• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Who do you pray to?

Aiviu

Active Member
Hi,

I pray to myself not to be evil. Me is all, i am capable to know, who can be evil. Sometimes/often I have to give myself up to be good to others but thats far from evil to myself because I stood one step below another, and thats my strength. So, if i pray to someone, i pray to the vision of god i have inside my heart where god imagined me to be good.

I pray to and for the one who imagined me to be good.
 

Politesse

Amor Vincit Omnia
I've been thinking about this. I pray to specific deities at times, especially if I am in need of help or comfort in their domain; so for instance, I asked Aphrodite for advice and aid in a matter of the heart not long ago (and didn't like her answer either - be careful what you wish for!). But when I am "just praying", I think I still pray to the same, mostly Deist maybe a bit Christian "God" whom I have prayed to for my whole life, in and out of Christianity. At the end of the day, that experience has changed less than you might assume. Faith has been an additive thing in my life.

The other practice of prayer that I have is praying to the local gods, if I happen to know who they are, before entering their domain or taking things from it. As I travel quite a lot in my line of work, this ends up being a sizeable part of my faith practice. But it is hard to know enough about the native religions of my country, as the government invested a lot of gunpowder in trying to destroy it; I don't always know to whom to offer my prayers. In such cases, I just address myself to the elders of the land and hope the intent gets through.
 

Baladas

An Págánach
I speak to the Tao (Ground of Being), I speak to the trees, shrubs, cacti, birds.
My dogs and cats. The sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the rain, the storm.
I sometimes speak to my late grandfather...I speak to the Earth itself, Mother Gaea.

I say "speak" because "pray" seems to conjure images of formality for most people, and there is very little of that in my practice.
 
Last edited:

Sand Dancer

Crazy Cat Lady
I speak to the Tao (Ground of Being), I speak to the trees, shrubs, cacti, birds.
My dogs and cats. The sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the rain, the storm.
I sometimes speak to my late grandfather...I speak to the Earth itself, Mother Gaea.

I say "speak" because "pray" seems to conjure images of formality for most people, and there is very little of that in my practice.

I'd love more info on this. As an ex- Christian being tied to praying to a cosmic vending machine, I really need to know more about this type of prayer. Any suggestions?
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I speak to the Tao (Ground of Being), I speak to the trees, shrubs, cacti, birds.
My dogs and cats. The sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the rain, the storm.
I sometimes speak to my late grandfather...I speak to the Earth itself, Mother Gaea.

I say "speak" because "pray" seems to conjure images of formality for most people, and there is very little of that in my practice.
I like that you "speak" to the earth. I havent seen prayer as beseaching yet I find how you put it more personal and equal grounds
 

Baladas

An Págánach
I'd love more info on this. As an ex- Christian being tied to praying to a cosmic vending machine, I really need to know more about this type of prayer. Any suggestions?

Well, there isn't much to say honestly. I greet them when I see them (aside from my grandfather and any others who have passed on).
I speak to my grandpa when I think of him, often when I see classic cars, as his greatest passion was restoring them.

Often, I am expressing gratitude for lessons taught, for the air I breathe, for the food I eat...
When I consume food, I thank the plant or animal that it came from, and the Earth for it's bounty. :)

A lot of it is the recognition that I am part of the great web of Nature.
I rely on trees and plants, and they on me. Similarly, my animal friends and I rely on each other for comfort and companionship (and food and water on their end). :)

Like Carlita said, I do speak to the Earth on equal terms, and with reverence. While I revere and even choose to personify Her at times, I also recognize that I am not truly separate from the Earth.
I am a part of the web of life, just like the rest of the earth.

As a side note: I am also an ex-Christian, and towards the end of my Christian "walk" I began to speak with my God on more and more equal terms (though with no less reverence). I now call It Tao, and view it in an extremely different manner. :)


I like that you "speak" to the earth. I havent seen prayer as beseaching yet I find how you put it more personal and equal grounds

Thank you, I like it too. I find it to be comforting, and it serves to constantly remind me of our interconnectedness.
Also, I really like that image you posted! I hold the position that everything is Natural. There is no "supernatural".
On the other hand, you could just as well call everything supernatural and say there is no "Natural"...I do not discount some things that would traditionally be called supernatural, but I believe that everything is a part of the Universe and Nature. Therefore, everything is Natural. :D
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Thank you. And thank you for seeing the true intent of the picture. The two hands seem to get people confused over the connection between the earth and the sky where all in all are connected.

The hands, in the real picture, is a human reaching out to the hands of God. Im sure thats not the intent of the artist given the quote.

People.

