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Hello, and welcome to this weeks blog! I hope you’re having a great week, and that you’re not too cold- it’s snowing here in Lancashire today!
This week, I am going to be taking some time to discuss prayer within folk witchcraft, largely from my own perspective and practice as a traditional style folk Witch. So, as usual, please allow yourself to get comfortable, grab yourself a nice drink and a snack, and follow me while I take some time to discuss my personal relationship with prayer, and why I decided to take it up.

Growing up as I did in an Anglo-Irish Catholic family, I did not start life with the most positive relationship with prayer. From as early as I can remember, I was made to learn and dutifully recite before bed each night,

“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
bless the bed that I lay on.
Four corners to my bed,
four Angels there be spread.
One at my head, one at my feet,
and two to guard me while I sleep.
If I should die before I wake, I pray
the Lord my soul to take”.

And as well as this, every single meal time (without exception, including at lunch time at the Catholic school I attended) would see me recite;

“Bless us oh God as we sit together,
bless the food we eat today.
Bless the hands that made the food,
bless us oh God, Amen”.

By the time I reached the age of eight, I was regimentally taught how to pray the entire Rosary, the ‘Our Father’, and the Nicaean Creed.
For me, prayer always seemed like a forced and scripted act of grovelling and ritual, with no soul or sense of individual self expression to the divine.
It’s perhaps no wonder then why, that when I left the church as a teenager, I abandoned prayer altogether. I had been brought up in such a way that prayer felt empty, and even when my sister encouraged me to attend her Born Again Baptist Church, where prayer and song certainly had a little bit more ‘oomph’ and sensationalism. I never felt as though my prayer was connecting with anyone or anything. This in part, may have been because I held no resonance with the Judaic Christian god, and my heart was already wandering towards old Celtic and Norse Gods.
Of course, if any prayer is to be effective, one must truly love, believe in, and respect who it they are seeking divine conference with. And I did not have that in the male-centric faith that is Christianity. I acknowledge that both Jesus and Jehovah likely exist as much as any other deity, from any number of world faiths, I just felt no ‘connection’ with them. And ultimately, I think it was this, and the very stiff prayer practice that ultimately did not work for my creative spirit and neurodivergent brain. I needed belief, freedom, and the artistic license to pray in any creative way I saw fit.

After finally throwing myself into what could be considered Neo-Paganism (in the form of modern Druidry), alongside my already existing practice of folk witchcraft, did I begin to explore the arena of prayer again. And I must admit, I found this very difficult. I had spent my entire life being indoctrinated into a faith where prayer was largely scripted. So sourcing, learning, and using new prayer methods was tricky. Even when I prayed to my beloved Brigid or Cerridwen. It was an awkward experience. I felt called to prayer, but at the time, I didn’t care to sit still or stand by an altar and just talk conversationally to the gods.
What if my monologue-like prayer was boring, whiney, or petty? What if I fell asleep while praying? What on earth do I have to say to the gods that is so important that it warrants taking up their time?
Should I stand, sit, or kneel? Before I knew it, I was utterly tied up in knots of what I thought it was to pray as a Witch. As you can see, I had very little confidence in the art.

It took time, but eventually I found a way back to prayer, and that was because I wanted too. And this is important, because not everyone, or every folk Witch, feels that they need relationship with prayer- and that’s ok!

For myself, I discussed the topic with like minded friends, teachers, and those who could, for all intents and purposes be considered ‘elders’ within my Pagan and Folk Witch communities, and eventually I came to what I call ‘the big realisation’ with prayer. And that is the simple truth that prayer is divine communion with spirit, and that communion, or communication, could be not only with deity, but also ancestors, spirits of the land, or even our higher self! In many ways, it’s simply a spiritual phone call.

As humans, we communicate in a vast myriad of ways, spoken word, song, music, dance, physical theatre, mime, sign language, body language, written word, physical touch, and more! Therefore, if we communicate daily in so many varied ways, why should prayer only be in the form of repetition of archaic and boring verse? When potentially prayer could be creative and spontaneous! It could be a song sung loudly, a tune hummed quietly while washing up, a morning yoga routine or sun salutation dedicated to-whoever! Prayer could still be written and recited, but they could also be vision boards, pieces of art, or drumming in the back garden ( ideally not late at night on new or full moons though. Trust me, I speak from experience, neighbours do not appreciate it!).

