Prayer in a Pagan Context

Prayer and worship exist in every religion worldwide, and yet it is often elusive as a concept for those starting their journey in Paganism. Why? Perhaps because prayer in European pagan religions looks radically different than prayer in eastern or Abrahamic religions. So what are the differences?

If you grew up in a Christian household, you may remember being taught to fold your hands, invoke Yahweh with "Lord God" or some other honorific to magnify his glory, and then some kind of honoring description that highlights his omnipotence, and then continue with some kind of request for blessings, help, transformation, or forgiveness. Even if you didn't grow up protestant Christian, you've probably seen this type of prayer many times. But did you know that it's very explicitly Christian-Abrahamic, and at its core deriving from middle eastern perspectives around prayer? In ancient Middle Eastern cultures and traditions, folding your hands demonstrated submission to a greater authority (Yahweh in this case). Yahweh is upheld as an authority and a parental figure and so worship means to demonstrate this through humility before that god. That perspective is therefore demonstrated in their prayer format; to acknowledge that god's elevated status above that of his human worshippers and to defer to his judgment in dolling out blessings, acceptance, or criticism.

Worship outside of that unique cultural context understandably doesn't follow that purpose. This is understandable when you think about the differences in our view of our gods. Most non-Christian gods aren’t seen as omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. We don’t expect infallibility from our gods and neither do they present as such. In this way, the nature of our gods is more comparable to our own human experience. When I converted from Christianity to Paganism, I found comfort in the accessibility and humanity of these relationships when compared to the parent-child authoritarian dynamic in Christianity. Whereas Christianity defines worship by the Greek word proskuneo which refers to prostration before a King or Lord, the Middle English origin of 'worship' means to determine that something is worthy of honoring.

This is much closer to how pagans practice- we honor our Gods through our actions, creating iconic representations of them, asking them to join us at our tasks, and for assistance in our life.  In a pagan perspective, deferring to gods for decisions or how to be isn't part of it; rather that we honor our gods for supporting us in our own decisions.

To say that I worship Odin does not place Odin's authority higher than my own in this context, but rather maintains that I see this God as worthy of honoring their role in my life and that I appreciate our relationship. I do not proskuneo (bow down before) Hel, I worship (honor) Hel. Prayer and worship are absolutely present in pagan religions such as Norse Heathenry. They just remain in the cultural context of the neopagan worldview. It’s not comparable to prayer and worship in a Christian context and shouldn’t be treated as such. 

So what does pagan prayer look like? One of the common staples is that most pagans do not strictly use prayer as a way of beseeching things they need from a more powerful being. Prayer is usually an invitation to a God to participate in a ritual, assist in a spell, or just a conversation. Prayers in modern pagan religions aren’t so much answered as received and reciprocated. 

Common forms of pagan prayer:

• Invocation/Invitation to join in a ritual or spiritual working where the main goal may or may not be to honor the deity

• Written/recited poetry or prose that demonstrates affection

• Any spoken appreciation to the deity for their support, encouragement, protection, blessings, etc

• Casual conversation with a deity/spirit

• Communicating your thoughts/feelings/hopes/concerns to your deity so they can get to know you

• Asking your deity personal questions to get to know them

• Giving an offering and requesting assistance in a blessing or in achieving a task that your deity might have influence over. For instance, you could ask a deity of healing to aid in recovery from surgery or a deity of the hearth for help in learning to cook.

Common forms of pagan worship:

• Making devotional art/music

• Creative writing that features characterizations of a deity/spirit

• Learning skills that your deity values

• Inviting deities into your daily life to spend time with you

• Dedicating an altar with items, art, jewelry, etc that your deity would like or that remind you of them

• Candles lit in honor of them

• Offerings of food, drink, or other things they appreciate being given or can derive power from

• Honoring a deity through actions, principles, and values that they would appreciate

• Devoting yourself to spiritual or professional work that the deity presides over

• Holding space for your deities flaws and mistakes while also holding them responsible for ethical behavior. Deities aren't perfect, and we don't do them or anyone else favors by excusing harmful actions or choices on their behalf

• Observation of which of their traits you'd like to emulate vs which negative traits may invite examination of your own character

In the examples above, you and your deity are essentially equal in your capacity for conviction, ethics, and accountability. Deity relationships include reciprocal devotion. This isn't only acceptable in neopaganism, it's the norm. There will always be exceptions to what I've discussed here as a pagan practice is inherently personal and unique, but I hope this article offers a window into the general neopagan perspective around prayer and worship.

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💙 Elisa