Another type of preparation for prayer is the creation of sacred space. A sacred space is one cut off from normal space in some way. You can create this by putting yourself in the center of the universe, then organizing it around you in the way envisioned by your tradition. This has nothing to do with the actual physical layout of the universe, but instead expresses a tradition's symbolic system. For instance, Wiccans associate the four directions with elements, colors, Spirits, tools, etc. A preparatory prayer for a Wiccan might involve becoming aware of these symbols and putting them, either mentally or physically, in their proper places.
Beginning by putting yourself at the center of the universe tells you who and where you are. Any relationship, including those with the divine, must start from that place. By expressing this awareness in a prayer, you establish it ritually, and you can then slide right into the rest of your prayers. Another advantage of centering yourself in this way is that it can be very calming. It can remove distractions, allowing you to concentrate on what you are about to do.
Finally, the sacred center is the place at which the divine power enters the universe. It is the hub about which all the rest turns. It is where the gods can be approached. By locating yourself there, you increase your chances of being able to commune with them. Perhaps they can talk to you wherever you are, but can you talk to them?
This is an example of a centering prayer:
I place myself in the center of the world,
where pillar and cauldron are joined, overflowing,
continually pouring over, and sending waves of existence out into the world.
Before I perform my acts of worship, I take you into myself,
that what I do might be equally productive
that out of me might wonders flow.
This prayer includes a description of a mythical conception of the universe. Here, existence is born of the joining of a pillar and a cauldron. In Wicca, these represent the God (pillar) and Goddess (cauldron). These images are found in other traditions, so this prayer may be appropriate for them as well. The pillar might be the Norse World Tree, the cauldron the well of Mimir at its base. Or the pillar might be the tent pole up which a shaman flies on his spirit journey. The cauldron might be the cup or bowl from which inspiring drink is consumed. Here is another prayer, appropriate for both Wicca and shamanic traditions:
To the east, to the south,
to the west, to the north,
to above and below,
I send my words flying.
From the east, from the south,
from the west, from the north,
from above and below,
may blessings come flying.
Those of the Celtic or other Indo-European traditions might use:
The waters support and surround me.
The land extends about me.
The sky reaches out above me.
At the center burns a living flame.
Centering prayers can also be used to place the universe in relation to a social structure. For instance:
World below, watery world, with chaos and order overflowing,
bring true creation into my life, with order and beauty,
with power and grace.
World above, far-flung heavens, ordering the world
with might and law,
bring true stability into my life, with law and structure,
with clarity and reason.
World about me, far extending, with land well set,
bring true being into my life, with help and love,
with health and prosperity.
I place myself in the center of the world,
where pillar and cauldron are joined, overflowing,
continually pouring over, and sending waves of existence out into the world.
Before I perform my acts of worship, I take you into myself,
that what I do might be equally productive
and out of me might flow wonders.
Above and below,
and me between.
Around and about,
and me in the midst.
Before and after,
and me here now.
Balanced on the earth,
I sit, in the center,
axis-mundi-spine reaches up.
This goes before me, opening the door.
Key to the gods, be my way-shower.
Open your eyes and look around
and see the sacred in our midst
and see us in the midst of the sacred.
If you truly know that you're truly here then you'll truly know that the holy is here and always was.
The Sacred Time is now.
Nowhere to travel,
nothing to wait for.
Just know it to be true,
and you are there
and you are then.
It is by standing here that we know this place to be sacred.
It is by doing holy things that we know this day to be sacred.
It is by worshiping the Holy Ones with all that we are
that we will know that we are sacred,
and will carry the sacred into all places,
on all days.
I am here
and I belong here.
How could I not when every deed and decision I have made in my life has brought me here?
Whether arriving here has brought me good or ill,
or brought good or ill to others,
here is where I belong.
And it is from that I must pray.
We have come to worship today,
making this time sacred by worshiping
and this space sacred by worshiping together.
We are standing here.
You are standing here.
I am standing here.
We are standing here.
And today we will raise open hands
and pray to those who are holy
with sweet words of welcome.
With the tracing of this circle's edge I separate my space;
I separate the sacred from all that is profane,
from all that would profane my rites,
from all that would make this place unfit
for the entrance of the Sacred Ones to whom I will call.
Space about me,
be pure,
be sacred,
for my worship.
