PITFALLS IN PRAYER AND PRACTICE

How to keep going no matter what

You walk to your cobbled together altar, kneel before it and have your phone or PRAXIS next to you with the directions or a prayer ready. You try to keep the book open, or you keep losing your place. Your scented candle’s (the only one you can find at short notice) wick is way down low so you struggle to light it. Your knees hurting (maybe you should’ve brought a pillow or something,) you clap in sequence and try and balance giving proper attention to a makeshift idol and trying to read what’s next. Stiltedly you read through the prayer like you’re back in high school having to read in front of a bunch of people. Getting through it you grab the bottle of Jack Daniels you scrounged from your liquor cabinet and undo the top. The small dip bowl you also scavenged as a temporary blot bowl ready for receiving. You pour and spill the libation. Trying not to panic you wrap things up, blow out the candle, wait no you were supposed to clap first then do that. Frustrated now you go and find a towel and transport the offering dumping it down the sink.

Awkward isn’t the half of it!

Your first prayer especially coming from an irreligious background is going to be like this if not worse. Don’t worry you didn’t offend the ancestors, this is the common experience most have starting practice. Spiritually most of us are pretty much children, figuring things out and scraping by as we go. The fact that we’re actually trying goes much farther than some insincere but slickly performed act.

We wanted to make this post to encourage anyone who has tried and been disheartened. This does not come easy to anyone who hasn’t been steeped in practice and experience. The key is consistency and you’ll get better and better with time. The other thing that will help is making the tradition your own. Our frameworks are intended to be just that, a scaffold to build your own home traditions upon. As we’ve discussed the faith is Orthopractic, meaning you won’t get anywhere until you try!

Barring reassurance we wanted to also cover some common other struggles one might find themselves encountering when beginning practice.

1. Feeling like you’re just talking to a void or oneself.

   Obviously when you first start this is going to be a big concern. Why am I not feeling some major spiritual revelation? Or even this feels stupid why am I doing this?

   The only thing we can tell you is to just simply stick to it. If you truly desire to reconnect with tradition and see what it’s all about its just going to take some effort on your part. With time, building of proper reverence, seeing subtle clues and signs, and truly feeling the impact of the divine in your life you will understand. Just know this does not happen overnight.

2. Losing motivation

   So realistically what specifically are you looking for out of all of this? If you think there is going to be some sudden quick results or you just want something immediate in general this isn’t for you. The idea is a slow growth of an entirely different worldview. The “goal” is reconnection with a traditional mindset, reconnection with the ancestors and the divine, and continuance of our duty. If you go into these things with the right mindset and stick to it that’s all that needs to be done.

   On top of that it can be disheartening if a prayer goes unanswered, or you don’t see any “benefit.” Keeping in touch with others who are in the faith, maybe even trying this with friends may help. Our faith as a whole is intended to be communal in finality anyways, it won’t hurt to start early. Our book is intended to be shared as well so if you’re starting you can give it to a friend to get them going too if they’re interested.

   So maybe what’ll be helpful is what you can expect as you go along. You will be cultivating an entirely different mindset over time and reconnecting with tradition. You will become more spiritually aware in your day to day, seeing purpose and order in the things around you. You will feel a greater connection to your ancestors and the divine. You can feel confident in knowing that you have others watching over you granting protection, shifting luck in your favor, and rooting for you. You will not see immediate fireworks, but one day you’ll look back and realize how much you have changed in your life.

3. Struggling with consistency

   Daily practice while ideal isn’t some divine mandate. Tradition would have us do it as a duty to our ancestors but understand that intention and sincerity goes a very long way. For a thousand plus years our ancestors and the Gods have been neglected our devotion and offerings. We are the ones trying to pick it back up, we’re part of the solution. The goal is to build a simple habit and then stick with it. Find a good time and rhythm to your practice and just keep going. If you falter and miss a day a week, hell even a month or more don’t beat yourself up, you are human and likely do not have an overall culture and nation that encourages and helps religious sentiment. The Gods and Ancestors are still there for us, and they always will be no matter what. Come back sincere (maybe with some good offerings,) and jump in again.

These three concerns are what we can think of as some major pitfalls in practice and prayer in your day to day life. The beginnings of returning to a faith is fraught with ways to fall out again. If you’re truly intending to become a practitioner just stick with it, give yourself some credit and leeway to grow into it. An entire rewiring of your worldview doesn’t happen overnight it will be a lifelong journey. Share it with others, ask those more experienced on their journey, and stick with it.

Have any of you encountered similar awkwardness, encountered these pitfalls, or struggled with returning to the faith? We hope this post helps reassure anyone facing difficulties to stick to it.

For those that are struggling, try this: Commit to one single offering to the ancestors this week. Just one. It doesn’t have to be perfect - just start. Let us know how it goes.