Prayers? Chants? Invocations? Your religious vocabulary.

[Hariti]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

[ehbowen]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

Quite often, especially when I want to be formal, I will use the Lord's Prayer as a template...but alter the specifics to cover the subjects which are on my mind. But it helps to begin with a focus on who my God is, his holiness, and his ultimate purpose before moving on to my immediate needs and petitions. And then to close with the time-honored, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen."

I will do this also with other scriptures from time to time. For example, Psalm 42:6 (in the New King James version) reads,

O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
 Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
 And from the heights of Hermon,
 From the Hill Mizar.

When I was on the oil tanker (27 years ago), that might be, "...I will remember you from the Yucatan Channel, from the Windward Passage, and from the Lesser Antilles." I think my God really appreciates it when I go beyond rote memorization and show that I am internalizing and building upon what he gave us.

[Kylara]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

I do a version of a Norse verse as part of my morning and evening routine.  The morning is more of an honoring prayer while night is more protection.  I do say it in an English translation, so not the true traditional version, but I am really bad with my pronunciation of Norse words, so right now English works for me.

I have a lovely little book that I copy down prayers I like, either as inspiration for my own prayers or as memorization-fodder so that I have a bank of prayers for different occasions.  I really like meal time prayers, though I am really horrible at remembering to say them.

My nightly prayers are free-form and very conversational.  There is no formal or traditional phrasing, I just talk.  This is what makes daily prayer work for me.  While I love more formal prayers and find many traditional prayers beautiful and moving, saying them as my daily practice just wasn't working for me.  When I switched to conversational prayer, talking to my Gods about my day, my struggles, my triumphs and just what was going on for me that day, it clicked.

[Hariti]

When I was on the oil tanker (27 years ago), that might be, "...I will remember you from the Yucatan Channel, from the Windward Passage, and from the Lesser Antilles." I think my God really appreciates it when I go beyond rote memorization and show that I am internalizing and building upon what he gave us.

That's very interesting. A modern understanding of traditional prayer.

[Hariti]

I do a version of a Norse verse as part of my morning and evening routine.  The morning is more of an honoring prayer while night is more protection.  I do say it in an English translation, so not the true traditional version, but I am really bad with my pronunciation of Norse words, so right now English works for me.

Personally, I honor my Gods with Sanskrit mantras; for me, using the original language seems more powerful. However, when I am actually praying *for* something and have a specific request, I use English because I don't actually speak Sanskrit with any fluency. I only know a few specific chants and prayers in that language.

[Jainarayan]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

Apart from the typical "talk to the gods" prayers, I sometimes use a nama mantra or a small sloka, in Sanskrit:
om sri ganeshaya [mahalakshmyai, krishnaya, hanumate, saraswatyai, etc.] namah meaning "reverence/obeisance to [deity]".

When I leave the house to set out on an errand or trip I invoke Lord Ganesha:
oṁ śuklāmbara dharam viśṇum
śaśivarṇaṁ chaturbhujam
prasanna vadanaṁ dhyāyet
sarva vighnopaśāntaye 

I meditate on [him] who is all-pervading with a moon-like complexion and four arms; with a smiling and pleasant face; I ask him to remove all obstacles.

There are other small prayers I use fairly often:
kriśnāya vāsudevāya harayē paramātmanē
pranataklēśanāśāya govindāya namo namaḥ

Again and again we offer our obeisances unto Lord Krishna, Hari, the son of Vasudeva.
That Supreme Soul, Govinda, vanquishes the suffering of all who surrender to Him.

kāyenavāchā manasēndriyervā
budhyātmanēvā prakrutēh svabhāvāth
karomi yadyad sakalam parasmai
nārāyanāyēti samarpayāmi

Whatever I do with my body, speech, mind or sense organs, using my Intellect, feelings of heart or through the natural tendencies of my mind, whatever I do, I do all for others, I surrender them all to Narayana (Vishnu).

[Castus]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

Judaism is comfortably formulaic -- for those who are more observant the three daily services (Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv) in the siddur/prayerbook are said every day and eventually one gets used to the rhythms and phrases which characterise most of Jewish prayer. Most famously of course we have the Sh'ma (Sh'ma yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad/Hear, O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One) but there are also the traditional formulae for blessings/brachot which I personally find very helpful. There are Jewish blessings for most every event or happening and they almost use one of two opening formulae: Baruch attah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haOlam or Baruch attah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haOlam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav. The former is "Blessed art thou O L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe" and is usually followed by something specific to the event or happening. My personal favourite bracha is the one for seeing a monarch: "Blessed art thou O L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has given of his glory to flesh and blood" but the post-Baruch attah part can be customised even if you forget the 'official' blessing, which is very useful. The other is used specifically when fulfilling a commandment, and means "Blessed art thou O L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has commanded us to..." followed of course by whatever it is He told us to do.

Then there are others familiar to me, whether they be Roman Catholic with "Hail Mary, full of grace" or the punishingly exact ritual formulae for Roman pagan rituals. I find set ritual prayers and phrases to be deeply reassuring and as a general rule eschew spontaneity in my dealings with the Divine. Admittedly this does lead to its own serious problem, that of actually meaning what you're saying instead of just, y'know, saying it. In Judaism -- which addresses that concern extensively -- meaning it is known as "having/praying with kavanah" or intention; and it is acknowledged to be a very difficult thing. Personally that's probably one of my greatest hurdles of spiritual life, and one which I only manage to address in fits and starts; probably resulting from my extremely... well I don't want to say intellectual, but intellectual or theoretical are undeniably the best words, view of religion.

