practice.  Usually the effect is calm, but sometimes I experience visions or other phenomena.

[Donal2018]

My most pagan-like rituals involve devotions to non-mainstream entities and making physical offerings.

But my private practice is Christian derived and my devotion looks very traditionally Anglo-Catholic with some oddities.  I am a very devotional person and spend a lot of time in prayer.

I meditate and ponder on the words and concepts I pray, and I have written the bulk of my prayer rule.

I introspect deeply through prayer.  At heart, I believe that when I go into and reflect on myself in prayer, I encounter the divine. 

It is a very calming and quiet practice.  Usually the effect is calm, but sometimes I experience visions or other phenomena.

Thanks for the good response, Eclectic Wheel. I just found a book on Celtic Blessings in my local Public Library. It has excerpts from the Carmina Gadelica in it, and also a bunch of Celtic Folk Prayers for different occasions and events (waking, eating, washing, prayers for funerals, weddings, etc).

It is a good book, and the prayers are so specific they could almost be adapted to be spells, although I think that I shall simply use them as direct prayers rather than any spell type use. Still, it is good to have such stuff for future use.

[IceAngie]

I was wondering about people's daily practices regarding prayer, meditation, and related activities. I am thinking about doing a daily Metta prayer, well maybe three a day, morning, noon, and night. I was wondering about other people's experiences, though. Specifically pagan practices, as I know that Metta is a Buddhist practice. Are there practices that are more "pagan-like" that you would recommend? I have had good experiences with Metta Prayer in the past, but might want to try something new or more "pagan" as well. Maybe I will read more of the Carmina Gadelica again.

I recently answered a similar topic, I think, but I can't find it. On it, I said I use the Genealogy of Bride from the Carmina Gadelica for my shifts, and some adorations to Brighid I found online. I recite them when my shift starts, every 20 days.

[Jainarayan]

I was wondering about people's daily practices regarding prayer, meditation, and related activities. I am thinking about doing a daily Metta prayer, well maybe three a day, morning, noon, and night. I was wondering about other people's experiences, though. Specifically pagan practices, as I know that Metta is a Buddhist practice. Are there practices that are more "pagan-like" that you would recommend? I have had good experiences with Metta Prayer in the past, but might want to try something new or more "pagan" as well. Maybe I will read more of the Carmina Gadelica again.

I do a semi-daily (I often miss) morning Hindu ritual called puja. I use Sanskrit but it's not required.

1. I light a small oil lamp and incense.
2. Ring a hand bell and invoke Lord Ganesha. He is the deity of beginnings, removal of obstacles, and is always prayed to first.
3. I arrange the offerings on my shrine table: a small cup of water, some raw unbroken rice colored with turmeric (called akshata), a leaf, a flower, fruit ("If one offers me, with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it"   Bhagavad Gita 9.26). The bell is rung for each offering with the words "reverence to Sri Krishna, I offer [whatever the item is]".
4. I chant some other Sanskrit prayers and verses, and mantras.
5. Offer a few flowers to all the deities while chanting a Vedic mantra. I buy a couple of bunches of flowers each week and keep them in vases. I snip the flowers I need.
6. Any food or drink that's offered is consumed as prasad, blessed food.

There are some longer versions I occasionally use, offering other items. But that is about it, it takes all of 10-12 minutes.

[Donal2018]

I recently answered a similar topic, I think, but I can't find it. On it, I said I use the Genealogy of Bride from the Carmina Gadelica for my shifts, and some adorations to Brighid I found online. I recite them when my shift starts, every 20 days.

Yes, I was going to look into some Brigid material when I get more Internet time. Thanks for the response!

[Donal2018]

I do a semi-daily (I often miss) morning Hindu ritual called puja. I use Sanskrit but it's not required.

1. I light a small oil lamp and incense.
2. Ring a hand bell and invoke Lord Ganesha. He is the deity of beginnings, removal of obstacles, and is always prayed to first.
3. I arrange the offerings on my shrine table: a small cup of water, some raw unbroken rice colored with turmeric (called akshata), a leaf, a flower, fruit ("If one offers me, with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it"   Bhagavad Gita 9.26). The bell is rung for each offering with the words "reverence to Sri Krishna, I offer [whatever the item is]".
4. I chant some other Sanskrit prayers and verses, and mantras.
5. Offer a few flowers to all the deities while chanting a Vedic mantra. I buy a couple of bunches of flowers each week and keep them in vases. I snip the flowers I need.
6. Any food or drink that's offered is consumed as prasad, blessed food.

There are some longer versions I occasionally use, offering other items. But that is about it, it takes all of 10-12 minutes.

That sounds really good. I appreciate that you put in a time frame there. Sometimes folks don't have enough time to do anything elaborate, but anyone can do 10 to 15 minutes a day, maybe several times a day. Sort of like spiritual exercise. Thanks for the response.