From the home to the wild,
I walk a sacred path.
From the wild to the home,
I walk a sacred path.
The wild is sacred.
The home is sacred.
The wild and the home, both sacred.
Most sacred of all, the Path between.
We are here.
We are here.
We are here.
And here is where we will worship the Holy Ones.
The time is now.
The time is now.
The time is now.
And now is when we will worship the Holy ones.
Never denying the holiness of Here.
Never denying the holiness of Now.
Never denying the presence of the Holy Ones in all Heres and Nows.
That side, mundane,
this side, divine.
We draw the line
for this time.
With my knife I cut off a space—
separate, sacred, set apart—
for the practice of wonders.
The sky a tent above me:
it is good.
The earth a floor beneath me:
it is good.
The Gods supporting me:
it is good.
The Ancestors preceding me:
it is good.
The Spirits surrounding me:
it is good.
Each bit of the cosmos in its proper place:
it is good,
it is good.
It is good.
The sea surrounds my place of ritual:
I cast into it all that is chaos.
I leave behind all order in this place in which I stand.
I create here a cosmos,
a beautiful land in which to worship the beautiful gods.
I build a temple here for the time of my ritual,
placing it under the protection of Indra,
and of the vajra, the strongly thrown weapon.
May I, through its strength,
through his blessing,
worship well in sacred space and achieve my aims.
May this be the mound of Arbeth, where wonders are seen,
or blows received.
May I know wonders.
May I see a woman on a white horse, slowly riding,
swiftly riding,
waiting for me to ask her to stay.
May I see Rhiannon.
May she lead me to the Otherworld,
to share the feast of the Shining Ones,
to sing their praises, and drink of their cup.
It is a little presumptuous, of course, to create your own sacred space at a place that is already holy in some way. Since Pagans revere many natural holy sites, this is an important point for them to remember. You may find yourself in front of a magnificent tree or at the edge of a deep lake, recognize that it is holy, and want to pray. It would be a bit rude to ask that the site conform to your own way of organizing sacred space. The right thing would be to conform yourself to the place, rather than trying to make the place conform to your needs.
To honor such a space, first calm yourself. Sit comfortably and quietly. Keep your body still. Then listen—not only with your ears, but also with your whole body and your soul. A wind blowing over a stone may sound like something speaking to you. The Sun striking a tree may raise a scent from the bark. The light on moving water may form a pattern. You may not understand the language in which the message is expressed, but something may indeed speak to you. Listen to it and appreciate the beauty of the expression, even if you don't know its meaning.
After you have listened, it is time for you to give back. You can start with a short prayer of praise, or one of calling. For example, you can say something as simple as:
You who live in the depths of this lake,
I sit and think of you
and honor you as you deserve to be honored.
It is always good to follow this prayer with an offering. You are offering to the local Spirits, so your offering should be appropriate to the place. In the United States, corn (maize) is right, as is tobacco. In Europe, try wheat or oats. Bread is good anywhere, and coins also seem to be universally appreciated.
If you decide to mark out an outside space for ritual, either as a permanent place of worship or for a specific ritual more complex than a single prayer, you should make offerings to the Land Spirits. Otherwise, you are essentially stealing the land. To use the space for worshiping the gods without making offerings to the Land Spirits would be a little like going over the head of your boss to speak to the president of the company. Your boss wouldn't like it; the president wouldn't like it; and, in the end, you wouldn't like it. Always make offerings to the local Spirits. It's the polite thing to do.
Large bodies of water are traditional places for offering. Offerings in rivers or the ocean may be given as prayers or as thanks for successful crossings, or they may be given to the Spirit of the river as an apology for building a bridge.
Hidden in the folds of the land you dwell and have dwelt since the world began. I am one of the world's younger children come to honor you with these offerings.
Whether god or goddess who rules this place,
to you I offer my friendship
and with it this gift.
Gateway of the gods, receive my offering.
As it sinks deep with you, let it open the door,
and let it be carried to them whom I praise in this way.
This time in which I find myself is no less sacred
than the times of the Ancestors when the laws were laid down.
This place in which I find myself is no less sacred
than the circles of stone beneath faraway skies.
I pray to all the beings that dwell in this world,
to stone and tree, to waves and breezes,
to person and beast, to deities and dust motes:
do not let me forget.
Keep my eyes open
to the sacred that surrounds me
and in which I live.
