Worship

[Alice]

I grew up as a Christian, so I'm used to worship being things like music, service etc.
What is worship like in the pagan community? How do you define worship?

[Jinx]

Re: Worship

I think worship is probably a little different for every Pagan you talk to. I know for me it's a lot of little things. Aside from having an altar and having representation of the God and Goddess there, I find myself being very aware of my surroundings. I'm always respectful of all the nature around me and to me that is a part of "worship" (I've never really acknowledged it as worship until now). I even take time to honor the deities during a short meditation or while I'm doing yoga. To me you don't have to make a big event out of it, just be aware in your everyday life of the wonderful life surrounding you.

[Satu]

Re: Worship

Yeah, worship is different depending on the tradition and even the particular pagan.

For me, worship is done mostly at a shrine, but worship and "work done for/in the name of a deity" are sometimes the same thing in my book, so I guess I do a lot of worship at my laptop when I'm writing for the gods. XD

[Aniera]

Re: Worship

For me, most of my worship is done at my altar or in my circle. However I do try to do daily meditations once in the morning and once at night. Much like when I would say my daily/nightly prayers in Christianity. I however try to see the beauty in nature, and even just going outside to enjoy the cool fall air right now is a part of my worship.

[Hafthor]

Re: Worship

Much like Jesus said "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites" I prefer to keep it a very private matter with me and my Gods. I have my shrines to Odin and Thor and even when I am at the gym and getting ready to put in some serious work I'll ask Thor to give me the strength that I need or if I am stuck on a task might as Odin to guide me and grant me the wisdom needed.

[SaintElvis]

Re: Worship

Meditation, contemplation, ritual and breathing. The ritual is what you make of it, like with music or dance or even singing if you dare. I do not sing. Birds fall from the sky in horror when I sing.

[Tarn]

Re: Worship

First, let me define my idea of worship. To me, worship is any any form of interaction I have with the Deity that I am following. Sometimes this is a full blown ritual, sometimes it is little more than giving Her an offering, say Cosmos flowers, just as a way of letting Her know that I'm thinking of Her. That said...

Your worship is going to depend on your tradition/path/belief (think denomination), and the Deity you follow or are working with, and what you believe is proper. I step onto very thin ice when I say this but... think of worship as the way you would treat someone close to you. A friend, a relative, a lover. How would you let them know that you care about them? You would probably talk nice to them; try to get to know them better; try to do things that would make them happy. Start by doing the same for your Deity. Or if you have no particular Deity right now, start by acknowledging the first Deity that you really notice. Even if that is not the Deity you are supposed to follow or work with, you will become accustom to "worship". And when you get to the point where you can communicate with a Deity, you can simply ask them what they want in the way of worship.

To me, worship is simply letting your Deity know that you are thankful for what They do for you, or with you. Kind of like you would a friend... a really really super powerful friend. I would suggest that you avoid the "teasing" and "lipping off" that you might do with a human friend, for obvious reasons. But if a Deity has accepted you, or has chosen you, then show them respect and gratitude. They will let you know more specifics as time goes on.

Hope this helps.