Liturgy Challenges
The Sage and I have introduced what we are calling our Liturgy Challenges to share with our listeners who might want to try some of this stuff out for themselves.
Over the next however many Extras, we will be sharing peices of what we consider the Liturgy behind our practices, to give you the opportunity to incorporate each one into your daily spiritual practices.
We'll begin with a "Liturgy of the Hours" set, designed to provide quick practices at certain times throughout each day, when able.
Then a set dedicated to certain key "moments" that we all encounter at random times.
Each piece will also be posted below so you can access the words and reasoning behind each one, and in the near future our Crone/Sage discussions on each will be added to our YouTube channel.
More to come on that later, folks!!!
Liturgy of the Hours
One section of our Liturgy book contains what we call a Liturgy of the Hours which can best be defined as a series of regular (daily) observances of something spiritual.
Here’s some information about how we came to create these observances:
The Catholic Church has a series of prayers they call the Liturgy of the Hours where different prayers are performed at specific times throughout the day. We liked this basic concept because it can be a way to connect with the various energies we work with, to remind ourselves throughout our mundane day that we are magickal people, or as another way to maintain a spiritual connection to something that will lead to our own personal growth and development.
Also, because many of us come to Witchcraft from other religious traditions where we may have been taught to pray before going to bed or to say some sort of grace at mealtimes, this type of liturgy could potentially satisfy a personal need for some form of daily devotion. Habits of our youth may still be useful in the new context of today!
1 - Upon Arising
( Awaken & Arise )
Starting your day with prayer not only gives you an opportunity to set your intent to have a positive and productive day but to take a moment at the beginning to focus on your personal spirituality before all the mundane stuff starts getting in the way.
It can set the tone for your whole day because you start out with what’s most important to you.
☆ This is the first time of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be performed when you first get out of bed in the morning.
- Most of us spend at least a few minutes in the kitchen after we get up either making coffee or eating some sort of breakfast.
- Get a tea light that you can keep on your kitchen counter.
- Sit down and take three deep breaths.
The first one is for Body and as you breathe, be aware of the awakening of your body.
The second one is for Mind and as you breathe, be aware of the awakening of your mind.
The third one is for Spirit and as you breathe, be aware of the awakening of your spirit.
- Light the candle and say:
I greet this day in balance with fresh eyes looking forward.
I am aware of the magick within and all around me.
I am aware of the mundane within and all around me.
Both of these are manifestations of the Divine, My internal spark and the external spark of the Universe.
I go forth to walk in balance and joy.
- Take another moment to take three more deep breaths.
Let the candle burn for a few minutes, then extinguish the flame, and start your day.
2 - Early Morning
( Advance & Address )
You set your intent with your first prayer and now you can take a moment to get centered in your day after getting through all the stuff you have to do to get ready to face your day. It is a moment to remember that you are a Witch and magickal person.
☆ This is the second time of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be performed after you have gotten yourself ready to start your day, whether that involves getting ready for work or school or getting kids out the door for the day, usually between 7 and 8 am
- Take a moment to take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit before you say:
I am anchored in the starting of my day.
I acknowledge my mundane foundations and I feel connected to my Internal Spark of Divine.
I know I am surrounded by the magick of the other world and I reach out to the External Spark that is the Universe.
I walk the Hedge, that area betwixt and between, and I am prepared to begin the next part of my day.
- Take another moment to take three more deep breaths and move on to the next part of your day. You have gotten your day well underway, and this is a moment to pause and reflect about who you are and how your day is progressing.
3 - Midmorning
( Adapt & Adopt )
You have gotten your day well underway and this is a moment to pause and reflect about who you are and how your day is progressing.
☆ This is the third time of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be performed at the midpoint of your own morning depending on what time you began your day, usually between 9 and 10 am.
- Take a moment to take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit before you say:
I pause briefly at midmorning to reflect on all I have already accomplished this day.
How I think and how I act is a reflection of my magickal Witch within.
What I present to the world around me is who I am, complete and without apology.
I know I am genuine and my spiritual practices matter to myself and the world I live in.
And I give thanks to the Divine.
- Take another moment to take three more deep breaths and move on to the next part of your day.
