I participated in the November 2018 Prayer a day challenge created by the ADF Druids. You can find it on Facebook using the #PrayerADay & #ADFdruidry hashtags.
So this post is my musings on the challenge. First off as expected it was really great to see all the diverse prayers. To see what people say to thier deities. It was also fantastic see how many other followers of the Greek and Roman pantheons there are in the ADF. I praticularly enjoyed seeing the diffrent perspective of how other people interacted with these pantheons.
But as the tital of this post suggest I want to talk about prayers themselves. While the finish product maybe called an noun, prayer is more about the verb, the act of creating it. Some people created really long poem like prayers set on flashy backgrounds, and others had a sentance or two to express there thoughts. Is one style better than the other? NO. It is about the intent and the sincerity of the prayer. Personally I think think the important part is the connection the action of prayer creation builds between you and the Deity or spirit you are communicating with.
Now my next point is that prayer is not just done in words. Almost every single prayer submitted to this project was written. But that is not how everyone prays. There is a long trend in human history of using music and dance as prayer. Sporting events like the ancient version of the Olympic games are also a form of active prayer. Although one could argue that it is more of a ritual or offering than a prayer, but aren’t ritual and offerings a physical manifestation of prayer?
In my personal practice I don’t really vocalize or write prayers. I draw them. I use art to express my thoughts and emotions to my deities and spirit allies. I think the hours spent creating a picture is a deeper spirital experience than the five minutes spent writting a prayer. As the old saying goes “A picture is worth 1000 words.”
Art as prayer does exist in various traditions. I think my first exposure to the idea was as a kid flipping through National Geographic magazines at my grandma’s house and seeing western Native Americans tribes using colored sand to creat elaborate medicine wheels. But as I expanded my education I saw all kinds of religious art from around the world and have come to understand its creation as a way to reciprocate to the divine our appreciation of thier blessings. But ultimately I believe it is the effort not the skill that matters.
Gardening I think is another form of active prayer. To get your hands in the dirt and really connect with Gaia and Demeter. To feel thier power under your finger nails and experience thier blessings back as produce. That connection between the land and its effect on our is often lacking in our convenience based modern living.
Walking in the park and listing to the wind in the leaves and birds songs. If done with a thought to honoring this experince, is this also not a form of prayer?
Well thats just my thoughts on the subject. Below is pictures of two of my picture prayers.
Have a good December yall.
