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The Structure of a Pagan Prayer

When appealing to a deity or making an offering, it’s wise to know how this was traditionally done in the past so you can be as respectful as possible and build a true reciprocity with the gods. This type of prayer structure is found in all manner of pagan religions from Norse paganism, Hellenic (Greek) polytheism, Kemetic (Egyptian) prayer and so on. I got the inspiration and much of the information here from @Ocean Keltoi on Youtube who is a fantastic scholar and Norse heathen who actively stands against prejudice and is all around a wonderful resource. 

Now, there are three main elements of a pagan prayer, which should be done in this order:

1. The Invocation. This is where you call upon the specific god you’re hoping to connect with. Think of it as writing the name and address on your letter to the Gods - it lets the deity know that this prayer is directed at them, which is important in a polytheistic religion with many gods. To start your invocation, address the deity directly by name, or use an epithet or kenning that they're known by. It's especially wise to choose an epithet that relates to what you're praying for, like using one of Apollo's healer epithets while addressing him in a prayer about a loved one's sickness,  for instance. It’s also a good idea to praise them highly and with a certain air of reverence. These are ancient deities after all. 

2. The Argument. Here you give your reasons for why a deity should fulfill your request and favor you. If you’ve brought offerings, cite them here. You can also include reasons for why you’re reaching out, such as love in a prayer for Aphrodite or matters of justice with the god Tyr. This is where you make your case to them. And if you’re reaching out to a deity you don’t have a working relationship with, which let’s be honest will be the case many more times than we’d like, then you can tell them this here also. A good example might be “Oh Tyr, one-handed war god and son of Odin, though we have not met before I have heard your name and been called to it…”

3. The Request. Finally you ask the gods to look kindly on your request and to grant you their blessing. Again, be as respectful and reverent as possible towards them. 

Prayer Example: “Grey-eyed Athena, daughter of thundering Zeus, if ever I have poured out sweet wine for you, look kindly on me and grant me your wisdom.”

How to stand when making the prayer

This depends on which God you’re reaching out to and, of course, your own personal comfort. The most common ways of praying are to stand and perform some gesture of reverence, kneel while praying and even prostrate, kneeling fully on the ground with your head down as you appeal to the gods. Some might also choose to wear veils when performing prayers or rituals for deities, though this is naturally up to the individual. 

In Hellenic tradition, if you’re praying to an Ouranic god (deities of the heavens) you would traditionally wear your hair up and stand with your arms raised to the heavens while reciting your prayer. Meanwhile, if you are praying to a Chthonic god (deities of the underworld), you would kneel and face downwards towards the Earth with your hair flowing freely. 

Some Norse sources tell of ancient pagans prostrating before the gods, and yet this is still not entirely necessary. Pray however you see fit and what is most comfortable for you at the moment. 

^ This is what prostrating looks like

Sources:

Ocean Keltoi's video on pagan prayers

Hearth and Fire Work's blog post on Hellenic prayer structure

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"Imbolc" By S.R. Harrell, 2025.

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Art by Rituhell

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June Sunrise in a Young Forest by Andrey

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Occult/Magical Books I Read This Year That I Actually Kinda Recommend

Information about these various books can be found in the reading wrap up tag of this blog by going to the month I read them in. We have two 10 out of 10 books, one 9 out of 10 books, and six 7 or 8 out of 10 books.

I read far more occult/magic books than this for this year, but I don't actually recommend most of them.

10/10 Category

Welsh Witchcraft: A Guide to the Spirits, Lore, and Magic of Wales | Mhara Starling

Sacred Gender: Create Trans and Nonbinary Spiritual Connections | Ariana Serpentine

9/10 Category

Warrior Magic: Justice Spirituality and Culture from Around the World | Tomas Prower

7-8/10 Category

Spells for Change: A Guide for Modern Witches | Frankie Castanea

Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic | Phil Hine

Magickal Servitors: Create Your Own Spirits to Attract Pleasure, Power and Prosperity | Damon Brand

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South | Aaron Oberon

Outside the Charmed Circle: Exploring Gender & Sexuality in Magical Practice | Misha Magdalene

Bending the Binary: Polarity Magic in a Nonbinary World | Deborah Lipp (NOTE: the author is a cis woman, and it's a little obvious, but compared to the bigots I deal with regularly, she's still doing pretty good)

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i've been reading a lot of books about urban naturalism recently, and the one big thing they all talk about is how you HAVE to stop seeing nature as something that happens somewhere else. nature is not just charismatic megafauna and state parks and mountain ranges. nature is that abandoned lot that's growing native milkweed in it. nature is the murder of crows that lives in your block. nature is the moss growing on your roof and the dandelions growing in the sidewalk cracks and the song birds at your neighbor's birdfeeder. and you should care about it! you should notice it! that's YOUR nature!