After a while of experimenting, and finding a lot of ways that I knew DID NOT work for me with prayer and praise (yoga and dance were certainly not me folks!), I eventually found the ways I did enjoy the art of prayer.
These took the form of:

1. My Prayer Crystal
2. Prayer beads
3. Written prayers for recital
4. Spontaneous prayers for when needed.

I will discuss these elements of my practice a little bit later, but first I want to explain exactly why it was I wanted to build a relationship with prayer within a folk Witch practice that has no dogma calling for it’s use.

I think above all, prayer for me, is like many other peoples experience of the art, it’s an instinctual calling deep within the soul. Or, as some of us refer to it as, the ‘prayer reflex’. This instinctual prayer reflex seems to be part of human nature, and where I cannot categorically claim that everyone has it, I have seen even the most staunch of atheists turn to prayer during times of need or desperation. I have seen an atheist mother collapse into a chair beside her potentially dying daughter (who at the time was on life support after being in a house fire) and begin to pray for some sort of divine intervention. I have seen another person fall into whispered prayer and say “I don’t know if there is a ‘God’, but if you are there. Please don’t let my wife die just yet”. As a mother, Doula, Chaplain, and Priestess, I have seen lapsed Catholics who have not prayed in years, and even those who would describe themselves as agnostic and non practicing, turn to prayer in times of need. Some may think this an act of hypocrisy, but I do not. I really do think it is likely to be a part soul calling, part psychological need to connect with a parent or elder type figure in spirit who can potentially help us, and this is what I call the prayer reflex. An innate need inside all of us to turn towards a figure bigger than ourselves for help, guidance and connection. As children, our first port of call is usually our parents, especially our mothers. They are the ones who can nearly always make things right. As children, we may well be taught to pray if we are brought up around a family faith, and yes, we may turn to that figurehead in prayer, but it’s still our parents who we run to first for help and guidance. As adults, I suspect that this reflex gets re-located somewhat. After all, as much as we love our parents, we cannot always run to them in crisis, especially if they have passed on (unless of course it’s in prayer to our ancestors).
So, naturally, the human nature looks for something else bigger than ourselves. Sometimes we turn to professionals for help and advice, and if that fails, that seems to be when the prayer reflex kicks in. But this prayer reflex is not always necessarily called upon when an individual is in crisis. Sometimes we simply have an innate need, or soul calling to connect with spirit to meditate with, seek guidance from, and share our joys with. And this was my experience.
In the early days, I knew that I wanted to work with both Brigid and Cerridwen, but did not know how. It wasn’t like I could send a friend request, my only options it seemed were prayer, shamanic journeying, and ritual. Of all of these, prayer seemed the most effective, and has been time and time again. For example, when I began working with the Norse Goddess and Valkyrie, Eir. Doctor, herbalist, and medicine woman to the Gods, prayer was very effective. She would answer every prayer with vivid visualisations and symbology for me to decipher, understand and learn from.

As well as wanting to connect with certain deities on a very personal level, somewhere deep inside of me, I knew prayer and praise would be good for my health- both physical and emotional. I could not quite pinpoint why, but I instinctually knew that prayer would not only become a foundation beneath me to stand upon in my Druid and Witch practices, but would also act as a shield around me. My final reason for wanting to reconnect with prayer and bring it into my own practice, was because of something my mother once said to me.
We were discussing my exit from the evangelical Baptist church my sister and her friend had convinced to go to, and how I knew I would be ostracised from the community and lose friends for going back to Paganism, when my mother said something along the lines of “Witchcraft is prayer in action. When a Christian prays, it’s to connect with God in order to praise or manifest something such as healing. When you perform a working or a ritual, all it is, is a physical form of prayer. A Catholic might use a rosary or light a candle. You light a candle, but also sprinkle herbs, use ribbons, symbols, and whatever else. Spells are prayers in action and ritual, seeking to manifest something through some various form of the divine- be that the power of nature or a goddess or god. It’s still prayer, just stylised differently”.