4 - Midday
(Affirm & Adjust )
Most of us take a break around this time of day, especially to have something to eat at lunchtime. This is a good time to remember what is important to you spiritually and to reset the intent for your day
☆ This is the fourth time of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be performed in the middle of your day, usually between noon and 1 pm
- Take a moment to take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit before you say:
I take this moment at midday to connect and commune with my Internal Spark of Divine, to concentrate on the synchronicities and reciprocities flowing and going on around me while I have focused on the mundane concerns of my day.
I am poised on the Hedge and can feel the magickal reach out to me.
For this brief moment in time, I am balanced between.rrft Joyful and reverent simultaneously,
I reset my day as a Witch who walks between the worlds.
- Take another moment to take three more deep breaths and move on to the next part of your day.
5 - Midafternoon
( Accept & Arrange )
This is the time of day where many of us are beginning to wind down our outside responsibilities and beginning to think about home, dinner, and plans for the evening. It is a good moment to pause and tune in to your personal awareness.
☆ This is the fifth time of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be performed at the midpoint of your afternoon, depending on when you passed midday, usually between 3 and 4 pm.
- Take a moment to take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit before you say:
I pause briefly at midafternoon to become aware of all I still have to finish.
I can easily accomplish what is needed walking in balance within myself.
I am aware that I am a Witch and I am aware that magick is all around me.
I know I am genuine and my spiritual practices matter to myself and the world I live in.
And I give thanks to the Divine.
- Take another moment to take three more deep breaths and move on to the next part of your day.
6 - Early Evening
( Acknowledge & Aaaaaaa)
After the dinner hour, most of us settle in at home or make plans to go out to be with friends or family. Taking a pause to remember what is important to you spiritually can lead to personal growth.
☆ This is the sixth time of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be performed once you are done with the mundane part of your day, usually between 7 and 8 pm.
- Take a moment to take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit before you say:
I am anchored in the ending of my day.
I acknowledge the Witchblood flowing through my veins and I feel connected to my internal spark of Divine.
I acknowledge my magick and the magick of the world around me.
I am part of the magick of creation and I reach out to the External Spark that is the Universe.
I am ending my day secure in self-knowledge of my identity as a Witch.
- Take another moment to take three more deep breaths and move on to the next part of your day.
7 - Before Retiring
( Aaaaaaa & Aaaaaaa)
Making time to say a final prayer before going to bed can remind you of what is important to you and may help you relax and sleep easier.
☆ This is the seventh and final time of prayer for the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be performed just before you go to bed.
- Light a small candle. Sit down and take three deep breaths. The first one is for Body and as you breathe, be aware of any physical tension leaving your body. The second one is for Mind and as you breathe, be aware that your mind is at peace. The third one is for Spirit and as you breathe, know that you have done all that you could to grow spiritually today and to feed your soul in some way. Say out loud:
I claim the gift of restful sleep.
I am in balance in the present moment Supported by the magickal and the mundane within and without.
I give thanks for my spiritual path.
My day is done.
So Mote It Be!
- Take another moment to take three more deep breaths, one for body, one for mind, and one for spirit. Extinguish the candle and go to bed.
8 - Middle of Night
( Allay & Assuage )
We all have those times when we awaken in the night and find it difficult to fall back to sleep. Whether startled from a dream or because tomorrow’s duties and concerns catch our focus, sleep becomes elusive at these times.
☆ This prayer can be performed any time we find ourselves awake at night after a period of being asleep.
- Take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit. Try saying this prayer in repetitions of three until you are able to feel yourself returning to your rest:
I am awake in the night
The noises around me soothe my heart
I am calm and at peace
Tomorrow’s duties and concerns are not for the now
I return to my rest with a grateful soul.
So Mote It Be!
Liturgy of the Moments
Once the Crone and I had worked our way through those 8 key "Hours", we quickly realized that these brief interludes throughout our day had caused us to remember so many of the non-specific times that we both had our own little whisper, spells, and mantras that we practice, often reflexively
Examples of these "momentary micro-prayers" that we
Lorem
When Crossing a Threshold
On The Path, we view thresholds as a special place. They are part of the betwixt and between that can mark the borders between the mundane and magickal worlds.
