Prayer, God(s), the Force, and all that.

Proteus wrote: In my eyes, praying is the same as a self-affirmation. In my beliefs, I am my reality and my reality is me. So when I wish for something good to be or to happen, all I need is to intend it, and this can be done in various ways - meditation, simple contemplation, writing it down somewhere, sleep dreaming or even day dreaming. If the idea (not just words) and the feeling that idea gives, runs through the mind and the actual intention is real and clear, then it can happen, through whatever way/means that it can manifest, be it by outside chance, or by making you feel motivated to get up and turn that idea into action yourself. This is pretty much a universal action given different names for different religious cultures.

So, to you, prayer and magick are about the same? Or am I reading that wrong?

What I was saying is that is what I do in terms of praying (and how it works).... lol

eternalstudent wrote:
So, to you, prayer and magick are about the same? Or am I reading that wrong?

No, magic is magic. What I'm talking about is metaphysics.

Proteus wrote: What I was saying is that is what I do in terms of praying (and how it works).... lol

I think eternalstudent meant me. I tend to say too much without saying anything at all sometimes. lol

Reliah wrote:

Proteus wrote: What I was saying is that is what I do in terms of praying (and how it works).... lol

I think eternalstudent meant me. I tend to say too much without saying anything at all sometimes. lol

ohh, lol! okay.

Proteus wrote: What I was saying is that is what I do in terms of praying (and how it works).... lol

Ah. I'm still confused. But alrighty! Whatever works for you, lol.

Reliah wrote:

Proteus wrote: What I was saying is that is what I do in terms of praying (and how it works).... lol

I think eternalstudent meant me. I tend to say too much without saying anything at all sometimes. lol

No, Reliah, I wasn't talking about you. I was just confused by Proteus's post.

Proteus wrote:

eternalstudent wrote:
So, to you, prayer and magick are about the same? Or am I reading that wrong?

No, magic is magic. What I'm talking about is metaphysics.

Okay. Makes more sense now that you've specified you're talking about metaphysics. But, the two are very similar. At least the forms of magick I've studied are.

When I do its sort of praying to everyone/everything. As a kid I prayed for protection and good fortune for those who I loved, then one day I expanded it to my friends, and then kept going.... so now when I meditate on connecting to the Force and projecting positive energy to everything and everyone - its the closest I get what I used to do when I prayed.

I'm not so much into invoking the names or identities of particular individual characters, as to me this is more magic then prayer. I feel like popular established religions cross the line from meditative prayer into magical prayer because they have specific liturgy and theology which might protect the mind and spirit of the people using it, whereas unstructured metaphysical spiritual magic might be a little bit more risky or counter-productive etc, depending on a persons beliefs.

I don't often pray, in the common sense of the word. I practice witchcraft and perform rituals and spells that honor the Divine, and the passing seasons. On occasion, I'll ask the Goddess/God for guidance and such do I suppose that's prayer.

Lately I've just been meditating on the Jedi Code and trusting in the Will of the Force (also the Fates and other energies).

I am Christian. In theory. So I pray to God, but somehow without much hope of it actually making much difference to anything.

In terms of structured prayer that's pretty much limited to when I am in church/cathedral services (i.e. twice every Sunday and the odd Saturday or weekday as well), when I use the intercessions to help direct my prayers. Which basically means that I pray for what I'm being told to pray for at the time.

The rest of the time my prayers are generally on a bit of a whim, and a bit like when you're a child begging your parents for something...'Pleeeeease God, please help me with this thing/person?'

I don't pray to the Force because I don't see it as a deity which will answer prayers. That's a negotiable principle though (the not-praying to it).