This conversation had a huge impact on me, and forever changed the way I viewed prayer. I wouldn’t say it took the mysticism out of doing spells, but it did alter my view. Yes, workings are acts of magick, but so are prayers. Workings (along with their subsequent connections of ritual, journeying, and divination) and prayer may not be the same thing, but it is perhaps that they are two sides of the same coin.

When it comes to working with the gods, prayer and veneration are my primary go-to’s within both my Druid and Folk Witch practice. And these can take various forms, it can be as simple as leaving an offering of fresh herbs at the feet of Eir upon my altar, a vase of fresh flowers by Cerridwen, the recital of formalised prayers, spontaneous ones, or even conversational connections (though granted, I never ‘hear’ the gods reply audibly, I do often feel their guidance or see visualisations within my minds eye). My personal connection with old Celtic and Norse Gods is very important to me in my practice, and perhaps you may have spotted why…
The main female deities I work with are;

1. Brigid/Brigantia, goddess of midwifery, motherhood, poetry and the written word, protection, healing arts, and smithcraft
2. Cerridwen, goddess of inspiration, poetry/the written word, motherhood, witches, death, and transformation.
3. Frigga, goddess of marriage and wives, mothers, the home and hearth, magick, the ‘sight’, and fate.
4. Goddess and Valkyrie of medicine, herbs, healing, midwifery, and doctor to the gods.
   

As an individual folk Witch, my areas of skill lay predominantly with working with expectant mothers, families, and holistic care. I am also a writer, poet, wife, mother, ‘Kenner’ (someone with mediumship abilities, or ‘the sight’), professional divination reader, and trainee medical herbalist. All qualities that intrinsically link me to the above listed goddess of Celtic and Norse deities.

In order for me to do the community wise woman work I do, I choose to connect with deities and spirits that I know are likely to help guide me, and even inspire me in my life callings. And when I work directly with clients for healings, readings, and the like, it is nearly always one of the above (but also some of the male deities I also work with) that I call upon. For example, when I perform a blood staunching charm, I may well call upon Eir or Brigid, both Goddesses associated with healing.
If I am doing a reading, I may call upon Frigga or Odin etc.

It is not just my own folk magic traditions that uses prayer within workings. There are countless examples of prayer (though often with Christian overtones as opposed to more modern neo Pagan examples) within British traditional Witchcraft, as well as other European traditions, and even Appalachian folk ways and witchery.
For example, it was not, and is still not uncommon for some Witches to call upon St Anthony when they are trying to find a lost or stolen object.
Within British, French, German, and even Appalachian Folk magic, the use of biblical psalms are often called upon from everything from invoking healing over a sick person, to seeking reconciliation over a conflict between families.
However, it is not just biblical verses and the power of God who is called upon within Appalachian practices, there is also supposedly some who will call upon the influence and combined power of their ancestors for assistance, especially in regards to protection.
One American Witch I spoke to said that some women in labour will actively pray to the ancestral women in her family line, especially for protection and assistance in birth. A powerful form of sympathetic magic, because if all these ancestral women were able to bring fourth life again and again, resulting in the current generation now creating new descendants of their own, it makes sense to call upon these matriarchs of old for support and wisdom.

The Ancestors.

This act of praying too, or calling upon the ancestors is not unique, in fact it features in many cultures around the world! Some even believing that ones ancestors can not only influence the lives of their living descendants, but also bring good fortune, and foretell future events!
In traditional Chinese culture, the ancestors were worshipped, had beautiful altars made in their memory, and had sacrifices good of food and drink offered to them.
Around the world, there are special days of celebration that seek to celebrate and remember the ancestors. In China, there are the Ghost festivals, in Mexico they have their Dia De Muertos (day of the dead), and of course here in the U.K and Ireland we have our Samhain and it’s descendant of Halloween to remember and honour the dead.

