Frequently Asked Questions

   Collated by Rhiannon NosTylluan

   

FAQ for May 2005 How do you pray? What role does ritual play in the way you practice your beliefs? Since Pagans claim to not believe in sin, how do you define murder, theft etc?            How do you pray? Prayer is a daily ritual for me - I pray when I getup. I pray before meals. I pray at bedtime. I also pray for specific events. I do not get down on my knees, Christian-style. Prayer, or communion with the divine, is a form of meditation for me. I start my day with some simple yoga followed by some meditation in lotus position. Before meals, I take the time to really look at and smell my food and be grateful for it. I savour it as I eat it - this too is prayer. At night time I take a walk with my dog. We enjoy the evening, listen to the sounds, smell the air - we live in the moment and that is, for me, a deliberate act of prayer. ~ Josh P. This question could be taken a variety of ways. How do I pray? As in what do I say? That could be answered diferently everyday. I have an ongoing non-verbal "prayer" of thankfulness and awareness of my day and my good fortune. I have some simple prayers I offer at mealtimes and before sleeping. I have long formal devotions for my ritual observances. Do I pray? Yes. Devoutly and often. Would it be recognised as prayer by others? Maybe. But there's no downcast eyes or bent head. I pray facing the sun or moon. I lie face against the earth and offer her my devotion. I do many things that to me are prayer - and filled with more love and honour than any prayer I offered while still a Christian. For now I am thinking about my religion whereas before I simply did it. ~ B. Wolfe Prayer is a mixture of activities for me - I have both formalised ritualistic prayer, and on-the-spot conversations with the divine. With the first I set a scene - candles, altar, offerings, and such. I have a ritual bath or shower and sometimes prepare a meal. My prayer is offered aloud and is one I have crafted specifically for the occasion. These prayers usually form a part of a ritual festival or event, or something of great moment such as prayer on behalf of a sick family member. My view of deity is that while on-the-spot honest conversations are a great way to keep balanced and connected, ritualistic prayer is a way to let down all barriers and truly commune about the importance of the occasion. Offering honour and ritual, and sacrificing something of value is at times very appropriate. It reminds me that the divine is not just a part of my life, but also a part of something vast and great. A power that I can tap into and access. The act of formal prayer doesn't increase the power I can use, but does improve my awareness and control over it. It focuses my attention in a way that on-the-spot prayer doesn't. ~ Catherine M.    What role does ritual play in the way you practice your beliefs? Ritual is one of the ways I express my beliefs, but not a central one. I may miss a ritual observance of a festival, or something, and it is not a big deal. Mainly because if I miss the observance there's a good reason. The way I practice my beliefs is wound up in how I live - that expresses more about who and what I am and what I believe than the regular practice of ritual. Routine ritual is often empty as it has ceased to be an integral part of the belief and become the clothing used to display said belief. Rote words and actions mean little without the lifestyle and belief system to back them up. ~ Josh P. I like ritual - it's fun. It can be very meaningful and it also acts as a clear indicator of where my belief is at the time. The stronger I believe, the less important ritual can be and conversely the more likely I am to find ritual extremely powerful. Vice versa when I have slipped loose of my religious moorings. If I perform ritual and find it hollow, I know I have stepped off my path. If I miss a ritual, and yet find myself fulfilled as if I had observed it, I know I am in tune, and spiritually observing. ~ Catherine M.    Since Pagans claim to not believe in sin, how do you define murder, theft etc? It's difficult since "sin" is an objective thing. What is wrong in my society is right in another. Or what is wrong in my society in one context (ie killing someone to protect yourself while commiting a felony crime) is right in another (killing to protect from someone else who is commiting the felony). I do not condone actions that cause harm, but I also try very hard not to judge them. I do not know the why of it - and to judge without the why is to lose my compassion for all beings. ~ Josh P. I see the things often called sinful or evil as being anti-beneficial. Most of us try to act in a beneficial fashion. We try not to harm others, and we try to benefit ourselves. Some of us try to benefit others as well - sometimes altruistically, sometimes not. Usually, due to social checks and punishments, we try and avoid harmful behaviours. Yet most people engage in degrees of sin. How many people make personal calls on work phones? Use the work computer, printer, or copier for non-work related matters? Keep the extra change the cashier gave them? Avoid making eye-contact with the homeless man begging for money? Throw out perfectly good clothes and food because they can't be bothered dropping them off at a local charity center? Most of these are excused as not really stealing, or not enough time, or the homeless guy'll drink up the money. But the reality is that these are behaviours able to be described as wrong. Sinful. I see all "sinful" activities as degrees of wrongdoing - we all do some of it, and we are all capable of doing more. But we chose not to for whatever reason. Just where we draw the line varies. Am I really a better person for drawing the line at murder while lying about why I won't help the homeless man? Or is the cold-blooded murderer who is honest about her motivations and actions actually a more ethical being? It's certainly more comfortable to say I'm better. But to truly be so, shouldn't I either admit I'm too cheap to give out charity cash, or start making unconditional donations? ~ B. Wolfe I do not believe in sin as in original sin, inherited sin, or an inately sinful nature. I believe we are born innocent and pure. What we do defines who we become. It is human nature to make mistakes - and one of the ways we learn. The emotional context of a mistake is to me wherein lies the potential for what could be termed sin. To commit an act that brings harm to others, knowing it will harm, knowing there are alternatives that will not harm, and either not caring or chosing the path of harm - this is "sin" for lack of a better word. It is an act that will not only harm others, but also oneself - damaging the soul and upsetting balance. It is an act that must be redressed, preferably by the one who commited the act, to restore balance and heal the harm done. ~ Catherine M.

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