Many of us live very busy lives, and find it hard to fit time in for devotionals. Never mind that religious practice is supposed to be a high priority; life seems to get in the way. In response to this, I’ve developed a short devotional for the morning that covers the bases, and does it in about two minutes. It isn’t hurried, and it isn’t abrupt, but it is short. No more excuses (even if I try to come up with them many mornings).
I begin with a purification. If I do this near water, I use that; if not, I just use my fingers as if there was water. First I touch my forehead and say:
May I be pure that I might cross through the sacred.
I touch my lips and say:
May I cross through the sacred that I might obtain the holy.
I touch the part of exposed skin nearest my heart and say:
My I obtain the holy that I might be blessed in all things.
I follow this with my cosmology prayer. It is sung, and there are accompanying had gestures, but the words are:
The waters support and surround us,
the land extends about us,
the sky stretches out above us.
At the center burns a living flame.
May all the Kindreds bless us.
May our worship be true.
May our actions be just.
May our love be pure.
Blessings and honor, and worship to the Holy Ones.
The Kindreds here are the Deities, the Ancestors, and the Land Spirits. The cosmology traced out is the Indo-European one. Those familiar with the trifunctional theory of Dumézil might notice that the last four lines list the three functions, first as one, two, three, and then as three, two, one.
The Kindreds are then named, honored, and asked for blessings:
God and Goddesses,
Holy Ancestors,
Spirits of this place:
I thank you for guiding me through yesterday,
and ask that you guide me through today,
and all days to come.
I then pray to my patrons, and am done. Like I said, about two minutes. Easy to fit into a busy morning, but not rushed, and quite uplifting.
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