For me personally, I have a specific altar at home, separate to both the main family altar, and my own personal space I use in my folk ways and Priestessing, that is solely dedicated to the Ancestors. It sits on the stop shelf of a bookcase at the top of the stairs, it’s location chosen specifically for it’s liminality. As stairs, doorways, mirrors, gates, crossroads, and so on, are liminal spaces where spirits can often gain entry to the world of the living, or be seen by the living. Another reason for me placing an Ancestor altar at the top of the stairs is because I see it’s location as an act of protection. I would like to think that while my family and I sleep, that our loved ones now gone to spirit are protecting the upper levels of our home from physical or spiritual intruders.
The Ancestor altar is adorned with lots of old black and white photos, along with some more recent coloured photography as more recent generations have started to leave this world. Trinkets belonging to certain ancestors, and a tiny stemmed vase that belonged to my Nan also resides there, ready for me to share one flower each week from my weekly brought or freshly cut bouquets that I get to decorate the home. This act of sharing alone, helps me feel close to my Nan and other Ancestors. As well as this, I often greet the photos in the morning a with a cheerful “good morning!”, or if I am too groggy ( I’m really not a morning person), I will wish the ancestors a good night. I do not pray to the ancestors daily, but admittedly I do when there is need of it. In general, I believe in letting the dead rest. If they want to come to you, they will. But, whenever I am expecting a baby, a descendant in their line, I will actively pray for help, guidance and protection from both mine and my husbands ancestors. I also prayed when my daughter was very unwell and on life support, asking for my ancestors help, love and guidance, and that if our daughter could not be saved, could at least some Ancestor, such as my mother or great aunty be there ready to lovingly collect my daughters soul, and guide her to the world of spirit. Thankfully though, this was not needed, and my daughter is now five, happy, healthy, and very rambunctious.

Connecting to Ancestors via prayer, I feel, is a very natural calling. The same way a child calls out to their mother or father, we too as adults sometimes seek the assistance of our ancestors when we feel called to, or if it is part of our cultural practice.

Spirits Of The Land.

But it is not just to Gods and Ancestors I pray to…
Admittedly, I also pray to local spirits of the land. This has a slightly different approach and technique compared to when I pray to the beforementioned, but ultimately, It is still prayer.

One example of this could be when I began to do workings and rituls in some of the areas of Pendle, Lancashire. Once I found a place that I felt was suitable as a working spot, I sat down on a tree stump and prayed aloud:

“Spirits and guardians of this place,
my name is Zanna, and I live here in the County
Of Lancashire.
I have come here today in quiet retreat from
the noise of the outside world, to honour
this place of secluded natural beauty.
I come here to work witchery, ritual, and prayer.
I enter this place as myself, and I will leave as
myself, leaving barely a footprint as evidence of
my presence.
If you, the spirits of the land here, do not want me here today, make you presence
known now…
(short momentary pause to look for any natural
or unnatural signs of activity that could be counted as
a sign).
I now call out to my own guides and Ancestors, If
I am in danger in this place, please make your presence
known now…
(momentary pause…)
If the spirits of the land here are happy with my presence
Please make yourself known now…
(momentary pause again).
I appreciate you for your time today, and honour
your existence, I shall now work in/leave this space
today, and leave this suitable offering to the ground beneath
my feet, and the wildlife of these parts.

When I was connecting with this particular location in the forest of Pendle, and I spoke the line “if the spirits of the land here, are happy with my presence, please make yourself known”, an unexpected breeze swept through the wooded area where I was, and the area had, until that moment at least, been very still and quiet.
Although not all spirits of the land can neatly be lumped into the category of ‘faerie’, you will have perhaps noticed I took care to adhere to certain Fearie customs in my openly spoken prayer. For example, I never outrightly said ‘thank-you’, as this is believed to insult many of the fae, and can supposedly lead to you either being pixie led, injured, or in some cases go missing entirely. And, when I make mention of an offering, it is not specifically for the local land spirits but to “the ground beneath my feet, and wildlife of these parts”. Sneaky perhaps, but a valid precaution in both practical and psychic protection. I have gone on to use this, or at least similarly worded prayers at other locations too. Such as last year, when I went to trace out the remains of an old Coffin road. There was a lovely clearing near to what was left of the old corpse way (a processionary route historically used to ferry coffins to the nearest parish church for funerals, you can read more about them here), and after saying the prayer, I felt very welcome there.
However, further along, near to where the actual coffin lane would have been, it felt very cold and isolated. It felt as though I was not wanted there, and the atmosphere was eerily quiet. The further along I walked, the more narrow the path became. Nettles and cleavers had begun to claim the track, to my right the small brook bubbled it’s course lightly, but seemed muffled somewhat by the dense layer of deadly water hemlock climbing the banks. I felt uneasy, but not unsafe, and so decided to pray to the spirits of the place and see if I was welcome or not. When I got to the line “If you, the spirits of the land here, do not want me here today, make you presence known now…” There was a thud! somewhere ahead of me and to my left, a branch had come down. And as I looked up, I saw a figure of a man in black pointing back the way I had come. I took the hint, and left, quietly and carefully. Although the branch coming down was not near to, or aimed at me, and nor would I say that the spirit I saw was definitively threatening, it was clear that my presence was not wanted, and so I respected this.

