A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book (45 page)

Poseidon:

• A horse among horses be this boat,
  

  under the protection of the god of horses,
  

   
  

  god of the sea, of white-maned horses.
  

   
  

River Spirits:

• Proud River, I give you this respectful thought as I cross this bridge over you.
  

  Even if I myself don't endure struggles as I cross, [river name],
  

   
  

  remember that those who built this bridge did,
  

   
  

  and consider [these words/this offering] an addition to theirs.
  

   
  

Sea:

• Happily arrived in harbor, I offer this thanksgiving coin to the sea.
  

Woden:

• A companion makes the way shorter,
  

  or sweeter,
  

   
  

  and the load lighter.
  

   
  

  Walk with me, Woden.
  

   
  

  Even when I don't see you, I'll know you're there by the mysteries spoken in my heart,
  

   
  

  from the wisdom-patterned sound of my feet against the ground,
  

   
  

  echoed by yours.
  

   
  

• A road-weary traveler, trudging beside me,
  

  lifts hand to hat as if in salute;
  

   
  

  his one eye winks, and laughter follows.
  

   
  

  Woden, Lord of the Way,
  

   
  

  do not lead me lost,
  

   
  

  make my road right,
  

   
  

  Old Rambler, you.
  

   
  

We live not just by ourselves—as families, in homes. We are social creatures, and we gather together in groups that then have their own needs. Societies have to function smoothly, provide protection for their members, and continue to exist. As the preamble to the Constitution of the United States says, they exist to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, [and] promote the general welfare.”

Living in society, we must govern ourselves. Although separation of church and state remains an ideal, we are free ourselves (and maybe even obligated) to seek the guidance of the divine in our own governmental relationships. We will keep an oath more faithfully if it is taken by our gods. We will vote more responsibly if we pray to the goddess Democracy. Our elected officials may perform their duties more effectively if the deities have greased the wheels of society.

• Here in this city, surrounded by a canyon of buildings that seem to block out Nature,
  

  I pray to the gods of nature, who are present everywhere,
  

   
  

  here no less than in the wild forest,
  

   
  

  or the empty plains over which the storm winds blow,
  

   
  

  or the ocean that hides its immense numbers of life in its depths.
  

   
  

  For we human beings are not separate from Nature,
  

   
  

  and have our own nature,
  

   
  

  and this nature is above all to gather into communities,
  

   
  

  and to form societies,
  

   
  

  and to build cities.
  

   
  

  So I stand here in this city and praise Nature,
  

   
  

  present here all around us.
  

   
  

  How could we keep Her out?
  

   
  

• Open my eyes, Dy
  us Pt
  r, to those around me.
  

  Open my heart, G
  ^w
  ouwind
  , with your loving care.
  

   
  

  Unite me with them, Xáryomen,
  

   
  

  into a society of individuals,
  

   
  

  based on reciprocal exchange.
  

   
  

Commerce:

• Commerce is not just a means, but an end. The buying and selling, the trade that Commerce is, unites people in strong bonds. Commerce is therefore one of the bases of community.
  

  Thanks to Commerce, then, for establishing and contributing to our society. We serve you in this way:
  

   
  

  by dealing fairly, but with an eye on profit, thereby contributing to human society, ourselves acting like you.
  

   
  

  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, be flattered by our commerce and join with us,
  

   
  

  Commerce, god of prosperous social relationships.
  

   
  

Individualism and Community:

• Individualism and Community are married, inseparable,
  

  neither ever found without the other.
  

   
  

  Community without Individualism would be despotism;
  

   
  

  Independence with Community, wandering lost.
  

   
  

  When I pray to you, then, I will always pray to the both,
  

   
  

  as two separate ones joined together.
  

   
  

  This is how I pray to you today,
  

   
  

  asking that you strengthen the individual society,
  

   
  

  blessing us with both freedom and confraternity.
  

   
  

Mitra:

• Grasp my hand, Mitra, as I hold it out to you.
  

  I offer fairly to you, and you to me.
  

   
  

  We are fair traders, you and I.
  

   
  

  And I vow to you that all with whom I trade will be to me as you.
  

   
  

  I will be honest in my dealings with them,
  

   
  

  give value for value,
  

   
  

  as you do to me.
  

   
  

Quirinus:

• Amid the flow of people on this street, I find Quirinus, God of Peoples,
  

  God of
  my
  people,
  

   
  

  and praise him with my steps,
  

   
  

  their rhythm blending with those of the others among whom I live and move.
  

   
  

Shang Ti:

• From your high mountain, dispense justice.
  

  Impose, Shang Ti, peace-bringing order.
  

   
  

• Each building an obelisk erected in honor of the multitude of gods of my community,
  

  the many gods of the many beliefs of the many people from who it is formed.
  

   
  

• We plant seeds in the ground and water them, and plants grow,
  

  each with their own spirit.
  

   
  

  We quarry stone, smelt ore, and buildings grow,
  

   
  

  each with their own spirit.
  

   
  

  A forest of trees has a spirit.
  

   
  

  A city of buildings has a spirit.
  

   
  

  Through the forests roam the gods and spirits of the forest.
  

   
  

  Through the cities roam the gods and spirits of the cities.
  

   
  

  Entering the [forest/city] I say this prayer to the gods and spirits of this place
  

   
  

  and to those of the [city/forest] I am leaving.
  

   
  

• Every pattern is holy,
  

  even these roads I'm driving on.
  

   
  

  Every pattern has a spirit,
  

   
  

  even these roads I'm driving on.
  

   
  

  I forget that sometimes, though,
  

   
  

  so please forgive me,
  

   
  

  and I'll sometime give you an offering.
  

   
  

• The Works of Man are the works of Nature,
  

  for Man is of the World.
  

   
  

  The towering buildings of this city stand as nobly as ancient trees,
  

   
  

  grown tall with age.
  

   
  

  My praise goes out to those who built them,
  

   
  

  whether living or dead,
  

   
  

  for their skill and vision,
  

   
  

  and to the Ancestors who developed the means to build them,
  

   
  

  and to the spirit of the city itself,
  

   
  

  formed of and forming the city around us.