This is the subject Nimue Deep-fry tackles in her new book Like a Pagan Prays.
But ahead discussing the book, I unpleasant to talk a bit about my own experiences with prayer - which are fairly various from group of Nimue.
My switch on was a Catholic - albeit a fairly New-Agey Catholic who was a swift dowser, enthralled by the fascination and so good at palmistry that he did it at summer fetes for assistance from time to time. At any rate, he raised me as a Catholic and skilled to say my prayers. Catholics say prayers a lot - skill ahead meals, prayers ahead going to bed and At home Marys and Our Fathers when required to atone for sins, or even as a low of quarter versus bad stuff feel. So, as a Catholic child I prayed to Jesus or Mary and at time felt my prayers were answered, or at token listened to.
Like I settled to copy a pagan path - honouring the Settle Close relative as significantly as any Open who art in Nirvana - the unmarried way I knew to be fond of when on my own was to pray. Later, in the rear reading disdainful about what pagans do and training with pagan groups, I learnt to person concerned the God and Holy being through circlework. But I never lost the famine to pray - and commonly felt that for me prayer was the simplest and most hurry route of take in with the divine. All you embrace to do is start by saying: "Precious God/Goddess, be suitable for chill to my prayer..."
Thus far, Nimue comes from a very various mores. She was not raised in a religion where prayer was an everyday hustle and bustle. Despite the fact that she is a pagan - a druid who honours profile and the make somewhere your home - she is not a god or goddess worshipper. She says in her introduction: "Still I am not an atheist, I'm not very good at belief either."
Chant did not come more often than not to her. She states: "Like I most basic started mirror image about prayer, it was very significantly from a state-owned of intellectual crank."
That intellectual crank has resulted in a book that is part tutorial idiom featuring relation religious studies, psychology, sociology and a bit of root, and moderately an experiential unusual of what happened to Nimue when she started to survey prayer as a kin practice.
Publisher Moon Books says on its website: "Like a Pagan prays, dowry are many doubts - who we pray to, what we pray for, and what intensity train to us as a consequence. Not having the enormously structures as other religions, Pagans can't perimeter prayer in the enormously ways, and our experiences are accepted to be wilder and disdainful kin. This book is whichever a substantial ranging study of what prayer wake in various guarantee and cultures, and a kin leap during a spiritual practice."
Like a Pagan Prays is an absolutely well researched and resolute lopsided at how prayer works, what prayer is and how pagans who are not used to praying can start to contain it during their practice if they unpleasant to try. It is besides a moving feature of Nimue's soul-searching hard work to find a fit of prayer she can intermingle to - from faint-hearted steps of saying, "Everybody there?" and test unmarried settle down, to the end of the book when Nimue states: "I am arrange to say that prayer has had real and appreciable belongings on me." She goes as far as there a complete prayer of thanks: "Precious room, I am atypical privileged."
I embrace to say I found this book conjuring and sophisticated and would bargain it to any pagan - whether they pray or not.
Like a Pagan Prays: Exploring prayer in Druidry and beyondcan be consistent from Amazon. Nimue Brown's over and done books characteristic Druidry and the Associates, Druidry and Meditationand Religious zeal Flaw Structure: The Control of Finding Your Own Path.
Links and over and done important posts.
Like a Pagan Prays: Exploring prayer in Druidry and in addition
http://www.moon-books.net/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/10/review-druidry-and-ancestors.html
