A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book (35 page)

Vedic deities, for friendship:

• Difficult as it may be for me to make friends,
  

  teach me, V
  c, the words to say in this social situation.
  

   
  

  Connect me, A
  vins, to others closely,
  

   
  

  you who are connected closely to each other,
  

   
  

  whose horses' gait brings people together.
  

   
  

  Mitra, whose name is “friend,”
  

   
  

  may I be seen as a friend to those I will meet.
  

   
  

Wind:

• Carry in blessings,
  

  giving wind.
  

   
  

  Carry away ills,
  

   
  

  cleansing wind.
  

   
  

  Bring all that is good.
  

   
  

  Remove all that is bad.
  

   
  

  Leave me behind, happy and healthy.
  

   
  

Zeus:

• If ever I have poured out libations to you,
  

  or crumbled honey cakes in your honey,
  

   
  

  accept this offering to you now
  

   
  

  and look kindly on me.
  

   
  

If the world is a sacred one, it follows that asking for things that will help us in this world is no bad thing. It is not defiling the sacred to want to have good things in life. Remember that the divine beings are entwined in the world of nature.

• The rain will fall just like this [mead, beer, milk, etc.; depending on the deity addressed] if you like my offering.
  

The All-Gods:

• Health and wealth, Keepers of Treasure, give your worshipper.
  

  May this little offering be returned a thousandfold.
  

   
  

  May my blessings be countless,
  

   
  

  scattered out from your storehouse with sweetscented hands.
  

   
  

Artemis, for a hunter:

• Knowing how much you value your modesty
  

  I'm not looking to find you as you go through these woods,
  

   
  

  Apollo's sister.
  

   
  

  But if you could send me a deer or two I would be very grateful,
  

   
  

  lovely Artemis.
  

   
  

Ceres, for crops:

• Increase our crops.
  

  Cause to increase our crops.
  

   
  

  Bring rain and sun to increase our crops.
  

   
  

  May your earth be fertile to increase our crops.
  

   
  

  May your earth be fertile to cause to increase our crops.
  

   
  

  Mother Ceres, may our crops increase.
  

   
  

Commerce, for financial prosperity:

• Commerce, who links people together,
  

  forming from them a community,
  

   
  

  and then forming from communities a greater one—
  

   
  

  from many one—
  

   
  

  for the enrichment of all:
  

   
  

  Respond to my prayer by enriching
  me
  ,
  

   
  

  I who take part in your communities.
  

   
  

Earth, for food:

• Mother of earth and people and plants,
  

  bring grain and milk for these children.
  

   
  

• Dark and warm and strongly-scented,
  

  shaping the seeds and roots of all living things,
  

   
  

  be firm beneath my body, which lies on you,
  

   
  

  and honor my faith by filling me with exactly what I need:
  

   
  

  I won't ask you for more than that.
  

   
  

G
^w
ouwind
:

• From your heavenly udders,
  

  round as the earth,
  

   
  

  white as the moon,
  

   
  

  pour out inexhaustible milk for your children who stand here with upraised hands.
  

   
  

  We have offered to you, G
  ^w
  ouwind
  ,
  

   
  

  you know we have,
  

   
  

  and now we wait expectantly for you loving gifts,
  

   
  

  Provider of Cows.
  

   
  

Herakles, for help in difficulties:

• With arrows, you killed the snake of the Hesperides,
  

  With a torch, the Hydra,
  

   
  

  With your own hands, the Nemean lion.
  

   
  

  I don't care what weapon you use as long as my difficulties fall before you.
  

   
  

Horus, against enemies:

• Falcon-headed, tear at their eyes.
  

  Burning-orbed, wear them down.
  

   
  

  Lord of North and South, strike them with your twin scepters.
  

   
  

  This prayer is for Horus:
  

   
  

  may he hear it.
  

   
  

  Soarer, Shiner, Striker:
  

   
  

  Destroy my enemies,
  

   
  

  confound their plans,
  

   
  

  bring me to victory,
  

   
  

  that next time I burn incense to you, I will be one victorious.
  

   
  

Janus, when beginning something:

• I'm beginning something
  

  so I'm looking to Janus with hope,
  

   
  

  and pouring him this wine.
  

   
  

• Janus is the blesser of the opening door.
  

  Janus is the blesser of the setting forth.
  

   
  

  Janus is the blesser of the arriving safely.
  

   
  

  Janus is the blesser of the closing door.
  

   
  

  As the god of beginnings he has, from the beginning, blessed our beginnings,
  

   
  

  As the god of endings he has, to the ending, blessed our endings,
  

   
  

  I can confidently pray to you, Janus Pater,
  

   
  

  to hear my praise and petition.
  

   
  

Kami, for the removal of obstacles:

• May the Kami of this [tool/weapon] shine [its/her/is] power,
  

  like that of a lightning flash in the black,
  

   
  

  like that of a fire in a fireplace,
  

   
  

  like that of the sun from rising to noon,
  

   
  

  showing the way through difficulties,
  

   
  

  smoothing the path between me and my goal,
  

   
  

  shoving aside all the obstacles between me and my path.