Well, there isn't much to say honestly. I greet them when I see them (aside from my grandfather and any others who have passed on).
I speak to my grandpa when I think of him, often when I see classic cars, as his greatest passion was restoring them.

Often, I am expressing gratitude for lessons taught, for the air I breathe, for the food I eat...
When I consume food, I thank the plant or animal that it came from, and the Earth for it's bounty. :)

A lot of it is the recognition that I am part of the great web of Nature.
I rely on trees and plants, and they on me. Similarly, my animal friends and I rely on each other for comfort and companionship (and food and water on their end). :)

Like Carlita said, I do speak to the Earth on equal terms, and with reverence. While I revere and even choose to personify Her at times, I also recognize that I am not truly separate from the Earth.
I am a part of the web of life, just like the rest of the earth.

As a side note: I am also an ex-Christian, and towards the end of my Christian "walk" I began to speak with my God on more and more equal terms (though with no less reverence). I now call It Tao, and view it in an extremely different manner. :)




Thank you, I like it too. I find it to be comforting, and it serves to constantly remind me of our interconnectedness.
Also, I really like that image you posted! I hold the position that everything is Natural. There is no "supernatural".
On the other hand, you could just as well call everything supernatural and say there is no "Natural"...I do not discount some things that would traditionally be called supernatural, but I believe that everything is a part of the Universe and Nature. Therefore, everything is Natural. :D
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Well, there isn't much to say honestly. I greet them when I see them (aside from my grandfather and any others who have passed on).
I speak to my grandpa when I think of him, often when I see classic cars, as his greatest passion was restoring them.

Often, I am expressing gratitude for lessons taught, for the air I breathe, for the food I eat...
When I consume food, I thank the plant or animal that it came from, and the Earth for it's bounty. :)

A lot of it is the recognition that I am part of the great web of Nature.
I rely on trees and plants, and they on me. Similarly, my animal friends and I rely on each other for comfort and companionship (and food and water on their end). :)

Like Carlita said, I do speak to the Earth on equal terms, and with reverence. While I revere and even choose to personify Her at times, I also recognize that I am not truly separate from the Earth.
I am a part of the web of life, just like the rest of the earth.

As a side note: I am also an ex-Christian, and towards the end of my Christian "walk" I began to speak with my God on more and more equal terms (though with no less reverence). I now call It Tao, and view it in an extremely different manner. :)




Thank you, I like it too. I find it to be comforting, and it serves to constantly remind me of our interconnectedness.
Also, I really like that image you posted! I hold the position that everything is Natural. There is no "supernatural".
On the other hand, you could just as well call everything supernatural and say there is no "Natural"...I do not discount some things that would traditionally be called supernatural, but I believe that everything is a part of the Universe and Nature. Therefore, everything is Natural. :D

Yep. Everything is natural. We had spirits in our old homes once and my mother treated them just as she treated anyone else. The only "supernatural" concept in my immediate family was on t.v. shoes, ghost and goblins. People hidding in the closet. We give reverence to the natural, in my view, because the natural keeps us alive. Once I think of it as supernatural, my prayers and such intent seems fake. Thats why I try to find natural means to do my spells (for lack of better words. Its wonderful when you can participate with the natural.
 

Sand Dancer

Crazy Cat Lady
As a side note: I am also an ex-Christian, and towards the end of my Christian "walk" I began to speak with my God on more and more equal terms (though with no less reverence). I now call It Tao, and view it in an extremely different manner. :)
How cool. Should I read the Tao te Ching for more info or is there another text you think is better?
 

Baladas

An Págánach
How cool. Should I read the Tao te Ching for more info or is there another text you think is better?

Well, I certainly recommend reading the Tao te Ching. It's a great read - short, but profound. It resonated with me deeply, giving words to many of my convictions about the Divine. I read it almost daily... Each person will have different resonances of course. :)

While Taoism certainly emphasizes the sacredness of Nature, the Tao te Ching does not specifically address this type of practice.

I just sort of naturally started on my own, encouraged by others here on the forums.

Certain streams of Paganism, especially Druidry might also interest you, and might help if you are interested. :D
 

Sand Dancer

Crazy Cat Lady
Well, I certainly recommend reading the Tao te Ching. It's a great read - short, but profound. It resonated with me deeply, giving words to many of my convictions about the Divine. I read it almost daily... Each person will have different resonances of course. :)

While Taoism certainly emphasizes the sacredness of Nature, the Tao te Ching does not specifically address this type of practice.

I just sort of naturally started on my own, encouraged by others here on the forums.

Certain streams of Paganism, especially Druidry might also interest you, and might help if you are interested. :D

Thanks!!!
 
Top