[Jenett]

That sounds really good. I appreciate that you put in a time frame there. Sometimes folks don't have enough time to do anything elaborate, but anyone can do 10 to 15 minutes a day, maybe several times a day. Sort of like spiritual exercise. Thanks for the response.

That kind of absolute gives me a good place to hang my comment on this - which is that I don't have a daily prayer practice because I've found it's actually pretty destructive to my relationships with my deities. Different people (and different deity relationships) will have different needs, and I've found absolute statements can be really harmful to people's practices.

Beyond that, I also have multiple chronic health issues, and even 10-15 minutes is too much for me on bad days - there are days when getting moving in the morning takes three times as long as usual, and days when I come home from work and all of my remaining standing up time needs to go to quick dinner prep., and my focus is absolutely gone.

(My basic comment on daily or regular practices when I'm talking with witchy students is not to base your life on anything you can't do while stuck in an airport, a random hotel room, or a hospital room - because chances are, that's going to happen to you at some point. Thing entirely in your head, can be done anywhere and at any particular time? Quite doable so long as it's actually helpful to you. Thing that involves a glass of water? Probably doable almost everywhere. Anything more complicated? Examine really carefully and you almost certainly want to fold some more flexible practices into your personal mix.)

I have a brief daily divination practice that can be done anywhere I have my phone (and probably headphones) - most of the time I don't manage to do it until I've been at work for an hour. (That is listening to a song from a structured playlist, and doing a Tarot card of the day).

I currently have two weekly practices which are focused on planetary energies rather than deities, which do involve about 5 minutes worth of time and a few specific objects (and items that live on my personal shrine space, so I don't have to do anything other than use them), but that's it for routine expectations. (And if I were out of town or something, I'd make a brief gesture at them, but not fret that I couldn't do them.)

[Donal2018]

That kind of absolute gives me a good place to hang my comment on this - which is that I don't have a daily prayer practice because I've found it's actually pretty destructive to my relationships with my deities. Different people (and different deity relationships) will have different needs, and I've found absolute statements can be really harmful to people's practices.

Beyond that, I also have multiple chronic health issues, and even 10-15 minutes is too much for me on bad days - there are days when getting moving in the morning takes three times as long as usual, and days when I come home from work and all of my remaining standing up time needs to go to quick dinner prep., and my focus is absolutely gone.

(My basic comment on daily or regular practices when I'm talking with witchy students is not to base your life on anything you can't do while stuck in an airport, a random hotel room, or a hospital room - because chances are, that's going to happen to you at some point. Thing entirely in your head, can be done anywhere and at any particular time? Quite doable so long as it's actually helpful to you. Thing that involves a glass of water? Probably doable almost everywhere. Anything more complicated? Examine really carefully and you almost certainly want to fold some more flexible practices into your personal mix.)

I have a brief daily divination practice that can be done anywhere I have my phone (and probably headphones) - most of the time I don't manage to do it until I've been at work for an hour. (That is listening to a song from a structured playlist, and doing a Tarot card of the day).

I currently have two weekly practices which are focused on planetary energies rather than deities, which do involve about 5 minutes worth of time and a few specific objects (and items that live on my personal shrine space, so I don't have to do anything other than use them), but that's it for routine expectations. (And if I were out of town or something, I'd make a brief gesture at them, but not fret that I couldn't do them.)

Thanks for your post. I am sorry if I made a generalization.

[Donal2018]

Thanks for your post. I am sorry if I made a generalization.

I would also note that I am myself retired on disability, so I might have more time on my hands than some.

[MamaThistle]

I was wondering about people's daily practices regarding prayer, meditation, and related activities. I am thinking about doing a daily Metta prayer, well maybe three a day, morning, noon, and night. I was wondering about other people's experiences, though. Specifically pagan practices, as I know that Metta is a Buddhist practice. Are there practices that are more "pagan-like" that you would recommend? I have had good experiences with Metta Prayer in the past, but might want to try something new or more "pagan" as well. Maybe I will read more of the Carmina Gadelica again.

Ohh I love reading Carmina Gadelica especially this time of year. I like to start the morning off with a long meditative prayer. Someone mentioned the Genealogy of Bride, there is a good pagan adaptation to this in Morgan Daimler's Brigid book that I use a lot.

Sometimes I do a short prayer and others I just sit with my god/goddesses. I also use journaling as a form of prayer. I have a specific journal that I use to communicate with deities/guides.

[Donal2018]

Ohh I love reading Carmina Gadelica especially this time of year. I like to start the morning off with a long meditative prayer. Someone mentioned the Genealogy of Bride, there is a good pagan adaptation to this in Morgan Daimler's Brigid book that I use a lot.

Sometimes I do a short prayer and others I just sit with my god/goddesses. I also use journaling as a form of prayer. I have a specific journal that I use to communicate with deities/guides.

That sounds good, Mama Thistle. I am feeling drawn to Brigid more lately. I will look into Morgan Daimler's book. I wish that I had more money for books! Anyway, thanks for posting here.