Gods who watch over this place,
whom I don't know.
Ancestors who watch over this place,
whom I don't know.
Land Spirits who dwell in this place,
whom I don't know:
I'm leaving this offering to you, unknowing,
out of my ignorance, to the unknown.
This space, this sacred space,
is guarded by the sacred beings of protection,
who answer those who call to them.
With confidence in their continued presence I begin my rites.
Each direction sacred,
Each direction perfect,
and I stand in the center,
the most sacred of all,
the most powerful place of all,
from which I will approach the gods,
and ask them to approach me.
I crack this egg, a foundation sacrifice,
at this sacred direction of my sacred space:
may the Spirits that receive it make it strong and holy,
fit for our ritual today/tonight.
Stepping from the center to the east,
three steps,
I mark my space out in that direction as holy.
Stepping from the center to the south,
three steps,
I mark my space out in that direction as holy.
Stepping from the center to the west,
three steps,
I mark my space out in that direction as holy.
Stepping from the center to the north,
three steps,
I mark my space out in that direction as holy.
Standing again in the center, I dwell in a space that is holy.
[In the following prayer, mead is poured into a bowl and then cast as offerings in the directions as noted. The prayer is complemented by a closing prayer found in chapter 21.]
We stand, pillars, in the center of the world,
while all else turns about us.
In the center, Chaos enters Cosmos.
It endangers and enlightens it,
gifting it with power:
Power to the south [offer]
Power to the west [offer]
Power to the north [offer]
Power to the east, [offer]
the place of prayer, the place of light,
the place of the Holy Ones.
And power to the center, [offer]
where we stand, pillars,
while all else turns about us.
East, where light rises
Are you there?
You are.
South, where light stands high
Are you there?
You are.
West, where light descends
Are you there?
You are.
North, where light is hidden
Are you there?
You are.
Center, where I am
Are you there?
I am.
We speak our prayers in the proper way,
to the proper directions
to those who dwell there.
Toward the east we pray,
to the Spirits of thought,
the Spirits of the words we use.
Toward the south we pray, to the Spirits of deeds,
the Spirits of our ritual acts.
Toward the west we pray,
to the Spirits of emotion,
the Spirits of the feelings we give.
Toward the north we pray,
to the Spirits of being,
to the Spirits of the bodies that turn.
We speak in the center,
where the directions join,
and bring us to life that we might pray:
from the center may we always speak.
To the east we cry!
To the south we cry!
To the west we cry!
To the north we cry!
To the World we cry!
This is the place where we will cry
to the Gods and Goddesses!
There is the east,
that I praise.
There is the south,
that I praise.
There is the west,
that I praise.
There is the north,
that I praise.
And there is the Center,
in which I stand,
and that I praise,
where I stand surrounded by the four,
each of them worthy of praise,
each worthy of equal praise,
each worthy of their due praise.
I place myself in Air, in the east I place myself,
under the protection of Raphael I place myself.
I place myself in Fire, in the south I place myself,
under the protection of Michael I place myself.
I place myself in Water, in the west I place myself,
under the protection of Gabriel I place myself.
I place myself in Earth, in the north I place myself,
under the protection of Uriel I place myself.
I place myself in the Above, in the Sky I place myself,
under the protection of the Father I place myself.
I place myself in the Below, in the Earth I place myself,
under the protection of the Mother I place myself.
I place myself in Spirit, in the Center I place myself,
under the protection of all the Holy Ones I place myself.
In this moment
In this place
In the midst of the elements
In the midst of the Two
In the midst of the center
In the midst of all the divine ones
I place myself under their protection.
I make this sign in the east,
the sign of Air,
to the beings of Air,
to call to them, to call them here,
to come to those who worship here.
Come, you are welcome, Spirits of Air.
I make this sign in the south,
the sign of Fire,
to the beings of Fire,
to call to them, to call them here,
to come to those who worship here.
Come, you are welcome, Spirits of Fire.
I make this sign in the west,
the sign of Water,
to the beings of Water,
to call to them, to call them here,
to come to those who worship here.
Come, you are welcome, Spirits of Water.
I make this sign in the north,
the sign of Earth,
to the beings of Earth,
to call to them, to call them here,
to come to those who worship here.
Come, you are welcome, Spirits of Earth.
