Kitsula's Log - pagan_prompt catch up!

How do you pray? Does prayer play a part in your path? Do you draw distinctions between rituals, prayers, devotions, etc?

Prayer plays a large part in my path as paganism to me is living in harmony with and honoring the spirits. When I pray how I do so really depends on the context and what the prayer is to accomplish.

I draw distinctions between rituals, prayers, and devotions - to me Prayer is simply a form of communication and it can be part of both rituals and devotions. Devotions have to do with meditating on and praising a deity, and rituals are religious acts done for a variety of purposes.

As for how I pray, it again depends on the situation - for general veneration at my home shrine I usual use a semi-classical rite consisting of:

1. Purification using Lustral Water usually using the formula of "As the rain purifies the air may this water purify my mind, purify my body, purify my heart (or spirit I have internal debates on which word is better)"*

2. Ringing a bell at my home shrine.

3. Spreading barley on the altar area in front of my shrine.

4. Lighting a candle.

5. Offering incense and/or libations and other sacrifices.

6. Meditation and/or prayer.

*Stolen from an old Religio Romana site that I can't find any more but I use it because the rain imagery resonates with me personally as most of the happy times in my life are punctuated by rain and I feel like I draw some energy from it. Also my Grandfather used to joke that he always knew when I would be coming to visit because right before I came it inevitably started raining out of the blue.

I also usually pray before eating offering the the food if I'm alone I'll say it out loud if not I'll offer it silently. And of course there are the on the spot prayers.

Before I close this quick response I want to disagree with a point in the article linked by

pagan_prompt:

I feel that a prayer works the opposite way. The prayer is a request to effect a change in the ambient energy and invoke God (using the Christian form). This change in energy is slower because it is "diluted" in the surrounding energy and depends solely on faith ("I believe it will happen, so it will").

I see the gods as independent entities and that prayer (as it is used here) is a request to a specific deity and faith in it happening has little impact on whether the deity acts (or even can act) on your behalf.

Acculturation or so-called "cultural theft" is an enormous source of debate in the pagan community. There are some who feel acculturation is as natural as breathing and that every religion and culture has evolved by "borrowing" from others and thus ecceltic and neo-pagan paths are justified in their "borrowing". Others feel that it has been taken too far and religions lose their meaning when they are diluted by other traditions. Where do you land in the debate?

This is a question that I constantly wrestle with as my personal practice includes bits of Buddhist, Greco-Roman, influences from my Grandfather, and Shinto practice (it's a long story).

My personal thought on this is that most of the problems related to cultural theft arise when spirituality is sold for profit. A good example here is the ire of many Native American groups who attack those who steal their rituals and ritual objects for personal gain and make money off them while the (often poor and dishonored) indigenous community sees nothing of the profits (I personally think that one should never sell a spiritual service or a charm but that's another matter). I personally think that specific gods and spirits contact who they wish and that things should be approached with all due reverence and respect.

We should really look at the root of the problem here though - why do people feel the need to search for and take from other traditions - the answer is fairly obvious modern paganism is lacking. We Americans have no real sold ground to base ourselves upon - How does one conduct sacrifices and reverence in the traditional way? American culture is an amalgamation of various cultures with it's basis in the culture(s) of the British Isles which itself is a mixing pot of Roman, Celtic, Pre-Celtic, and Germanic influences - which is no real help here as each of these cultures had fairly different practices and views.

What the modern American pagan community needs to do is to evolve its own general tradition that takes into account all the influences of American culture (and perhaps synthesizing a basis out of Greco-Roman, Celtic, and Germanic practices (with perhaps Greco-Roman practice as a main influence as the Founding Fathers saw the Roman Republic as a model for the new American Republic and we can also see the sentiment reflected in the neo-classical designs of Washington DC monuments right down to the fresco of the Roman gods in the Capitol Rotunda)). I do not expect this to really happen in my lifetime but I can see that steps can be taken to this end.