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Non-witchy life tip: get a dvd player and a library card. Streaming services are so wishy-washy and half the time you need an extra subscription to get the good movies and shows anyways.

You can usually find some dvd players in pretty damn good condition at your local thrift stores. You can also find good movies there :>

My library has movies you can check out, and as far as I know most other libraries do.

So go get a dvd player.

And a library card.

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Working with deities is so fun most of the time, like half of the time it's me practically purring and being dummy brained over my beloveds and then I'm uncovering some ancient secrets with them like it's a 2000's slumber party.

Then the other like 5% of the time it's me asking about things my brain can't comprehend right now so they hit me with the

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10 Reasons Why I Love Being a Witch

1) Witchcraft loves me back.

With witchcraft, you get what you give. If you respect a spell’s instructions and perform it with faith, it will work. If you treat your tarot deck with regard, it will give you honest answers. Witchcraft yields results here and now, instead of promising eternal happiness after death.

2) It embraces who I am.

Witchcraft will never censor your truth by asking you to suppress your emotions. Pride, anger, greed, lust, envy… These are what make you human. And they are fuel for rituals. The craft teaches you how to harness and direct them, so you can live up to your potential.

3) It does not care about money.

Whether you use a $30 or a $3 candle will not affect the outcome of your spell. And the number of tarot decks, crystal balls and pendulums you own does not reflect how good a diviner you are. With witchcraft, faith and power are the only currencies that matter.

4) It allows me to avenge myself.

Turning the other cheek may sound nice. But it and self-love cannot co-exist. And in witchcraft, you have to love yourself before the occult allows you command it. The craft lets me practice self-love by giving back malice to anyone who sends it to me.

5) It allows me to help myself.

When your natural gifts are not enough to survive a challenge or accomplish a task, witchcraft lets you call upon the old gods and their minions for assistance. Spells that protect and disarm, heal and harm, grant and transcend are all at your fingertips.

6) It allows me to help others.

Witchcraft requires you to give back. But not through tithes or other taxes like that. Whenever you come across another soul who you think deserves your assistance, you can cast spells for them or perform divination on their behalf.

7) It lets me master myself.

Most people only know their conscious self. As a witch, you will be introduced to your other selves: your higher self and your shadow self. When the three of you have a strong understanding of one another, there is no obstacle you cannot conquer.

8) It lets me glimpse what is hidden.

Through divination, witchcraft allows you to witness things that have not yet come to pass. It also gives you access to the concealed present and the hidden past. This means you can look into people’s souls and see all their hidden motivations.

9) It dissolves my fears.

As a witch, you know that you are always where you are meant to be. Any unexpected, painful or tragic detours are only meant to reroute you to your true purpose. Witchcraft leads you to your true path. It is impossible to get lost.

10) I am the Pope of my religion.

Even though my family taught me the craft, I was given the chance to put that knowledge to the test. Nobody forced me to believe in anything that did not show itself to be true. And whenever I want to talk to my gods, I do not need a middle man. I always have a direct line.

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This is going to make me sound like a cantankerous old bitch, but meh, I'm gonna say it anyway.

Witchcraft is too commercialised nowadays.

It's great to see so many witchcraft books and supplies available. I can walk into kmart or big w and find witchcraft books, tarot cards, and crystals now.

The problem, though, is that everything that's readily available to the masses (i.e. the first thing witchlings may interact with) is all so watered down to be socially acceptable that it gives a warped view to new practitioners while being simultaneously useless to experienced practitioners.

As much as I love how personalised the craft is, I genuinely wish more experienced witches published their personal grimoires and gnosis. I would love to see what others are working on/what works for them.

So here's my plea: if you're an experienced witch (I.e. practising for over 5 years and working your own path), please share a little titbit of what you're currently working/researching/crafting.

☆Marci☆

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Anyone have book recommendations for paganism/magic/witchcraft that are not related to wicca or filled with “divine femininity” TERF stuff?

Literally every book i get about i witchcraft/magic ends up being related to wicca (which i do not practice) or has a weird shit in it 😭

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Me when I add literally anything to my altar:

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THIS.

