NewWitch Voices: Yes, I Still Pray
by ANNIE GRACE

I don’t believe in organized religion. I don’t believe in the legitimacy of religious texts. I don’t think anyone or anything can tell me a damn thing about my own beliefs and how to maintain them. And I don’t think “beliefs” or morals or whatever are going to help folks who are searching for answers to the ultimate questions. Anyone can have morals. Many atheists firmly believe in the “Big Bang” theory. My father believes in God; he even goes to Mass and Confession; it doesn’t stop him from being an alcoholic.

No, what I want to talk about has nothing to do with religion, morals or belief. It has very little to do with faith, either. Faith is just a stronger version of hope, somewhere in there between hope and belief. I hope I’m not going to lose my job tomorrow. I have faith that the skills I bring to my job will keep me employed. I believe in my abilities and myself. These are words you hear thrown around by religious personalities and congressmen who’re trying to win points with their conservative employers.

The word you don’t hear is one I am perfectly comfortable with: Spirituality. Yes, that’s right. That word. And to me, spirituality has everything to do with prayer. If you don’t pray, how can you expect to have any kind of real relationship with a Higher Power?

Let me backtrack and offer a few explanations. First of all, prayer (to me at least) is any kind of action that involves talking to a God/dess. There are a zillion different ways of doing it, and I’m not promoting any single one. Some people light candles and burn incense, some people like to be outside, some people need a rug or a carpet to kneel on, some people like to use a focus stone... personally, I just open my mind and babble. I had a youth minister once in California who told us that you should try to “be in constant prayer”— basically, to talk to God constantly, the way you talk to yourself in a running dialogue. I’m no longer a Christian, but I still have a lot of respect for this particular minister, and I think what he had to say has some merit. Let’s face it — life is not always a freely running clear stream. Sometimes there are boulders and falls and rivulets that lead in where you don’t want them to, carrying environmental toxins, and let’s not forget those pesky rafters. Having Someone — anyone — to talk to can make a huge difference, even if They don’t talk back. Just knowing in your heart that Someone is there for you changes everything.

I know we all worship different spirits and deities and have different ideas on what makes a Goddess. That’s what’s so great about being part of the Pagan community. And I know there are some who have gods with certain specific rituals who don’t “take calls” per se at all hours. So being in “constant prayer” may not be an option for everyone, but the point is still valid that the more you commune with your God, the more comfortable you will be in your relationship. After all, it’s not exactly polite to approach someone only when you need a favor and ignore them the rest of the time. I used to have a very good reason for this. I used to think about invoking the gods and then wonder, “But what will I do? I don’t need anything right now. It’s not a holiday or anything.”

It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is, or whether or not you think your reason is valid. The more you give of yourself, the more you’ll get in return, and calling on the goddesses always takes some of your own personal energy. We’re their children after all, they do appreciate our attention. But what exactly qualifies as prayer? The ancient Webster’s in my mom’s library defines it as “the act of supplication to a divinity” or “confession, supplication or thanksgiving to the Supreme Being.” Confession I don’t bide well with but it’s true that we’ve all done things we’d like to get off our chest now and then. Supplication I understand, but when I talk to God I’m not always asking for something. Now thanksgiving ... There are always things to be thankful for.

I was told once by a coven leader that talking to Goddess without a proper ritual was like cooking without heat. I’m not quite sure what he intended with that remark, but he succeeded in getting me out of his hair. Anyway, Webster’s defines a ritual as “a prescribed form of performing divine service.” Well, they both contain the word divinity at least. But I wasn’t satisfied. After much searching, I finally found an Internet dictionary that defines prayer as “the act of communing with a Higher Power.” That seemed to suit my purpose better. Under that definition, prayer can be anything that brings you closer to God.

That is my point. Every person, no matter what religion they claim to believe in, needs a spiritual relationship with God/dess. It’s healthy. It makes your soul stronger and gives you a reason behind all the things that you do. Prayer is what brings us closer to the gods and feeds our souls with the spiritual energy they crave. Prayer can be anything. A ritual, a Tarot reading, meditation, Yoga, anything that gives you the feeling of being in communion with a higher spirit. You don’t need to ascribe to one set of beliefs or one particular method of prayer. Just do it, and do it a lot. It can make all the difference in the way you see the world, and the light the world sees in you will glow brighter.

ANNIE GRACE lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her beautiful husband where they spend every day trying to keep open minds and broaden the spiritual understanding of others as well as themselves.