It’s important to note that there will not always be an obvious change in the weather or branches coming down to conveniently give you permission to stay or to go. Sometimes all you will feel is your intuition, signalling from deep inside of you. As was the case for me when I visited the Devils Arrows Standing Stone In Yorkshire last year. There was no obvious signal from the land or the weather, but deep inside of me, I felt the stones draw me closer and closer. Like we had known each other a long time and they were waiting for me to come closer.

A final example of praying to spirits of the land would be when I moved into my current home. I did this primarily to introduce myself, explain my intentions, share a little bit of who me and family are and what my interests are. For example, I spoke about all the flowers we planned to plant in the garden. And as well as this, I promised that for however long we live here, when we eventually move to our dream homestead, that we promise to leave this home better than when we moved in, and with a bank of happy memories to draw upon. I would like to think the house approved.

Praying to features in the landscape, and to it’s spirits of the land has an undeniably animistic quality that will be very familiar to the folk witch, we are after all, animists at heart. Each knowing that there is energy and ‘life’ in all things. We know that the spirit of a standing stone, house, on ancient yew will perhaps show an express itself differently to say, the spirit of a once living person, a Fearie and so on. This does not mean that they cannot be communicated with though. And this is where prayer, or even shamanic journeying can be beneficial in regards to communication.

I choose to pray to the spirits of the land because I know we are all one and related. I also do it out of respect for their presence in my life, and their place within their own world and within ours. Where not every spirit in nature is helpful, many are. And these are the spirits who can be called upon for help and assistance when needed.

My Prayer Practice.

As listed above, I have four main methods of prayer.

1. My prayer Crystal
2. My prayer beads
3. formal prayers for reciting
4. spontaneous or conversation prayer.

I pray every day, almost without fail. It is certainly the foundation of my witchcraft practice. All of my witchery fans out from this central point of practice, and it is really helpful for me to remember that. You see, there is often this unrealistic expectation of what it is to be a Witch, that unless we are doing spells every day, constantly making herbal remedies, foraging, or setting up beautiful and Insta worthy altars, then our practice is worthless. This is obviously not only untrue, but completely an unrealistic and unsustainable way of practicing folk witchery. We shouldn’t be doing workings every day, they should just be for when they are needed, not for fun, mischief, or to satisfy other peoples misguided expectations of Witch practice. Nor does it matter if we skip a Sabbat or folk festival day of celebration. What matters is how our practice works for us. There will be days where we do it all and we feel powerful! And then there will be the quiet and unspoken days, where perhaps all we do is brew a herbal tea or make a coffee, and say a simple blessing of intention over it. Magic is in the every day actions as much as it is in the rituals. Don’t get me wrong, I do not pray morning, noon, and night. But it is a simple and effective part of my practice. When I awaken in the morning, if I’m not too exhausted from being up and down all night with the kids, I will recite my morning prayer, the prayer to Cerridwen I was taught in my Priestess training, and choose a ‘card of the day’ to act as guidance from one of my many oracle or tarot decks. If this does not happen, I always try to use my prayer crystal before bed.

The Prayer Crystal.

My main prayer crystal is a polished circular stone of smokey citrine, which I purchased some years ago from a shop in Glastonbury. At the time of purchasing, I had no idea what I would use the stone for, it just called to me so strongly that I felt that I had to get it! After sitting upon my altar for a few months, it was finally taken up as a prayer stone, or prayer crystal. And my method of use is really simple.