May blow from the east the wind of air, hot and moist, to form its part of this circle's balance.
May blow from the south the wind of fire, hot and dry, to form its part of this circle's balance.
May blow from the west the wind of water, cold and moist, to form its part of this circle's balance.
May blow from the north the wind of earth, cold and dry, to form its part of this circle's balance.
May the four winds join in the center in balance.
As we begin to celebrate our sacred rites,
we invite you, Lord of Air, to come,
rejoicing in your presence.
As we begin to celebrate our sacred rites,
we invite you, Lord of Fire, to come,
rejoicing in your presence.
As we begin to celebrate our sacred rites,
we invite you, Lady of Water, to come,
rejoicing in your presence.
As we begin to celebrate our sacred rites,
we invite you, Lady of Earth, to come,
rejoicing in your presence.
As we begin to celebrate our sacred rites,
we invite you, Lords of the Elements, to come,
we invite you, Ladies of the Elements, to come.
rejoicing in your presence.
To all of you we say that we invite you to come,
so we might rejoice in each other's presence.
I place air in the east,
its proper place:
may I be in mine.
I place fire in the south,
its proper place:
may I be in mine.
I place water in the west,
its proper place:
may I be in mine.
I place earth in the north,
its proper place:
may I be in mine.
I place spirit in the center,
its proper place,
where I am.
I am in mine.
Candle flame, burn for me,
and direct here pure [element]
to bless my circle with its power.
Terminus, stand at the corners of my space,
protecting and blessing.
Terminus, stand at this corner of my space,
protecting and blessing.
Be strengthened to do that through this offering.
[At each corner, give an offering of an egg, wine, and spelt.]
Fire plays a very important role in many religions, and Paganism is no exception. Light, in general, is associated with the gods, and the presence of light with the presence of the gods. Fire is warmth, and warmth is life. In the presence of the gods, we feel alive. Fire is also a means of giving offerings. Our words go through the flames to the gods; through the fire, they are transformed into spiritual offerings. Sometimes, the offering is to the fire itself, either as an element or as deity. Thus, an offering in fire feeds the fire, the deities to whom it is offered through the fire, or both.
The lighting of a sacred flame often plays a part in the creation of a sacred space. The flame may rise from a candle, or an oil lamp, or an actual fire, either on a hearth or as an outdoor campfire.
Obviously, any offering given through fire must be flammable. Sometimes such offerings are fuels, such as vegetable or olive oil, or clarified butter. Nondairy creamer, surprisingly, makes an excellent offering, feeding the fire very nicely. Incense, paintings, grains, and prayers written on paper or wood also make excellent offerings.
Here are some prayers to go with fire offerings:
Fire of offering, you burn the sacrifice,
making it fit for the gods.
Burn away all my weaknesses,
making me fit for the gods.
I feed you with oil, fire of oblation,
that you might grow strong,
that you might grow bright,
that you might carry my prayers to the gods.
Take this, fire;
eat it and do not forget my generosity,
but carry my wishes to the gods
and say to them that I am your friend,
a giver of gifts,
who deserves their kind consideration.
It burns, it burns, it burns,
the fire about which we gather.
It burns, it burns, it burns,
the fire that is in our hearts.
In one we will burn butter.
In the other we will burn with prayer.
With both we will burn what the gods desire.
So they burn, they burn, they burn.
Speak with your many tongues,
carrying my prayers to the gods.
Take your share of my offering,
conveying the rest faithfully
to those to whom I offer it.
Fire of offering,
perform these deeds truly
as you have always done.
[The individual flames are imagined to be tongues, each of which can carry the offerer's message; the fire joins you in praying.]
Whether hidden in reed or wood or cloud
you are here in my ritual fire, Agni,
into which I will pour my offerings.
Bless me, bless my ritual today.
Open the way to the golden-eyed with your golden flames.
Agni, bless my ritual.
I light this fire of oaken branches,
of oaken logs,
with stone-struck sparks,
to honor Perkūnas.
On it I will make offerings.
Through it I will make offerings.
I will make offerings to the great hero.
With sparks from heaven, I light this fire,
these oaken flames.
With sparks from the earth, I light this fire,
these oaken flames.
And although I must eventually extinguish them, Perkūnas,
although they cannot be eternal, Perkūnas,
they will ever burn in my heart,
a continual sacred fire into which I can cast these words.