The reblogs on my post about educating ourselves about psychosis arguing that psychosis is “sometimes harmless” or that “it doesn’t have clear diagnostic sets” when I not only listed diagnostic sets but linked scientific and medical studies on how to identify psychosis are proving my point about how rampant and dangerous spiritual psychosis is in religious communities.

Psychosis is not harmless. It’s not ambiguous. It’s life-threatening and dangerous. It may look innocent from the start, but that’s the threat: when it starts interfering with your life and happiness, it becomes a much bigger problem. Like any disorder, it has the potential to worsen, and even if it’s a harmless delusion at the start, it can easily develop to something much worse that not only puts you at risk, but others, too.

I’m not even going to respond considering the sources I linked that gave a direct and clear definition of psychosis and how dangerous it is, were completely ignored. Obviously I’m not out to get spiritual communities with my spread of awareness which is what some folks seem like they’re taking it. I’m a spirit worker, eclectic witch, and pagan - and I survived psychosis and still exist in numerous online and in person religious communities (I have a coven). I’m not out to “damage” trust in these communities, I’m out to raise awareness as to how the ignorance to psychological problems contributes to a wide set of issues in spiritual circles. I want to make our religious and spiritual communities safer.

This is the problem in these communities. There is no excuse. Educate yourselves.

Do better.

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One of my favorite parts of my practice as a witch that is also the most controversial is the fact that I don't know shit. What do those herbs mean? Fuck if I know. What's the moon phase? Round. What crystals are in your house? Green and blue. I could be using traditionally 'bad' stuff for like a love spell for all I know. Why is that my favorite part? Because it's special. It's unique. I'm following my intuition and whatever spirits have decided to say hello. And it works.

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Cernunnos, (Celtic: “Horned One”) in Celtic religion, an archaic and powerful deity, widely worshipped as the “lord of wild things.” Cernunnos may have had a variety of names in different parts of the Celtic world, but his attributes were generally consistent. He wore stag antlers and was sometimes accompanied by a stag and by a sacred ram-horned serpent that was also a deity in its own right. He wore and sometimes also held a torque, the sacred neck ornament of Celtic gods and heroes. The earliest known depictions of Cernunnos were found at Val Camonica, in northern Italy, which was under Celtic occupation from about 400 BCE. He is believed to be portrayed on the Gundestrup Caldron, a silver vessel found at Gundestrup in Jutland, Denmark, and dating to about the 1st century BCE.

Cernunnos was worshipped primarily in Britain, although there are also traces of his cult in Ireland. The Christian church strongly opposed him because of his powerful pagan influence. He was used as a symbol of the Antichrist and as such figured in Christian iconography and medieval manuscripts.

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Do you have any suggestions for offerings/ways to worship Brigid? Particularly Brigid as a pagan goddess, I know she was later included into Catholicism as a saint because pagans loved her so much! Also would love anything that focuses on low energy things as I’m chronically I’ll and disabled! This would mean a lot to me! I’ve done lots of research on my own but brain fog can be difficult to deal with! Thank you and no rush!

Hi my love! As a disabled babe also, I get what you mean and I'd love to help out!

Offerings and Worshipping Lady Brigid

First thing I found is actually that Brigid is associated with water and springs so water would be a perfect offering

Stay hydrated!

Light a candle for her! Brigid is associated with fire!

Bonfires or food related gatherings with friends/families/partners

She is associate with the Hearth/Home. The hearth is often immediately assumed to be the kitchen as wood stoves historically provided warmth for the families but now your hearth can be wherever you feel most comfortable and at home 🧡

Eat good meals!

Celebrate imbolc! Simmer pots are a great smelling, low energy way to do that!

Florals! Flowers flowers flowers everywhere! Brigid is associated with Spring!

Wear floral scented perfumes and floral dresses or shirts

Straw/hay was actually commonly used to welcome Brigid and her gifts into the home and would make a great offering!

Brigid is a goddess of protection and fertility so if you're trying for a baby! Do it to honour her

Alternatively! Take your birth control as an offering

Practice safe sex!

Brigid is revered as a healer, so take your meds babe!

Brigid is also associated with poetry and wisdom which means reading or writing poetry in her honour is a great offering for her

Domesticated animals are also sacred to her so take care of your furry, scaly and slimy friends

Dyeing your clothes, knitting or crocheting

Brewed drinks such as coffee, tea, beer or mead

Cow imagery (especially white cows)

Practice divination

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Beautiful statues that I wish I could take home with me everytime I visit this shop.

📍Hay-on-Wye, Wales