With this tool, I am not praying to any one particular deity or ancestor, but rather in part, I am praying to the creator force within the universe, and also to myself. Acknowledging all that is good, wholesome, and that which brings joy.
When I lay in bed each night, I take the crystal out from under my pillow and I do the following:

I recite the gratitude’s– everything in my life I am grateful for. Even if I have had a shit day and I don’t feel very thankful, I recite my gratitude’s because over the years I have found it is good soul medicine, as well as anxiety reducing, therefore beneficial to my mental health. My gratitudes might resemble;
“I am greatful for this warm bed I am in”.
“I am greatful for my home”.
“I am greatful for financial security in these uncertain times”.
“I am greatful for my health”.

The “I will’s”: In short, this is a form of manifestation, where I recite everything I plan to do and will achieve in my lifetime. For example:
“I will become a naturopath and herbalist”.
“I will one day write my book and have it published”.
“Today was difficult, but I will rise above it, and I will have a better day tomorrow”. etc

The “I am’”: The ‘I am’ section serves as a confidence booster and grounding method, a way of reminding the self of how unique and important you are in the world. For Example, mine looks something like this:

I am Zanna.
I am a mother, wife, sister and friend.
I am a Priestess, Doula, Chaplain, and Writer.
I am loved.
I am a gardener and forager.
I am a good mother.
I am a Witch and Wise Woman.
I am a student
I am Kind

The I Love’s: The I love section may sound completely fluffy, and maybe it is. But it is also hugely comforting and supportive. I have taught my prayer method to others and one thing that comes up repeatedly is that the I love section has really helped people. A close friend who was at the time battling post natal depression and an eating disorder said that over time, the ‘I love’ section was one of the main things that helped her through her time of darkness. “It reminded me that I wasn’t as alone as I felt I was. And the more people I included in my I love’s, the more grounded and safe I felt”. Another person also told me that they found at first, their I love you section was short and felt insignificant. But over time, they were surprised to find their list of I ‘love you’ grew to incorporate friends, colleagues, and even people like family members who had previously hurt them. When I asked this person to elaborate a little more on what they meant, they said “I can’t explain it really. Love is addictive I guess. The more you love, the less the shadows crowd in, and I found after a while I was even able to say “I love you mum” in my prayers. Even though I thought I hated her. It’s been very healing for me”.

When I do the I love you section of my prayers, I mentally say “I love you (name)” and imagine that love is being sent to them, I suppose a little like Reiki.
For example;

” I love you Mark (my husband), may my love be with you”.
“I love you Evelynn (daughter), may my love be with you”.

I have once been asked about the question of ‘consent’ when it comes to prayer. Should you ask consent to pray for another or to send them love? The answer to this is subjective, and my personal perspective is that if prayer comes from a place of good, then no, it shouldn’t require consent. However, for anyone who feels unsure, I suppose there is no harm in putting in a prayer clause of “If it is suitable then I pray that…”, or “If their soul agrees, then I pray that…” .
And if you are someone who likes to require consent for everything, go for it! It’s your practice.

As well as naming all of the people, animals, places, or things you love in life, you can also incorporate those who you know love you in return. For example, you can choose to say, “I am loved by my partner” or, “I am loved by my cat”.

The ‘I release’: Now, this section, I do not necessarily do every day, but I choose to add it in as it is part of my prayer crystal work from time to time, and it serves as a conscious way of choosing to let go of what no longer serves you. It allows you look at feelings, hurts, or shadows, acknowledge them and then willingly let go. And I have found this extremely helpful over the years. A simple line of “I choose to release my fear of failure”, or “I choose to release my heartbreak over (…) and therefore begin to heal” is very empowering when done time and time again in prayer practice.

If this is a practice you think that you would like to take up, but tend to avoid crystals or struggle to find some that are ethically sourced, there is nothing stopping you using a shell (as my daughter does), a hag stone, or anything else that calls to you. Just because I choose to use an ethically sourced crystal, does not mea you have too.

The Prayer Beads.