But anyway. Formal prayer. Woooohoooooooooo.

[Cinder]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

When I start my offerings/prayers, I typically say "dua" (praise) which would be traditional/formal.

I also typically end offerings with "May x, y, and z please and sustain you", which is formal and if I remember correctly comes from one of Reidy's books.

[Redfaery]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

I took Buddhist Refuge 3 years ago or so. Since then, my daily devotional activity has usually included the refuge formula used in my particular tradition, and also a prayer to inspire bodhicitta. I don't really pray for specific things, though sometimes I will petition Saraswati with suitable offerings to help me attain a goal.

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[Eastling]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

I do my traditional Jewish prayers on Friday nights, after sundown: I sing blessings over bread and wine, and I light the candles and sing blessings over them. You can see some of the prayers here, although I don't use all of them.

When dealing with my other gods and Powers, I usually invoke them through a more modern song.

[Chatelaine]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

Definitely traditional; the sense of community even when I'm alone is what I love most about the Orthodox way of praying. I was floored when I realised that the text of the Divine Liturgy is essentially fixed and all Orthodox in the world, regardless of language, use the same lines to invoke the Almighty.

I use the affectionately nicknamed little red prayer book, because those are the translations my jurisdiction uses. I don't use everything every day, of course, but that's my collection to pick and mix from.

[Hariti]

I was floored when I realised that the text of the Divine Liturgy is essentially fixed and all Orthodox in the world, regardless of language, use the same lines to invoke the Almighty.

To be honest, I was as well. I took a class on Eastern and Western Christianity at my university, and I must say that you have the most beautiful liturgy I've ever encountered. The fact that "kyrie eleison" is so ancient as to transcend the East-west division, and also to be found in Oriental Orthodoxy and most other ancient Christian traditions, is rather amazing. I envy the clear continuity, from foundation to present, that your religion has.

True, my own faith (Hinduism) is incredibly ancient as well, but it's changed dramatically over the millennia, much more than Eastern Orthodox Christianity has. I would even hazard to say that EOC be the least changed continuous faith tradition in the world (that's debatable, of course, but I think the case could be made).

[Altair]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

When I'm spontaneously moved to do so--when some natural phenomenon takes my breath away--I keep it simple. Usually a mental "Hail, Sol!" to a magnificent sunrise, or "Hail, Luna!" to a gorgeous moon.

May standard invocation is this:

Sing me the song of an endless story
Reckon the seasons of moon and sun
Show me the way on this restless journey
With sign that the song and the singer are one
One with life, one with death
One with Her flesh, Her fire, blood, and breath
One with the light of the stars in the sky
One with the thundering years passing by
One with the shadows we know when we die
One song of existence, the singer am I

The 4 preamble lines refer to the mandala in my signature, which is both table of contents to the myth cycle I hold dear, a calendar, and a cosmological map; the rest calls the elements and my most important gods, though not by name. (I always murmur the elemental line when I'm making French toast--pinch of salt, light the stove, sprinkle water and breathe on the batter. Yeah, go ahead and laugh; it's weird.)

Another invocation is in my signature. It describes the myth cycle, accurately though obliquely (because spoilers).

[Riothamus12]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

Most of my prayers end with " thank you, with harm towards none, do what thou wilt, blessed be, so mote it be." It is always important to thank the Divinities you interact with. As certainly as many mortals would desire the courtesy of a thank you, so do they. The with harm towards none part is basically there to make it evident that you wish for your prayers to be answered without undue harm coming to others. I do generally adhere to the "harm none" concept and believe one should avoid hexing another, but I also have no problem with defending myself or others in a direct physical confrontation or working spells to foil or obstruct endeavors that would cause undue harm to others. If it does come to the point where you must defend yourself with force, do no more than is necessary to incapacitate your assailant, cause them to retreat, or so that they cannot give pursuit. One should also avoid seeking to start fights, but not confrontation. The blessed be and so mote it be are pretty self explanatory.

Generally when invoking a specific Deity, a series of epithets or associations are spoken aloud and something akin to "praise be unto thee" is said.

Song and poetry also tend to be part of it, but the song part tends to be improvised while the poetry tends to be written beforehand. There is one in particular I read out loud during Samhain.

Very rarely are Christian elements involved, usually when invoking the ancestors, because I have Christian ancestors.

[Sorcha]

So, I was wondering, what do you say when you call upon your deity/deities? In situations when you want to praise, thank, plead with, or otherwise evoke the divine, are there any particular things you say? Do you use formal, respectful, traditional prayers, mantras, or exclamations? For example, do you say Jesu Maria, Hare Krishna, Insha Allah, Kyrie Eleison, Hallelujah, or other traditional phrases? I would really like to know what sorts of exclamations or invocations you use, especially if they are traditional!

EDIT: Fixed typo in thread subject line.

I'm pretty informal. The last time I prayed asking for something was to the Christian God, and I was extremely angry and there was a lot of profanity involved and I called his existence into question. He seemed to hear me anyway.

I work with other deities but I don't really ask for things at this point. It doesn't feel quite right yet. But I'm pretty informal with them as well. If I get too formal, it feels fake.

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