★ Keep this in mind by saying ths whenever you cross one, whether inside or out.
I move between the mundane and the magickal
With ease and grace.
And I am blessed.
Before Eating
As Witches on the Path, we make certain to recognize the blessings that we receive, including the foods and drinks (and medicines) that we need to survive.
☆ Take a few moments to appreciate what has been sacrificed so that you have something to eat. Don’t forget to include the time and effort that went into its preparation. say:
★ Before your first bite, take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit, and then say:
Everything I need to maintain my physical, mental, and spiritual self is given to me.
I am truly blessed.
I can feel my Internal Spark growing and changing as I take the time to be aware.
I am truly blessed.
I have all that I need.
I am truly blessed.
Before Drinking
As Witches on the Path, we make certain to recognize the blessings that we receive, including the foods and drinks (and medicines) that we need to survive.
☆ Sit with your cup or glass. Focus on what type of energy you want to infuse into your drink. Place your hands on either side of the glass and sense the energy flowing into and charge your drink for you. Drink it down and say:
★ Take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit. Try saying this prayer in repetitions of three until you are able to feel yourself returning to your rest:
I am filled with (type of energy)
My body, mind, and spirit reflect this energy added to me.
I am blessed to be able to replenish myself.
When Feeling Uneasy
There are times when you feel out of sorts, out of balance, that something is quite right.
☆ Using this quick prayer as a reminder that you are in control of your own spirituality can be useful at these times.
★ Take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit, and then say:
May I be safe.
May I be strong.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
I am truly blessed.
☆ Try repeating this in threes until you are able to feel yourself calm and re-center
Expressing Gratitude
Gratitude is all about being thankful for what you have and expressing it to the energies around you. We on The Path believe this is the source of everything created that generates abundance in our lives.
★ Take a minute and recognize something physical, mental, and spiritual that you are grateful for presently.
★ Take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit, and then say:
I am grateful for (fill in the blank) which enhances my connection to my physical self.
I am grateful for (fill in the blank) which enhances my connection to my mental self.
I am grateful for (fill in the blank) which enhances my connection to my spiritual self.
I give thanks for the gifts of abundance in my life.
To Quickly Rebalance
The Path recognizes balance as an ideal, and not a goal that can ever be achieved. Perfect balance is impossible to achieve because there will always be areas of our lives that are in balance at the moment while others are fluctuating wildly around us. The idea is to develop awareness that you are heading for the cliff sooner and learn how to safely pull yourself back from the edge and more towards your personal center.
☆ This prayer allows you to take a moment to be in balance and become accustomed to recognizing that you can take charge of working on personal balance. This prayer can be said as is or in conjunction with taking a breath before each line. By focusing on your breathing at the same time, it can add calmness and focus to the rebalancing.
★ Take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit, and then begin
My physical self is connected to the mundane
My physical self is connected to the magickal
At this moment, my physical self is in balance.
My mental self is connected to the mundane
My mental self is connected to the magickal
At this moment, my mental self is in balance.
My spiritual self is connected to the mundane
My spiritual self is connected to the magickal
At this moment, my spiritual self is in balance.
I can feel all parts of me connected together
Balanced and in harmony
At this moment, my whole self is in balance.
☆ Try saying this prayer in repetitions of three until you are able to feel yourself regaining your balance:
When Recognizing Synchronicities
Synchronicities are those related events that are not explained by conventional causes or connections to each other. We on The Path have learned that they are occurring all around us on a daily basis and by learning to pay more attention to them, we often receive ideas, guidance, or suggestions that we are going in the right direction. We often think of them as little cosmic nudges. Fostering that sense of awareness by recognizing them through a short prayer encourages you to pay closer attention to what is going on around you.
★ When you experience something synchronous, take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit, and say:
I recognize that the magickal is nudging the mundane
creating relationships and connections.
I freely accept what is being offered to me for my own growth,
and I am blessed.
