A Prayer

I pray daily, at my altar, before bed. Well, I try to - sometimes I'm too tired, sometimes the altar seems so far away and I'm already snuggled down so pray in bed instead. Sometimes I forget. But I try to pray every day at my altar.

Sometimes I pray in words, but often it is an exchange of emotion, a touching of energies. These are the gods of my Hedgecraft and They have less time for words than the gods of the North. Sometimes when I am lucky They share with me in image, experience and sensation another lesson about Themselves, another snippet of what comprises Them. Tonight was such a night, and this is why I try to pray every day.

It can be difficult, and there are times it is unrewarding, it's true. Sometimes Their touch feels far off. It can be discouraging. Other times I feel Their presence strongly, and I feel blessed. These times - times like tonight - are the best, and these snippets of Mystery, or whatever they are, are what make such an un-signposted path worth the effort. They are what make it worth persevering with such a thing as a daily prayer time when it seems tiresome, or boring, or unrewarding. Harder times are followed by easier ones.