But to get back onto the main topic here I think things should be incorporated (when they are incorporated) with careful thought and all due reverence with the aim being to incorporate practices in a syncretic way with regard to its traditional meanings rather than a haphazard fashion. And we should remember that the practices of other cultures are greatly enmeshed in their own particular history and culture - I think a good exposition of this comes from Dr. Sokyo Ono's book Shinto: The Kami Way where he speaks on the Universal Nature of Shinto (though I would replace 'racial' with 'cultural'):

Shinto is a racial religion. It is inextricably interwoven with the fabric of Japanese customs and ways of thinking. It is impossible to separate it from the communal and national life of the people. Among the Kami of Shrine Shinto many have a special claim to worship from the Japanese people alone and are not such as can be venerated by the peoples of the world in the sense that the Japanese people do. Although non-Japanese may pay great respect to the emperor Meiji, for example, it is inconceivable that they should regard him as a kami in the same sense as do the Japanese. Therefore, this phase of the kami-faith is not suitable for dissemination abroad.
But this does not mean that there is no concern in Shinto for the people and welfare of mankind; nor does it mean that Shinto is not worthy of respect from those of other faiths in the world at large. People of all races and climes cannot help but express gratitude to the spirits of the land and of nature, to their ancestors, to the benefactors of society and the state. In so far as they recognize this feeling within them, they cannot but understand the spirit of Shinto, and find in it an undeniable truth which supports and heightens man's noblest values. Thus, while Shinto is a racial faith, it possesses a universality which can enrich the lives of all people everywhere.¹

What American Paganism needs to do is address that universal core which is at the heart of all "pagan" traditions in a uniquely American fashion and when that is done I think we will see an end to a lot of the cultural borrowings -- especially from sensitive groups like indigenous cultures.

While on this tangent, I think there is one other major problem in American Paganism - it's currently far too focused on the self instead of the community (both spiritual and physical) and there seems to be a lack of thought about responsibility and how one's actions may affect others. Thus we see the large egos and the 'witch wars' and the lack of thought by some about adopting practices or sacred objects of other cultures to the chagrin of those cultures.

¹Ono Sokyo and William P. Woodard. Shinto: The Kami Way. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1962. PP. 111-112.

We've all heard of the so-called "Religious Right", who are characterized by their right-wing conservative political and social values. Individually, members of the Religious Right represent a variety of theological perspectives, but they are all unified by their conservative beliefs and alliance with the Republican Party (usually). While I'm sure there are many conservative Republicans whose religion is not the reason for their political affiliation, the Religious Right are so-called because their religious values are so intertwined with their political beliefs that there seems to be little to no separation.

How do your religious beliefs influence your politics? Could/should there ever be a Pagan political movement?

My religious beliefs influence my politics in my general focus on harmony - thus I consider myself to be an independent moderate (albeit one who has some libertarian leanings). Other than my overall focus on harmony I don't think my religious beliefs have much of an impact on my politics - well perhaps also a healthy respect for all life and nature (though my Grandfather was a strong conservationist so that can be argued).

Now that I think about it my views on the Abortion issue are influence by my religious view - I tend to lean towards the Pro-life end of the spectrum because the fetus is another life form (albeit a parasitic one while in the womb) and that abortions should only be conducted after much thought and family discussion as to the welfare of all involved. If abortion is done after serious consideration a ceremony like Mizuko Kuyo should be conducted for the fetus.

In the same way I am anti-death penalty (except in extreme cases where the inmate presents a serious danger) and pro-reform orientated correctional system as I believe in karma and rebirth (although this is more an influence from my Buddhist practices and beliefs).

Also my religious beliefs might have an influence on my focus on the long term goals rather than short term objectives.

As for if there could be a pagan political movement, remember Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey and the (laughable) Vampires, Witches, and Pagans Party?

But for a true political movement I don't think there could be one anytime soon as the Pagan community is too diverse and small. Though if the pagan community gets large I'm sure the already political active and mostly very liberal groups like Reclaiming will probably become the 'Pagan Religious Left' and probably a good portion of pagans will resent the attempt to attach a specific and highly controversial political agenda to paganism as a number of Christians probably feel about what the 'Religious Right' are doing. Religions should provide you with values to guide your life it shouldn't set your specific positions on tax cuts or other minute matters.

Also THIS:

I have often said that we should spend less time talking about being Pagans and simply BE Pagans. We should spend more time and devote more energy to the heart than to the trappings of Paganism. In other words, to the practices which define us as Pagans.

You can buy an expensive racket and beautiful tennis outfit and it won’t make you a better tennis player. Having a pretty altar or wearing a pentacle or a Thor’s Hammer or some other symbol by the same token will not make us a Pagan.

It is cultic acts that make us Pagan.

The Argument For Sacrifice

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