Recognizing when our Magick Works
You have been working magick, casting spells, working to manifest something you have been focusing on happening in your life. You are buried in the mundane and then it happens, comes true, comes to fruition when you least expected it. Oh Wow! I actually made that happen is a moment to take time to acknowledge that not only is magick part of your reality, but that you are a capable Witch who can use magick to make changes happen in your world.
★ Take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit to create a brief moment of balance between the magickal and the mundane for yourself.
★ While in that space, savor the feeling of accomplishment that you have manifested something for yourself and say:
I am Witch who creates what my life needs
which feeds my Inner Spark of the Divine.
I am Witch who walks on the leading edge of creation
connecting myself to the Divine of the Universe.
I am Witch who works with magick to manifest on the mundane
and I rejoice.
So Mote It Be!
-
The Shock of A Passing
As Witches, we recognize that death is a part of the cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth. We may have experienced the loss of grandparents, aging parents, or loved ones with a terminal illness so that we are somewhat prepared for their leaving our lives. There are times when death takes someone we value through old age accident, an act of violence, or even suicide that we are not prepared for (even though we think we might be) leaving us in shock, completely numb, or full of unexpected rage and pain that descends without warning when we learn someone is now gone from our lives forever.
☆ This prayer is never intended to minimize any feelings you may experience when getting the news of someone’s death but allows you to take those breaths and get through those first moments.
★ If you can, find a quiet place away from others to allow you to give yourself what you need right now.
★ Take those three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit and acknowledge that you are way out of balance after receiving the horrible news that someone you cared about is dead. Then say out loud:
They are gone from my life.
This is not what I planned when last we talked,
spent time together,
made plans for later.
I thought we had more
more time, more sharing,
more time to make plans
but we do not.
I do not know what I feel and that is appropriate.
I reach for my Internal Spark of the Divine.
I need to know it is still burning
when everything else feels wrong right now.
Recognizing Moments of Childlike Wonder
The Sun is rising, spewing amazing colors as you get ready to start your day. You take a few minutes in the evening to look at what phase of the Moon is visible in the night sky. A breeze, scented with incoming rain, blows around us on a hot, humid afternoon promising relief from the oppressive heat. The world around you is bursting with the bright green of new growth in Spring.
Hopefully, these moments, and many others, generate a feeling of childlike wonder within you with the promise of new possibilities, imagination unfurling great dreams, of being connected to the world around you.
☆ It is important to recognize these moments because they encourage your belief that magick is real and fosters those connections to the energies with which you can develop deeper relationships.
★ Take a moment and savor these feelings. Now take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit, then say:
My Internal Spark of the Divine is dancing with quiet joy.
I am aware of the promise of magic and am filled with the reverence that I might easily ignore when mired in the mundane.
I believe in magick,
I believe I am Witch,
I believe in these moments of wonder.
Dealing with Being Physically Trapped or Cornered by Circumstances
Hopefully, you never have to deal with a violent situation that would cause you to be physically trapped. However, we have all had those moments where we are stuck in traffic literally going nowhere, are sitting in a waiting room for an appointment way too long, or are delayed in a line at the grocery store, the Department of Motor Vehicles, standing at a bank.
You feel time getting away from you that you will never get back and your frustration starts to mount. Your thoughts obsess about those people who are wasting your valuable time and what you could be doing instead.
What you really need right NOW is some patience because you are creating your own stress. You also don’t need to take it out on other people who are probably experiencing the same frustration you are.
★ Now is the time to take three deep breaths, one for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit. Now do this same cycle of three several more times until you can feel yourself starting to dial that frustration back and say:
I am stuck in this situation.
I did not create it, but I am in it.
I cannot control other people, other places, other things.
I can choose not to stay stuck in the frustration I am creating.
I breath in and draw the patience of the Universe inside myself.
I feel myself calming and know the situation will eventually end.
I can tolerate the inevitable wait times of the mundane with grace.
☆ A Quick Note: As our frustration mounts, we tend to engage what we all know of as that fight or flight response and we ramp up our nervous system to respond to some sort of threat. When we take those deep breaths, we actually trick our autonomic responses into calming down, to recognize there is no threat to us, to rest and digest as it were which has a nice side benefit of naturally decreasing those feelings of frustration. (Patience in a nutshell!)