Over the years, I have both bought and made prayer beads. My current prayer beads are actually a crystal necklace that I bought at a little shop in Haworth, Yorkshire, when visiting the home of the Bronte sisters. It was small, pretty, and just called to me. On one end was a rose quartz leaf that I felt would make a good anchor point (the starting point for a prayer cycle).
When I got home, I attached a triquetra pendant to the other end of the necklace so that it could mark a second anchor point (so I could start a new prayer or affirmation, if needed).
I used these prayer beads heavily in my last pregnancy, praying to the gods, reciting pregnancy related affirmations, and even hypnobirthing mantras. Whenever I felt scared or anxious, an appointment was running over, or I was stuck in traffic, I would hold my beads and recite either scripted or spontaneous prayers, or affirmations over and over for each bead. What this did, as is similar with any other religion or culture that uses prayer beads, was send me into an almost meditative state of calm spiritual connection. It not only reduced my adrenaline and stress related cortisol levels, but helped me draw close to whoever I was praying to at the time. As such, in this quiet and meditative space of prayer, I often felt the God’s guide me, or whisper encouragement. I carry my prayer beads everywhere with me, which is an obvious difference to my main prayer stone which lives under my pillow for bedtime use. This way, my prayer beads can be used discreetly wherever I go.

Scripted Prayer.

Scripted prayer is not my usual go to, but it is still held within my repertoire of practice. Over the years, I have both written and compiled prayers by others in to my book of ways and means (or grimoire, depending on your craft background and chosen lingo).
Where I do not favour written an remembered prayer, largely because it takes me back to my regimented Catholic background, I do acknowledge that a written prayer that has built power by being used many times, does hold a very unique power to it. Especially prayers such as the one I demonstrated previously for connecting with spirits of the land, or prayers that are used specifically for healing, banishing, or protection.
For me personally, I tend to only use scripted prayer only when it is absolutely needed, and this is usually in my role as professional Priestess, Celebrant, and Chaplain, as when you are praying with or for someone who is very ill, it gives them great comfort to see you lovingly recite a prayer that is either said in confidence, or is immediately recognisable to them. The same goes in ritual for Celebrancy, in handfastings in particular, Pagan couples often like to have certain prayers read aloud.

Spontaneous Prayer.

As you have probably guessed, when praying for myself or loved ones, spontaneous prayer is my usual go-to. For me personally, it feels more relaxed and allows me to build a genuine relationship with whoever I am praying too.
I can pray in a position I am comfortable with, and be as loud or silent as I want to be. There is no formality with it, I go by a prayer by prayer basis. For example, over the years, I have found that praying to Brigid usually works best if I start with “Blessed Brigid, sacred mother and midwife, hear my prayer” before launching into whatever it is I want to talk about works best.
Yet, when I pray to Eir, she doesn’t seem to care how I start praying, I just get going, and before long, in my minds eye, I find myself in an apothecary-like garden, sitting before a very practical looking middle aged woman (usually pulling up or cutting herbs) with wild strawberry blonde hair who is only too happy to share advice and practical wisdom. Over the years, I have learnt to keep a prayer journal. I don’t write down word for word what it was that I prayed, but I do jot down who I prayed to, what the topic was, what I felt their guidance was, and so on.
If like me, you have a somewhat ‘monkey brain’ this does help to keep your thoughts, prayers, and guidance from spirit or deity in order. You may also be surprised to see emerging patterns in prayers, that show up in your journal. Such as asking for help with something, then receiving that a few weeks later. Or in my case, witnessing, that I seem to draw closer to Cerridwen at the New Moon, And Brigid at the Full Moon. I also use this prayer journal to jot down what ‘card of the day’, rune or ogham I have drawn.

Parting Words.

As you can see, prayer has become a very important part of my practice. It connects me to many gods and spirits, offers me a firm foundation, and gives me strength, guidance and inspiration in my daily folk Witch and community Wise Woman Practice. That being said though, prayer is not for everyone, and that’s ok. We each must walk our own paths, and do so with pride! I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog, and at the very least, found it insightful into how one folk Witch utilises prayer.
Our next blog is part of the grimoire series, and I shall be showing you how to make a protection prayer using the symbol of the Lancashire rose.

Through time, mists, and the distance between us, blessings from me to you.

Zanna